Africa Day In Njube was established in 2017 and is the brain child of Bruce Ncube and Derrick Tembo of Kaisa Dance Ensemble.
The Arts, especially music, have a wide affinity amongst people. Music has no colour, creed, societal status or tribe; it is enjoyed by everyone across the world and brings happiness to even the most difficult of situations. Zimbabwe, as a nation, has had a tough time and continues to do so. With high levels of unemployment and poverty it is all too easy for people to become disengaged abd disaffected - especially when they feel there is little to look forward to and little to be part of. Africa Day in Njube seeks to change this by providing people with the opportunity to engage with music regardless of their personal circumstances. As Stevie Wonder once said, "Music, at its essence is what gives us memories;" we seek to provide people with happy memories which will last a lifetime. Many artisits have had the privilege of touring various venues in the high-density suburbs of Zimbabwe - which has given them huge audiences and raised their profile. Whilst this strategy might have paid off for the promoters and artisits, some potential audience members in rural areas have been left out because many do not feel comfortable attending shows in the city - particularly at night.
This created a gap where audiences in the western areas, who are not comfortable attending night shows in town, got to listen to their music on the radio but rarely saw their favourite musicians perform live.
AFRICA DAY IN NJUBE seeks to bridge that gap by bringing local artists/musicians to Njube.
The project is aimed at giving musicians a chance to interact with a crowd they rarely meet in the city whilst also allowing music lovers a chance to watch their favourite musicians live within the proximity of their residencies (without worrying about transport and falling victim to thugs making their way home from town).
The event is designed to bring both established and emerging musicians and artists closer to the people in the high density locations of Bulawayo; locations such as Njube, Emakhandeni, Lobengula, Matshobana, Entumbane, Luveve, Gwabalanda.
Africa Day in Njube is a family event which is all inclusive. Everyone is welcome, regardless of colour, race, creed or nationality as this is a special and significant day for every African. Each year we secure bouncy/jumping castles and trampolines; an attraction which is always exciting for young children and seek various different ways in whcih to engage audiences of all ages.
ENTRANCE FEE: In order to accommodate as many fans as possible the event does not charge entrance fees. We are not aiming to make any profit from the project/event but rather to create a concert that can create memories for the thousands of spectators and new audiences for the musicians/artists.
THE VENUE: Salukazi Arts Centre was chosen as the concert venue mainly because of the history the founders of ADIN have with the venue. Ncube and Tembo grew up in Njube and carved their arts career at Salukazi Arts Centre. However, the venue is also available for free and it is central, in terms of distance, between the various western suburbs and has transport network links to other areas.
FUNDING: The first year we set up a Crowd Funding/JustGiving funding page we managed to raise just enough funds to allow us to hire bouncy/jumping castles for the young children, pay for transport for the artists, get food and refreshments for the artists, hire lights and provide some of the stage equipment.
In our second year we did not get any support from the corparate world and we didn’t raise any funds from Crowdfunding. However, Bruce Ncube, who spends much of the year abroad touring, teaching and performing in the UK, managed to raise some money by asking for donations from the people and friends he met in festivals, events and workshops he taught at and through the sales of his CDs. We also received some support from friends in the arts and some community members who chipped in with money, refreshments and the needed equipment.
At the project’s inception ADIN received non-financial support from Matesu Dube, Silethemba Magonya and Ngqwele Dube who also became partners of the project.
In the two years the project has been running we estimate that 3000 people have attended, enjoying acts from some of the top musicians/artists in Zimbawe such as Iyasa, Umkhathi Theatre Works, Nobuntu, Khuxman, Calvin, De Lukes, Ashleigh, Carlos, Mandla The Comedian, Ezimnyama, Victory Siyanqoba, Ramsey Kays, Sungura Masters, Hwabaraty, Asher Banton, Ntando Moyo, Rainbow Blaze Marimba Band and Khoi Khoi.
We are looking ahead to many more years of growing this project until it reaches festival status, as it has become a major event that the people of Bulawayo have embraced, celebrated, contributed to and very much look forward to.
We are looking to engage the cooperate world and get sponsorship for this event, as we feel in the years to come it will become appropriate for us to pay the musicians.

Your donation would be greatly appreciated.