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Our 30th Year Anniversary and Local Events

by Performances

Autumn Greetings!   
It’s been a very full summer, and we have much gratitude now for all that is! We continue to celebrate our 30th year as Ancient Ways, and appreciate all that you have done to support and encourage us to reach out to our Zimbabwean neighbors through Nhimbe for Progress. Nhimbe is also in celebration of 25 years of successful determined focus!

H2O Drip for the Drought is serving the local Nhimbe families by providing them with the technology to harness what water they have and direct it with very little effort to their garden plots. Keep your eyes open for more reports (see our last blog about this here in case you missed it). We are partnering with Healing Hands International and they are generously investing in our community. For $25 you can sponsor a family’s food security.

Just checking, but I’m assuming you realize that this drought is serious! It is not just a threat to health and well-being, but also the drought has impacted the electricity available in the country. The Lake Kariba dam normally generates electricity for Zambia and Zimbabwe, but the water has run so low, sitting at 7.4% full, that it is impacting the electricity available in both countries, and so more often than usual, there are rolling blackouts.

To this end, we are working to raise more funds to assist more families with an H2O Drip for the Drought system. This Saturday September 28th, we will be available locally at the FCC Craft Fair on the southeast corner of the Corvallis Fall Festival, back side of FCC 6th and Madison, where we will be selling crafts from the villages as well as t-shirts and rocks from Africa. We are open there Saturday only from 10 to 6 pm.

Our music program is generating 6 ½ hours of music from 11 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. to share with fair and festival goers. Check out the following schedule and put on your dancing shoes: 

  • 11:00-12 Tamuka Marimba
  • 12:15-1:15 Tamuka Marimba
  • 1:30-2:00 Mavambo Marimba
  • 2:15-3:15 Chipindura Marimba
  • 3:30-4:30  Chipindura Marimba

October 5th, find us at Silverton’s 13th Annual Sidewalk Shindig for more music from 12 to 2:30 pm by Tashinga Marimba, in front of Sadaka Realty, 300 Lewis St. Silverton.

October 12th we will be playing at the Westminster Festival of Fine Art in Salem from 11 am to 1 pm to help showcase their artisan venue. 

Thank you for however and whenever you reach out! Whether you can attend these events, simply say hey in an email or call, or make a donation, we appreciate whatever you can do to help us help them! Many blessings your way!

book-bl

When The River Wakes Up & Other Newsworthy Events!

by FundraisersPerformances

Fall Greetings – Hoping you are having a wonderful harvest in both your goals for this year, as well as in your garden, orchard, freezer, or what-have-you. Here, it is THE time to feel squirrel impulses and get ready for winter…food, firewood, and pulling out the first of the scarves. 

We have an exciting addition to our Marketplace! Alyson Quinn has written a delightful book: When the River Wakes Up, and has donated copies to Ancient Ways. If you have a heart for Zimbabwean culture and history, it’s a must read. Are you part of a book club, or could otherwise bring this book from our Marketplace into your life or local community? The soft cover is a great way to share a good read from a female author, offering some depth in perspective, while at the same time, supporting our work there. We are covering the shipping!

Malídoma Patríce Somé, PhD, well-known traditional elder and author, recommends this book on Alyson’s website. As does our own Joyce O’Halloran, retired math professor, llama-raiser extraordinaire, and serious long-time Zimfest volunteer: “When the River Wakes Up opens with a child’s-eye view of the wonders of nature along with confusion stemming from racism in 1970’s Zimbabwe. With a beautifully flowing narrative, Alyson Quinn paints vivid pictures of family dynamics, African animals, and Zimbabwe’s transition to independence. We are guided through the maturation of a young girl who is coming to terms with the clash between Western beliefs and African mysticism.” 

Besides making this book available, we are bringing the village crafts to the First Christian Church (FCC) Craft Fair in Corvallis, as well as more African rocks. Much of our inventory left the warehouse for Zimfest and didn’t return but we still have some incredible hand-made items to share. The FCC Craft Fair borders the Fall Festival and runs over the same weekend of September 23rd-24th, with the FCC organizational proceeds going to support non-profits doing great work in the community. The Ancient Ways booth will be there only for 9-23.

Additionally on that Saturday, we look forward to bringing you the beautiful and uplifting music from Zimbabwe on marimba. Tamuka will be performing from 10 to 11 am and again from 11:45 to 12:15 at FCC, while the main stage for the Fall Festival is quiet. Our beginning group Mavambo, which started in June, will be playing in the last set – this is their first performance with Ancient Ways and we are all super excited!

Local music opportunities – Please come and say hello!

  • September 23rd, 10-11 and 11:45-12:15 pm FCC Craft Fair, 6th and Madison in Corvallis
  • September 30th, 10 – 12pm, Scio Saturday Market’s last call, at the fairgrounds
  • October 7th, noon to 2 pm, Silverton Sidewalk Shindig – new location in this annual event where all of Silverton is engaged in diverse music genres all day and night, in a variety of venues TBA
  • New beginning classes are starting Mondays at 5:30-7 pm at FCC, with existing beginning marimba on Tuesdays, same time. Call with questions!
  • An opening for an experienced player with Tamuka is a possibility. Reach out if you are interested.

Thank you for your continued support and interest in our work in Zimbabwe. Over 1,500 villagers and historically thousands of children (this year alone well over 500 to include MMC and preschool) have been given opportunities that have otherwise not existed before. We are pleased to be part of helping to uplift the rural residents, and giving these particular kids more resources and new horizons!

In much appreciation and baskets of gratitude!

Mudavanhu “Muda” Magaya Picture

Exciting Local Upcoming Events!

by FundraisersPerformances

Thank you ever so much for your very immediate response to our focused initiative keeping the Nhimbe Community Center in good repair! There is enormous gratitude here, and there, for your continued support. We soo appreciate it. Now, its winter there and extremely cold this year. Nhimbe is well prepared for the next summer rains and pray they are plenty for the crops and not the torrential type.

Locally, the next two weeks are packed with a Zimbabwean focus. Over the last two weeks we have played three times in our communities, from Scio to Silverton and Philomath, sharing this incredibly uplifting music and are now heading into three more performances in the next two weeks, and more, more, more of this spirit with many people from everywhere coming to Corvallis to share in the genre!

  • This Saturday night, Tamuka Marimba and Chipindura Marimba are playing the evening until dark at Makindu’s fundraiser, a non-profit founded in Brownsville (much like Scio/Lacomb where Ancient Ways was born). They work in Kenya and I originally heard of them the same year that Cosmas first came to the states, and now destiny has put our lives together July 29th.
  • Sunday the 30th from 6 pm to 8 pm, you will find Diki Diki Marimba playing at Common Fields in Corvallis, a great food truck pod, and a nice fresh space to enjoy family and friends. Come join us!
  • Zimfest, stirs the air using OSU in Corvallis as its base this year August 3rd through 6th. What a delight to have this festival locally! Do put it on your schedule to share in the Zimbabwean music and dance performances, workshops both about culture and music (for all levels of interest and experience), as well as a marketplace where the music is free all day. Evening concerts are on a donation basis and are outside this year! You will find Ancient Ways as a vendor with hand-crafts from the villages, as well as offering amazing rocks, minerals, crystals and stones (what’s the difference?) in collaboration with Yes, Africa Rocks!
  • Additionally, Mudavanhu (Muda) Magaya, Cosmas’ son and Nhimbe’s co-director, has come to the US on tour visiting a few universities into November and will be teaching and playing at Zimfest. Come see him on Saturday night’s stage!
  • August 11th is a venue for the elderly, where Tashinga Marimba will be part of an annual summer barbeque for Regency Park Place. Not likely that you will attend but if you are looking for care for parents or friends, always ask them about their entertainment! We really enjoy our elderly audiences and play many of these kinds of opportunities.
  • Last but not least, Muda will be offering music along with Diki Diki, and giving a presentation at the First Christian Church on August 12th at 3 pm. This will be an opportunity to hear him share about the Shona culture and his experiences living in Zimbabwe as both a city dweller and living in the rural area, which is the norm for the modern Zimbabwean staying in touch with their roots. He has been running Nhimbe since his father passed away due to Covid in 2020. Please call with questions.
  • While here at the farm after Zimfest, Muda is also available if you are interested in learning mbira, the authentic instrument. An mbira is provided during the lesson to check it out. This would be from August 7th to 14th. After that he will be in Eugene at Kutsinhira if that works better for your schedule.

As always, we appreciate your interest and enthusiasm, bringing awareness to Zimbabwe however you are inclined. Thank you for sharing our story!

Please make sure and introduce yourself when you see us anywhere…we look forward to meeting in person!

Join us in Celebrating Earth Day for a Week!

by FundraisersPerformances

Ancient Ways will again be working with the local community in Earth Day awareness and festivities…Check this out:  

  • April 20th we will share in the ambiance of the gardens and forest of Thyme Garden in Alsea – Join us as we spread goodwill and honor the incredible  land there.  Nursery hours are 10-5 pm.  The Circle of Well Being closing ceremony (a program of Ancient Ways) is from 3-4 pm.  Check out the entire day’s event!
  • April 27th we will become our African animals in the Procession of the Species, beginning at 10 am at the Albany Court House. Find us as the percussion section next to the children from the Sundborn Children’s House, our Nhimbe for Progress collaborators. And, do check out Sundborn’s upcoming fundraiser!
  • Tashinga Marimba will be playing from 9:40-10 am and again after the Procession, from 11 am to 1 pm at the Albany Saturday Market on this same April 27th.  Get on your dancing shoes!

As part of our 25th year as Ancient Ways, and also marking our 20th year sponsoring Nhimbe for Progress in Zimbabwe, we thank our local organizations for all the ways they contribute to building community, which has also been our passion for all these years!

 

Looking forward to seeing you there!

Join Us for May Music!

by Performances

The Ancient Ways Community Marimba Ensembles will be playing at the following locations in the mid-valley during the month of May.  Consider getting these on your calendar!

  • We hope you will join us at our annual pilgrimage to Thyme Garden in Alsea on Mother’s Day May 13th.  Kufindura, Tamuka and the beginning classes will play blended sets from 12:30 to 2 p.m. and again 3:30 to 5 p.m.  This is a festive event with many craft vendors and some incredibly great catered food for sale.  The nursery is open all day to get those much needed plants for the yard and garden, as well as nature trails as part of a wonderful woodsy setting.
  • Again this year, one of our Community Marimba Ensembles will share Sunday the 20th‘s Pentecost with the Corvallis First United Methodist Church on Monroe.  Join us from 9:15 to 10:45 a.m. as we share the sweet uplifting music from Zimbabwe as part of the service. Pull out your red and orange clothes to wear and celebrate!
  • On Saturday May 26th from 11-1 a.m. Kufindura and Tamuka will play a blended set while you do your shopping from the fresh market produce available in downtown Albany (across from the court house).  The market opens at 9 am with quite a selection.

Put on your dancing shoes and make sure you say hello!

Upcoming Ancient Ways Events April/May

by AllPerformances

Please put these two events at Thyme Garden in Alsea on your calendar http://www.thymegarden.com/Events

  • April 23rd, at 2 pm, the Circle of Well Being, the wellness program of Ancient Ways, is sponsoring a healing circle as part of the Earth Day celebration at Thyme Garden 11 am. to 3 pm. Settled in the forest next to a waterway, Thyme Garden is well known for its incredible selection of herbs and enormous woodsy ambiance. Children welcome!
  • Sunday, May 14th, Ancient Ways community ensembles will be playing the sweet and uplifting music from Zimbabwe on marimbas as part of the 24th annual “Art in the Garden” Mother’s Day event (13th-14th, 10-5 pm). Kufindura will play 12:30 pm to 2 pm. Tamuka Marimba and Kufindura will both play 3:30 to 5 pm. Put on your dancing shoes!

Looking forward to seeing you there!

4 Hours of Great Marimba Music!

by AllPerformances

An Ancient Ways ensemble, Kufindura, brings 4 hours of great marimba music from Zimbabwe to downtown Silverton on Saturday October 3rd as part of the Silverton Sidewalk Shindig Check this out!.  Please join us from 1 to 4 pm and again from 5 to 6 pm as these 7 musicians share the uplifting sweet music of the Shona people, complemented by a few original pieces. If you are interested in learning to play yourself check out our website! Bring your dancing shoes!

Ancient Ways playing the HOUR Exchange Summer Celebration 6/28

by Performances

Find the Ancient Ways Community ensembles at Central Park in Corvallis from 1 to 2:30 pm on Sunday, June 28th, sharing the uplifting music from Zimbabwe! Both of the Corvallis classes will be playing. Nhimbe, the beginning class, and Mufambo, an intermediate class, are putting it together in the gazebo to beat the heat and celebrate the HOURS exchange, Benton County’s answer to the economy!

Join us for Mother’s Day!

by AllPerformances

Join the Ancient Ways Community Marimba Ensembles for Mother’s Day at Thyme Garden in Alsea. Enjoy the ambiance of great food and festive vendors while shopping for your favorite herbs. We’ll bring the uplifting music from Zimbabwe to share in the celebration. See you there this Sunday!

* Diki Diki Marimba and Kufindura will play from 12:30-2 pm
^ Kufindura, Mufambo and Nhimbe marimba groups will play from 3:30 -5 pm