What: Vakadzi VeNharetare at Kufunda Village, Zimbabwe with Patience Chaitezvi Munjeri
When: Monday, January 04 to Friday, January 15 2016
You are invited to join us at Vakadzi VeNharetare, a camp which focuses on traditional mbira music, dance, drumming and hosho. This year, the camp will include a line-up of all female teachers, reflected in the name Vakadzi veNharetare, which refers to women players of the mbira dzematare, or mbira played for the spirits to inspire more from the Creator.
Confirmed teachers at this camp will include:
Irene Chigamba
Benita Tarupiwa
Judith “Nyati” Juma
Rhoda “Tembo” Dzomba
Patience Chaitezvi Munjeri
Other potential teachers include Joyce Warikwandwa and Chipo Wazara.
Through this camp, we will learn traditional mbira and drumming, and will hear about women’s experiences as traditional musicians. We will also have the opportunity to witness the Njuzu (mermaid) ceremony, a ritual in which women are particularly involved. Further, students will be able to seek spiritual help and healing in the rural area of Chiweshe.
This is a wonderfully unique experience, hosted by Zimbabweans, and consisting of music steeped in Zimbabwe’s rich cultural and spiritual history. The camp will be accessible to beginner and intermediate players, while advanced players will be given extra instruction and challenges. Each guest teacher will spend between 1-2 days at the camp. The daily schedule will consist of learning a kushaura and a kutshinhira in the morning, then learning the accompanying singing in the afternoon. Between mbira and singing, there will also be hosho and dance lessons. In the afternoons, students will have the choice of resting, shopping, and visiting nearby places.
In the evenings, students will play together, and will have individual instruction with the guest teacher.
Patience will further assist in the teaching of mbira and singing. There will also be several cultural talks, offering insights into Shona customs, beliefs, and language. One day will be devoted to learning traditional drumming in Chiweshe.
The fee for the full camp is $1800, which includes a new mbira in the camp tuning,
accommodations,
food (three meals/day – vegetarian option available),
workshops, cultural excursions,
and donations toward the sacred ceremony. Internet access will be available. We can make arrangements to pick you up from the airport and take you to Kufunda Village, but you will need to pay for this separately (about $30).
Daily rates and accommodations and meals for accompanying persons are also available (please see attached application form for details) A $500 deposit for the camp is required by October 31, 2015. Full payment is due by December 10, 2015. Please see attached application form for details. This is a safe time to travel in Zimbabwe. I will be happy to answer any questions you may have about what to bring, etc. I look forward to seeing you in Zimbabwe!
–Patience Chaitezvi Munjeri
About Patience Chaitezvi Munjeri:
Patience Chaitezvi Munjeri, one of Zimbabwe’s rare women mbira players, has played in traditional ceremonies since she was very young. Because her mother is a traditional healer and medium and her brothers also played mbira for the spirits, Patience grew up immersed in mbira music and deep Shona culture. Uniquely, she has also earned a university degree making her unusually adept at communicating with English speaking students. Four successful tours through the US and Canada (2008, 2009, 2011 and 2015) confirm Patience’s ability to convey music as well as cultural content to her students. Patience takes her teaching role seriously; patient but precise, she brings energy and authenticity to all her classes and performances. Patience has consistently proven her extraordinary ability to teach:
• Mbira • Drumming • Hosho (shakers) • Traditional dance • Singing • Choral Singing • University and public lecture/demonstrations • Shona cultural presentations • Shona cooking classes
After each tour she returns to her family and teaching post in Chinhoyi, Zimbabwe. There, she teaches in a high school of 2,000 students, 765 of whom are orphaned. She advocates for these children and manages to work with a handful of mbira students between teaching her scheduled classes.
Following is partial list of Patience Chaitezvi Munjeri’s previous hosts:
• MBIRA, Berkeley CA (2008, 2009 sponsor) • Kutsinhira Cultural Arts Center, Eugene, OR (2011 sponsor) • Zimbabwean Music Festival (Zimfest) 2008, Pacific Lutheran University, Tacoma WA • Zimbabwean Music Festival (Zimfest) 2009, University of Colorado, Boulder CO • Zimbabwean Music Festival (Zimfest) 2011, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR • Camp Nhemamusasa North, Duncan BC • Music Works Northwest, Seattle, WA • Zimbira, Boulder, CO • Zimbabwe in the North Fork, Hotchkiss, CO • Lewis & Clark College, Portland, OR • Reed College, Portland, OR • Indiana University, Bloomington, IN • Indiana University Southeast School of Music • Eastman School of Music, University of Rochester, Rochester NY • Bellarmine University, Louisville KY • Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY• Cornell University, Ithaca, NY
Click here—>Camp-Nharetare-description
Click here—>Camp-Nharetare-Registration-Form for Registration Form!
Click here email Patience Munjeri with questions or to submit your registration form!
Camp-Nharetare-accompanying-persons-form for Accompanying Persons Registration Form!
2016 Camp Nharetare 
This camp was so wonderful in 2014!
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I enjoyed Patience’s Camp Nharetare in 2014. For a first trip to Zimbabwe, Kufunda Village was the perfect place to stay. Camp was well organized, the teachers were all excellent, a complete experience. I learned so much and wish I could go again this year.
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Great camp, Patience! I had a blast. Maita basaaaaaa.
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The Camp in 2014 was good!
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