Bios for AWE/British Council Event in February

Posted on February 11, 2008
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Benne Erastor Banda

Benne Banda is a highly accomplished poet, storyteller, actor and Arts Manager from Zambia. He has had a varied and impressive career, starting with acting and writing for stage and film and progressing to include directing and producing. He has performed extensively in Zambia and the Southern African Region staging human rights and African renaissance pieces. In addition to work on a story telling production for the BBC, he worked with Theatrum Botanicum on an African adaptation of Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar ; a Chekov adaptation called The Three Sisters of Africa; and Dr. Livingstone… I Presume, which went to The Edinburgh Festival and The Holders Season in Barbados. In 2002 he toured the UK with Footers with which he returned to the Edinburgh Festival in 2003. Benne currently runs Arts Acres Afrika, a Zambian production house based in Lusaka whose mainstay is theatre, spoken word and video production.

Sithandazile Dube

Sithandazile Dube (stage name Nozindaba Kandaba) is a poet based in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe who writes and performs poetry both in English and Ndebele. She has performed live on 2 of Zimbabwe’s leading radio stations; Spot FM and Radio Zimbabwe and also appeared as a guest artist in the comedy King’s Kraal, which was broadcast on national television station ZTV and acted in the play It is Possible directed by Cont Mhlanga. Sithandazile was a backing vocalist with the group Uzulu Omnyama and performed at the Intwasa Festival in 2006 alongside Phathisa Nyathi and Albert Nyathi, two of the most renowned poets in Zimbabwe.

Aieki Latchoumz

Born in Mauritius, MC Aieki Latchoumz entered and won his first SLAM in 2003 in a prestigious competition at l’Alliance Française. In the same year took part in the renowned concert “Univer6T”; in which he performed alongside top artists from Mauritius. Here, Aiekilat established himself as the most fearless MC around. In 2004 Aieki founded a performing arts school, specializing in dance, song and graffiti and formed the “North Side Zoo” (NSZ) clique. In 2005 Aieki formed a collective called SECTION KOLT’ART with some of the best artists in the country; MordikisS (Aieki’s contemporary), Skom (a grafter from “M18” France), and Zekid a well known dancer from “Alliance Supreme Crew”. As well as working on their own projects, SECTION KOLT’ART has been a key player in the arts scene, organising gigs and freestyle nights.

Lidia Lourenço Mate

Lidia Lourenço Mate was signed to the National Dance Company of Mozambique at a young age and she performed with them from 1983-1987, while extending her performance stripes as a dancer and backing vocalist for a band called Orquestra Marrabenta Stars of Mozambique. With this group she travelled the world, performing at festivals and concerts alongside the likes of Hugo Massekela, Manu Dibango, Harry Bellafonte, Miriam Makeba, Mark Knopfler, Prince and Youssou N’Dour, before beginning her career as a music producer. In 1997 she began to work as a solo musician, which led to her winning a press award that year followed by the award for ‘best national female voice’ in 2001. She is currently recording an album on which she has been working for the last ten years, a project which she is very excited about. Lidia launched her traditional band Likute with an all female line up at the end of 2007.

Zubz

Johannesburg-based artist Ndabaningi Mabuye (aka Zubz) is not only one of the most popular MCs performing in South Africa today, he has also received high acclaim from all over the world. Born in Zambia and raised in Zimbabwe he is hugely vocal and proud of his roots. His new album Headphone Music in a Parallel World recently won him a second nomination for a prestigious SAMA (South African Music Award) continuing the trend set by his debut album, Listeners Digest. For Zubz, music is about art, expression and being true to himself: ‘It’s not your stereotypical boom bap hip hop, Headphone Music - In A Parallel World is for the more open minded, experimental, more searching kind of person’. He is currently signed to Outrageous Records, which is home to many other popular artists, including H20, Optical Illusion, Pebbles, Miles and Mgodoyi.

Winfred Rasina

Winfred Rasina (aka Abro) is an established playwright, producer, director and choreographer based in Gaborone. He was national coordinator of Reetsanang until mid-January 2007 and remains the national co-ordinator of Abronia Theatre Productions Family. As chairperson of Jwaneng District Youth Council he facilitated numerous workshops including the Masunga Workshop in 2003 and the Mantlwaneng Arts Camp from 2003-5, which were both commissioned by the Department of Culture and Youth to train community- and youth-based theatre groups. Abro served as the Minister of Entertainment and Culture for the University of Botswana from 2001-2, and has also been commissioned by the university to write and produce cultural and instructional theatre. As a playwright, Abro’s successes include My Father at Ten, commissioned by the Ministry of Home Affairs, and Woza’s Friday 5e’s, which won first place at the Segwana Sa Ngwao Arts Festival in 2001. Abro has worked as contributing Editor of Culture, Arts and Entertainment for Enviromag and as Editor and Arts Consultant for DTM Magazine. Abro co-wrote, produced and performed the theme song for Botswana’s 40th anniversary independence celebrations.