The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
By Karen MacKinnon Flin Flon was once again treated to world-class entertainment last Sunday evening at the R.H. Channing Auditorium. Flin Flon was lucky to be included as one of Memeza Africa's 22 stops on their cross-Canada tour. Memeza Africa is a brilliant example of what can happen when two worlds come together in harmony. This masterful fusion of traditional African music and dance combined with spellbinding original Canadian compositions, delivered a performance so packed with energy and emotion that the full house audience was left profoundly moved and sincerely hooked. Led by South African singer-songwriter Jimmy Mulovhedzi, and Canadian guitarist, singer-songwriter, Holly Wright, this 14-piece spirited ensemble delivered a powerhouse performance that seamlessly moved from traditional African songs to fully captivating and passionate compositions supported by the unique African harmonies, only to catapult the audience without warning, into a dancing frenzy of gumboot or Zulu dances. Unparalleled Traditional djembe drums and acoustic guitar in an unparalleled blend of styles and sound supported the spectacular vocal harmonies and jaw-dropping dance performances. Memeza Africa powered through the boundaries of nationality, language and culture to strike at the heart and soul of the listeners, resulting in an emotional and unforgettable journey through the universal language of music. Comparing Canada, which has two official languages, Jimmy informed the crowd that South Africa has eleven official languages and that they speak every one of them. Memeza Africa was borne out of the dream of Holly's to re-record her song "The World Shall Love Again" while living in South Africa. See 'Uniq...' on pg. 10 Continued from pg. 7 She connected with Jimmy and through the mutual passion for the message of this song, soon developed a strong bond and common goal: to bring their two cultures together through music and spread a message of love and tolerance. This ultimately led to the unique and powerful musical collaboration Memeza Africa, bringing together the songs and styles of South Africa and Canada. All 14 members of Memeza are certified HIV counselors and work to educate and counsel people with HIV/AIDS in areas where stigma still prevents many from being tested. Through the words and spirit of their music, Memeza Africa represents how two cultures can come together and break down the barriers of racial intolerance and spread a message of love and acceptance. Members of this multi-talented group originate from Soweto, South Africa located 20 km southwest of Johannes Soweto is South Africa's largest black community, alive with a vibrant energy and rich in culture and history. It was designed to segregate the black community during the apartheid era, but the resilience and spirit of the people triumphed and brought them together, making Soweto the home of South African freedom music. Memeza Africa not only gives members the opportunity to showcase their talents, but also offers the potential to provide an income in a community where the unemployment rate is staggering. This passionate musical collaboration not only changes the lives of the members through creating employment, but also impacts the lives of the listeners by temporarily immersing them into Memeza's beautiful world of music and dance. All the members of Memeza Africa greeted the audience as they were leaving, at the same time selling their CD, proceeds from which go to towards keeping their HIV/AIDS project alive. Two Flin Flon artists were also featured during the evening. Lois Pedersen and Matt Broda from the NorVa Emerging Artists program, displayed 35 of their beautiful works or art. Jimmy made comments all evening regarding our cold Flin Flon weather, but was very pleased by the warm welcome Flin Flon gave them.
