8-15 Wednesday Afternoon Visit with Mujurus

by All

We have the pleasure of having Fradreck Mujuru, our Jangano Project Director, here in Lacomb for a visit, as well as his brother Sam. Both are mbira players, teachers, and makers, as well as delightful people with which to talk! Please make a little time to come on Wednesday the 15th from 3ish to 5:30 p.m., bring some finger food and get to know our Zimbabwean friends.

Fradreck and Sam were expected to arrive in June but had some Visa difficulties, due to a typo of all things, and so we were unable to schedule anything sooner or more elaborate you can try here. We hope you can fit in this opportunity and share your time and interests with them while hearing about the latest from Zimbabwe.

Rehearsal for the upcoming performance on Saturday will follow at 5:30 p.m. for Mutambo and Detembo at 6:30 p.m. and so you are welcome to stick around for an evening of marimba music too! Feel free to bring more food and drink of your choice if you will stay later. I am sure that we can schedule in an mbira lesson if you like. Do give Jaiaen a call or email with any questions!

Looking for Ancient Ways Volunteers at Zimfest 2012

by AllFundraisers

Are you able to volunteer at the Ancient Ways Zimfest booth this year? PLEASE CLICK HERE TO JOIN US: http://www.volunteerspot.com/login/entry/1102345634484130075

Zimfest is being held this year in Moscow, Idaho on the northern edge of the University of Idaho Campus from August 2nd-5th (see www.zimfest.org ) with the Marketplace at Ghormley Park. We will be bringing the hand-crafts from the villages, CDs and T-shirts, as well as providing information about our work in Zimbabwe, specifically our health and pure water well building focus (see www.ancient-ways.org or call 877-TATENDA with questions about our programs and services).

We run this booth with the help of volunteers and can’t do it without you! Please let us know how you can be involved. Just click the link at the top, but do so just as soon as possible so we can make plans.

Upcoming Ancient Ways Performance July 29th!

by AllPerformances

Join Ancient Ways Muti Marimba Ensemble at Garland Nursery’s 13th annual Art & Wine in the Garden, July 29th from 12pm to 2pm. This event will feature food and over 20 artists and crafters joined by three local vineyards offering wine tasting. This family friendly event is free and open to the public. Slow your summer down and enjoy the ambiance of art, wine, music and the beautiful lush garden of Garland Nursery!

Upcoming Performances for the Plant Lovers in Your Llfe!

by AllPerformances

• Just a reminder to join us and the great folks at Thyme Garden in Alsea on Mother’s Day May 13th. Marimba Detembo will be playing from 12:30 to 1:30 pm, Muti Marimba from 1:30-2 pm, and a combined set with Marimba Detembo and Mutambo Marimba from 3:30-5 pm. Many opportunities at Thyme Garden besides music, with food vendors as well as crafts!
• Also – Mark your calendar to join Muti Marimba at Garland Nursery at their Art & Wine in the Garden on July 29th from noon til 2 pm. Beautiful relaxed setting to enjoy art, wine and the garden!

Feel free to email with questions. Looking forward to seeing you!

Upcoming Performances

by AllPerformances

Spring Greetings brings the sweet sounds of Zimbabwean music! Please come out and share the rich and uplifting interwoven Shona rhythms with us. You can join us playing at the following:

• May 5th – Albany Saturday Market 11-1 pm. Find Marimba Detembo on 4th Street in front of the Court House lawn.
• May 6th – Spring Garden Festival (25th Annual!) from 11:30-2 pm at the Arts Center Plaza, 7th and Madison in Corvallis. The Youth Ensemble will play from 11:30 ‘til noon. Muti Marimba will share mbira-based songs from noon-12:30 pm. A combined set with Marimba Detembo and Mutambo Marimba follows until just before 2 pm.
• May 11th – If you are part of the Periwinkle School Community, Marimba Detembo will play from 5:45-7:45 pm at their annual fundraising BBQ.
• May 13th – Thyme Garden in Alsea shares their beautiful space with many vendors and musicians over the Mother’s Day weekend. We will be playing Sunday from 12:30-2 pm and 3:30-5 pm to include Muti Marimba, Marimba Detembo and Mutambo Marimba. Please write windgatherer@ancient-ways.org if you are interested in specific times for each group.

Looking forward to good weather to be outside playing and seeing you in person. Thanks!

Annual School Benefit

by AllFundraisersPerformances

Sundborn Children’s House, the Montessori school in Albany, Oregon, is holding their annual benefit and silent auction on April 14th from 6 to 10 p.m. More details about this event including information about the great food and beverage layout for the evening, where and how to pre-purchase tickets, and this year’s focus can be found at www.spring.sundborn.org.

We are inviting you because of our partnership with Sundborn, with whom we built the Nhimbe preschool in Mhondoro, Zimbabwe, where we have been nurturing more than 80 young minds each year since 2002. They have made significant contributions to support this school annually since we began this collaboration, and continue to send donations and special materials for the teachers and children.

We invite you to this event and hope you can make it. If you are unable but would like to support the efforts you can make a secure donation online on their website instead. Whatever you can do is greatly appreciated.

Ancient Ways will be there with our table of hand-crafted items from the villages, as well as providing entertainment to start the evening. Muti Marimba, a 6-piece ensemble, will be playing the uplifting music from Zimbabwe. We look forward to seeing you there.

Thank you for passing this information on to your friends, family and co-workers!

Film about Ancient Ways in Zimbabwe

by All

A great collaboration has produced a short documentary (under 14 minutes) sharing Ancient Ways efforts in Zimbabwe, which can be viewed on the computer wherever internet can be had.  Many of you, who have helped Ancient Ways by donating time/video/music, plus the efforts of Supreme Master TV, have brought this film into being, which has subtitles in 42 languages and is free to access for all 24/7. Supreme Master TV, focused on positive uplifting messages, found Ancient Ways due to supporters of our projects who are also involved in filming for the spiritual organization.  They created this short film by utilizing:  

*         2004 documentary film from Dana Vion and Molly Sirois,

*         Robin Truesdale’s 2006 documentaries,

*         Footage from Cosmas Magaya’s September 2011 Oregon’s mid-Willamette Valley visit, and

*         Music from the Mwoyochena kuZimbabwe CD, which was put together by many great musicians to help us raise awareness and money for the villages in 2009.

This film is available to view at:  https://suprememastertv.com/en1/v/84874817969.html. Or if you prefer to see more of their available films in this category, go to “Good People Good Works”, where you can view films that document uplifting stories from around the world.  The Ancient Ways video is fairly recent. We want to thank all of you who have helped us over the years in many various ways – your assisting us, reaches much farther than you know!

Please feel free to contact me directly with any questions or ideas: 541-259-4673, 877-TATENDA, gogreen@ancient-ways.org, or visit www.ancient-ways.org.  We appreciate any way in which you can share the story with your friends, family, or those at work.  Thank you very much!  Tatenda Chaizvo!

Mbiras for Sale

by All

We have members of our Ancient Ways’ community who are moving and must sell everything. This includes a very nice pair of mbiras, made by Tendai Tapfumanei, an up-and-coming mbira maker being tutored by Cosmas’ standards. These mbiras are Nyamaropas in Magaya standard tuning, have a sweet sound, and would make a great pair for someone getting started. They are two sizes: one is smaller as 8.5” long, the other 9”. They are selling for $200 a piece. Depending where you live, there may be shipping costs.

Please contact Jaiaen at windgatherer@ancient-ways.org or 541-259-4673.

Special Needs Sponsorships for 2012!

by AllYouth Well Being

We are finding students who are very deserving of a chance at higher education within our Nhimbe for Progress and Jangano projects. It is unusual in Zimbabwe to find children from poor families who have been able to overcome the odds and make it academically. Please read on – you may have a way to assist them! Or check out www.ancient-ways.org/?page_id=338

Special Case Sponsorship – $990 – Tinashe Felix Chirisa
Tinashe’s grades in Form 4 were outstanding – receiving 7 A’s in a country where passing only 5 subjects gets you to the next grade. He recently lost his mother and so is considered an orphan by Zimbabwe standards. His father is a peasant farmer and his sister Benita, has been our Executive Assistant since 2007 (having graduated the University with Honors). He is described as a very hard working, responsible, well-mannered and trustworthy boy. Benita say “He is so brilliant not to continue”. He will not be able to attend the local Advanced level school because it does not offer science or have a laboratory for practical’s, so he will attend a boarding school (Form 5 and 6) to be able to continue studying in the area of his special gifts. A boarding school is a common solution for children who grow up in the rural area but show great promise and need that extra attention of a better school. We are interested in seeing him have a chance at contributing to the world in a significant way. He could begin immediately or the beginning of the next term as of May 2012. Can you help Tinashe realize his dream?

Special Case Sponsorship – $968 – Nyaradzai Shava
Nyaradzai Shava has an opportunity to start a 6 month accounting course (beginning now until the 1st of April 2012). She will be a chartered accountant after graduation. Nyaradzai is Febby Shava’s, our lead preschool teacher’s daughter, and is age 21. Her previous grades highly qualify her for this course. Can you help Nyaradzai with this special training?

Special Case Sponsorship – $410 – Kuda Simeya
Kuda is the one Nhimbe student who graduated from the Matanha Secondary school, doing so with flying colors. He has found an Advanced level school in Harare where he could live with relatives. He is requesting assistance to be allowed to continue his education. Kuda is an unusual child to have made it through the rural system, as Matanha is not known for many graduates. He could begin immediately or the beginning of the next term as of May 2012. Are you able to send Kuda to a better school to continue his education?

Special Case Sponsorship – $130 Tinotenda Victoria Mujuru
Tinotenda has been sponsored through the Jangano project for several years and continues to excel. She attends Mary Magdalene Secondary boarding school and will graduate Form 4 this year thanks to a generous sponsor. At the end of March 2012, her Form 4 exam fees are due. To sit for the exams and graduate you must pay the fees. These exams are the climax of all of her studies to date. Tinotenda is Fradreck Mujuru’s daughter (he is the Jangano Project co-director for which he receives no remuneration). Are you able to help Tinotenda pay these examination fees?

Do you have it within your power to assist any of these students? We will be able to facilitate some letter and picture exchange between you and the student. Thank you for your taking the time to consider these unique young people!

Zimbabwe School Fees Now Due

by AllProject UpdatesYouth Well Being

The new year is upon us and children are now in school in Zimbabwe. We are paying their school fees at the end of January. That is one week away! If you haven’t let us know that you would like to sponsor one or more children for our Youth Well Being Program (includes health education, medical care, school fees, extracurricular activities), please do so right away! Just yesterday I had to send an email to our teams in Zimbabwe with the worst possible news – that, based on current available funds, they will have to remove over 280 children from enrollment in school. If you have forgotten to notify us, please do so right away. These kids count on our help to go to school. Remember, any amount will help (see https://ancient-ways.org/?page_id=38 for background or https://ancient-ways.org/?page_id=1789 for online payments). Even if you can’t quite sponsor one child, if you can help at all, you will make a difference. Thank you!