Sabela Music Projects (SMP) is the brain child of Saimon Mambazo Phiri, a creative director, producer, writer, composer, singer, actor who has spent the last fifteen years of his life travelling in his native Zimbabwe, parts of Southern Africa and Europe mostly traveling with Bulawayo based performance group Siyaya. Recent events have seen Mambazo work with other various established and up and coming artists from Zimbabwe. Mambazo has also been involved with music, dance and theatre internationally as a producer/director performing at festivals and established venues, among others Sidmouth Folk Festival, WOMAD, Glastonbury Festival and the Edinburgh International Fringe.
Influences
The idea of a music/arts production, publication and promotion company came up a few years ago. Through my work with musicians and music makers at Masibemunye Artists Association, WOMAD, Glastonbury Festival, Edinburgh Fringe, Siyaya, BATACC and my brief stint with Mthwakazi Musicians Alliance, I have been contemplating starting a truly community based and professional music production and promotion company aiming to identify, groom, produce, promote and manage serious upcoming and established musicians primarily from Zimbabwe and broadly the rest of Southern Africa. After meeting up with various serious partners most of them involved with music, SMP was established in 2002, in Zimbabwe and was registered as a company Limited by Guranteen in the United Kingdom in 2004; plans are still underway to register the company in South Africa and the United States in the not so distant future. aiming to achieve a truly global face before 2010.
Sounds Like
Siyaya <> Umdumo Wesizwe <> Mjox with the Street Niggaz <>
POY (proud of you) <>
The hundreds of millions of people living in Southern Africa form a montage melting pot of cultures, traditions, beliefs, talents, religions, tastes, off course personalities and lifestyles. With these comes all kinds and all sorts of music. Music is part of everyday life in Africa as much as corn flakes could be part of life in the developed world.
Growing up in shanty Makokoba townships in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe exposed people like me to all kinds of sounds, influences and rhythms, both censored and raw. All these music(s) coming out of the creativity and talents of melodic sons and harmonious daughters of Southern Africa, travelling from African-Pop via Sungura, Mbira to Township Kwela, the 70’s AfroJazz, through House Beats in the 80’s, Pantsula in the 90s up to the recent dominationg sounds of Kwaito.
I have been part of the community that has continually watched some of the most talented and unique artists perish, leaving this world together with their lyrics, philosophies and reverberation. It has always killed me to think that we will never hear or see any of this talent again as there are no recordings or journals of these people’s works. Names that come to my mind mostly from Zimbabwe include, Martin Ndlovu and the Search Brothers, Chief Mbuyisa, Mike Sobiko, Tobias Areketa, Mwendi Chibindi, Papaya Zulu, Levie Kheswa, Lameck Moyo, Thandabantu Bhebhe, Ndux Malax to name but a few.
Most of the recording and music business affairs in our country and a lot of African states are still in the hands of foreign interests who will only and always record or offer their facilities to the kind of musicians and music they deem good to them, or easy to sell. Voices and music from the lesser known communities that is, the young folk, the ageing folk, minority languages, “boring styles”, “un-danceable to”, the physical and mentally disadvantaged artists will never be heard by any of the world music lovers.
Sabela therefore comes as a call to all musical talent of, primarily Zimbabwe, the rest of Southern Africa and African music ethuasiasts to respond and get involved with our productions promotions and publications
Operating a friendly fully professional and serious music enterprise is at the core of our operations. We look forward to working with you, the musician, composer, producer, promoter and music lover. Our motto is “serious, only”
Sabela!
SAIMON MAMBAZO PHIRI
February 2002
I edited my profile with Thomas Myspace Editor V4.4 (www.strikefile.com/myspace)
AZABE (Alliance of Zimbabwe Artists Based Elsewhere) is a new initiative started early 2008 and open to all types of artists of Zimbabwean origin who are:- 1. Based Elsewhere besides Zimbabwe
2. Find themselves working more outside Zimbabwe
3. Travel/Tour outside Zimbabwe
4. Would like to support & see Zimbabwean arts and artists outside Zimbabwe
We are collecting data and are hoping to properly formulate and constitute the Alliance soon. Please join us at myspace and please spread the gospel! AZABE TEAM
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