SHOKO FESTIVAL, arguably Zimbabwe’s biggest and longest-running urban culture festival will be running under the theme “Good Vibes Only” in a bid to promote unity in Africa through arts.
The festival which is scheduled for 27th to the 29th of September in Harare and Chitungwiza will see acts from across Africa taking part in arts, creativity and musical performances among many other activities.
Shoko Festival comes just a few weeks after a wave of xenophobic attacks in South Africa and the organisers said it will be a unifying event.
“…The festival this year will run under the theme ‘Good Vibes Only’ as Shoko aims to create a unifying platform through arts, creativity and music.
“The proudly Southern African line up will promote unity and diversity and will bring together acts from Botswana, Zambia, South Africa, Mozambique and Zimbabwe.
“The headline acts include top South African comedian Celeste Ntuli, rapper of the moment Ti Gonzi and ZimDancehall supremo Bazooker,” said the organisers in a statement.
As is with its custom, Shoko Festival will be taking place at multiple venues that include: The Hub Unconference at Harare City Library (27 &28 September), Shoko Comedy Night at REPS Theatre (28 September) and Peace In The Hood Concert at Unit L Community Hall Grounds in Chitungwiza (29 September)
According to organisers, Celeste Ntuli will head up an entertaining line up of comedians at the Shoko Comedy Night.
Celeste Ntuli, popularly known for her acting role as ‘Siphokazi’ in Isibaya, is currently riding high on a wave of popularity as one of South Africa’s top comedians and she recently picked up two awards at the just ended Comics Choice Awards 2019 (South Africa), winning the ‘Flying Solo Award’ and the ‘Comedy G Award’.
She is the first-ever South African black female comedian to record a one-woman show called “Seriously Celeste”.
Her success comes from her no-holds-barred approach to her comedy sets which touch on relationships, social issues and stereotypes.
Ti Gonzi and Bazooker will be headlining Shoko’s main event, the Peace In The Hood Concert.
Ti Gonzi real name Tinashe Gonzara rose to fame with tracks like “Zvenyu” and “Hurombo” collaborating with artists like Cindy Munyavi and he is one of the first Zim Hip Hop artists to reach a million views for his song “Kure”.
The artist has garnered a following from Zimbabwean youth through his inspirational lyrics that speak to the life of young men living in Zimbabwe.
Bazooker, on the other hand, is ZimDancehall chanter and is expected to light up the stage with his songs “Bho Here”, “Ndozvida” and “Rega Ndishaure”.
The Shoko line up also includes rising Botswana rapper, Wicked Jono, and Zambian poet, Ludo.
Shoko Festival director Comrade Fatso said “we’re really happy to be able to present such a fun and diverse line up to our audience.
“Following on from the terrible xenophobic attacks in South Africa, we felt it was really important to put together a line up that unites Southern African artists and audiences.
“Celeste brings the laughter, TiGonzi brings the vibe and Bazooker brings the fire! Its definitely gonna be a good vibe festival,” he said.
Shoko which is a Magamba Network production is all about promoting urban culture, free expression and new ideas. Over the years the festival has provided a platform for hundreds of young Zimbabwean rappers, comedians, musicians and spoken word artists to perform, collaborate and express themselves.
Shoko also curates cutting edge collaborations between local and international acts and builds international tours for young Zimbabwean artists.
The festival also hosts free conferences, workshops and panels on music, tech & digital. Since its inception, Shoko Festival has hosted acts such as Cassper Nyovest, Tony Rebel, Khuli Chana and AKA, as well as top local acts like Tehn Diamond, Gemma Griffiths, Clive Chigubhu, and many more.
