Shoko Festival : The Rising ...

It was a ‘freaky’ Friday alright and this lady was on a mission, a MISSION to ‘arrest MAFAROES courtesy of Shoko Festival right?!

As cheesy as that may sound hears my ‘to do list, you know for reference:

• Ñ       Freak -em palazzos *check*
  
• Nude-I’ll-snog-you-in-a-Water-Whirld-bush-sex-appeal-lipstick *check*
  
• Hijacked fellow partners in crime *check*
  
• Arrival: ‘Fashionably Late’ the African version plus two more hours *check*
  
•  Identify watering holes in the vicinity *check*
  
• Use them religiously after every few minutes *check!*

You wouldn’t believe our luck; just as we arrived we walked slam-BHAM into the coolest Chiwoniso Tribute on a stage which happened to be named in her honour; a combination of crazy tribal percussion, Reggae chanting - singing and some Afro-electronic to make any house-heads’ panties wet. To say Willis Watafi, Sista Flame & my newest discovery of awesomeness, Djembe Monks from Bulawayo killed Chi’s ‘Mai’ is an understatement. Never have I heard that song in such a positive and uplifting vibe.

Mzungu Kichaa, looked anything but crazy, in fact; clad in a skinny-tee, PALAZZOS topped off with a grass hat, he looked so cultured, so cultured he stole my heart. My heart is in Tanzania as you read this, maybe it was all that Masai jewelry? Maybe if I tweet him he’ll give it back! Anyway, the crowd loved the guy (see what I mean?); he taught the crowd some Masai, asked about our well-being, livestock, crops etc. He must have known we were a crowd of new farmers *Hihihi!* As he made room for Tariro neGitare the crowd had a feel of what this Bongo genre was all about; catchy Afro-Jazz with the occasional touch of Sungura guitar vibes.
Watching Tariro for the first time, I knew within that instant why her Twitter handle was ‘Wildfire’, incidentally that was the first song she performed. 

This happened to be my first time watching her perform and yes she was all woman, captivating the audience. Even the restless Tony Rebel fans were transfixed as she went. More so when her Mzungu co-performed the reggae influenced ‘Chitima’. 

Flanked by Mannex Motsi, Jah Farai and Lady Thanda as background, Tony Rebel made it onto stage to the sound of screaming frenzied fans (mostly males that looked vana baba-baningi!)! Dressed in an all red Michel Jackson inspired outfit, Tony looked all out ecstatic to be on stage in Zimbabwe. So much he sang about it. His performance though filled with typical “PULL-UP!!” teases was eventful, engaging, entertaining and well worth the wait. 

Mbira-Princess, Hope Masike made a quick cameo as she translated ‘If God is on my side’ into a souled out Shona version. Jah Farai, Lady Thanda and Mannex each had moment to shine. Rightfully so they were all top notch and flew both ‘the’ colours and ‘our’ colours pretty high!  After the host for the evening Ruvheneko Parirenyatwa’s (Zifm) and her Starfm co-host called it a night, the people moved the party to the Julius Chingono Stage where Otis ‘The Flow’ Fraser (My radio idol *screams*) was ready and waiting playing some feel good old school as the crowd siphoned through.

It was there the ‘REAL’ good vibes flowed as a smaller crowd of the patrons mingled and danced on the grass till the wee hours of 4am. Yes of course I was one of them barefooted and rapturous till it was time to go as The Rising of the Sun neared.

Shoko Festival 2013 kicked some major...*cough* Shoko Festival 2013 arrested some Massive Mafaroes, next year it’s so F%&#!ng on! Can’t wait!

iHeart College (i.e. University to the Africans)

You’re sitting in that cold yet fully packed open space and it hits you, just as you look at that printed paper all the wasted time of your semester flashes before you, that Shit called life you ‘YOLO'd’ at comes and bites you in the ass; that six pack of ‘who knows’, shots and or shooters of ‘God forbid’, gallivanting to clubs named after islands off coasts you can only Google Map (an atlas seriously what century is this?).

Being a university student is a lot harder than Asher Roth puts it. I mean sure all the good stuff is there believe that, drugs you’ve always heard of and only dreamt of trying, the easiest girls in the world  or drunest or both (in all honesty if guys don’t get more laid in their varsity days something is wrong, right?), beyond frivolous sex, love triangles, the boy or the b*tch is mine claw and fist fights respectively, the party rocking colour blocking, leotards en shuffle or vice versa without the apologies and the alcohol? Good heavens it is indeed ‘liquor paradise’, mostly for those who can both afford and handle it. One can eat crap or not eat it every day, vomit it after every meal or eat five helpings of it at every juncture. You can be queer, straight or drag, change your name to Longinus or anything considered ‘cool’ at the time no one cares! Its freedom deluxe and no one anywhere beyond reach can tell you what to do how often with whom at what time. I could go on and with the list of liberties but those in University know these things.

Back to the point before I drift off into another post teenage reverie (cue dreamy harp music), where was I Yes, a cold open space. You’re in that exam room alone, as far as the Answer sheet ids considered you’re an individual who shall be evaluated as such. It doesn’t matter how epic last night’s party was or how much you scribble ‘WTF?’ the question paper. The reality remains though hard as hell you should be your own person or you’ll get swept by the High School, University and eventually Adult life currents. You’ll figure from the stuff mentioned these waters flow strong because even after high school,( the place we’re encouraged to shun our true selves for the most insignificant amount of acceptance) we are thrust into young adultery, I mean adulthood, University.  Be it far from home in hundreds or thousands of kilometres or miles for most. There’s an obvious shift environment, when you’re on slight occasion home sick then you’re so NOT! Subsequently there’s this ‘thing’ you feel; (for many it’s the reason they leave home or choose a university so far away)…it’s Kanye-West-Power. No one student should have it but we do the second we arrive by coach, plane or in uncomfortable-as-fuck-Combies, the power to be the person you were raised to be or to create an entirely different personality is placed firmly in grasp. You could either roll it into a blunt or mould it into a vase your pick!

It’s so simple to lose oneself who you are where you are coming from and worse yet where you’re headed, finding you though, all of him/her? Not so easy I suggest name tags, labels and preferably not to get lost at all. Stay rooted not stumped to where you are from never forget it, good or bad it’s the official measure of progress or regression, left from right. And remember just as there is a morning after tablet for unprotected sex there’s a piercing headache and hunger pang from hell (Hangover) after a night of epic party rocking; Ladies, Gents and ‘In-betweeners’, consequence lives amongst us.