“The only man I envy is the man who has not yet been to Africa – for he has so much to look forward to.” Richard Mullin
History – It began in Wandsworth
Zimfest was established in 2001 by a group of Zimbabweans based in the UK. We had all left Zim for the uk wide eyed and enthusiastic, ready to take on the world. We had come from every walk of life in Zimbabwe, from every race, tribe and social circle. We did however have one thing in common, All of us had been deeply touched by the turbulant times at home back in 200 and all of us were not the type to take things sitting down.
The idea came about when Ros "Chariman Mao" Smith from Harare (a nick name that came about due to her never being seen without a thick red book which was essentially the Zimfest Bible) basically said "I know, let's have a beerfest"! Zimbabweans, beer, braai, sun – well hopefully on mud Island. It really was a no brainer. So we started this thing with 700 of our beautiful country men and women on a field behind a prison in Wandsorth South West London
It is important at this point that we name the people that believed enough in this project to turned it into the global festival it is today. Hilton Mendelsohn, Bruce Tapping, Tracy Doig, Adrian Lunga, Phil Chikwiramakomo, Graham Smith, Tim Wetmore, Starr Benyon. Iain Dunn, Nyasha Murray, Jenny Turner, Alan Wilkinson, Graeme Crouch, Mispah Mvubu, Richard Osborn, Hanley Philips, Brighton Chireka, John Laing, Mike Bennett, Julia Pile….. The list could go on and on to the guys who are on the team now. Believe us if your name is not here it is not because we don't love and respect you. You are and always will be part of the awesome spirit of Zimfest.
We dare to believe
The rest as they say is history although we look at Zimfest very much as a project for today it is also a glimpse into the future to a Zimbabwe that we believe is possible where we define ourselves as Zimbabwean first and our races and tribes later. A Zimbabwe where we can respect each others differences while embracing and enjoying the things that make us the same.
Zimfest takes the things that we all know and love about Zimbabwean life like good food, sport, and music to take everyone home for a day without having to travel too long a distance. We also welcome anyone who has been to or has an interest in Zimbabwe to join us in this celebration, it's all love and support that we can all use right now.
Why?
The most important aspect of Zimfest is that it is entirely a charity event. Funds raised at Zimfest and other events organised by WEZIMBABWE are channeled towards supporting Zimbabwe in the main areas of focus for the charity, these being youth development, education, human rights delivery and the provision of basic support for the victims of the crisis in Zimbabwe. To date we have raised over £150 000 at Zimfest alone which has allowed us to pay for the education of literally thousands of kids and make contributions towards a wide spectrum of causes in Zimbabwe. We intend to make sure that this not only goes on as a celebration but that our contribution gets bigger and better especially in respect of the people back home.
Zimfest is also about you and your participating in an event that celebrates Zimbabwe during a time when we all feel that there is little to celebrate. It is an expression of our hope in the future and our belief in all of our people and our collective future. We trust you share in this hope and belief and look forward to your support this year
See you all at Zimfest
Peace and luv always
WEZIMBABWE and The Zimfest Team
