BULAWAYO drummer and gumboot dancer Bruce Ncube, founder of MEMA Arts and a product of award-winning Umkhathi Threatre Work, has landed a deal to teach in the United Kingdom.
BY SHARON SIBINDI
He would be Ncube left Bulawayo last week on a tour in UK where he will teach drum beating, gumboot dances and traditional songs sung in Zimbabwe.
would be away for six months. Ncube, using own company MEMA Arts, would be teaching at Jawz Festival in Shetland, Drum Camp in England and African Drum village in Scotland.
Speaking in an interview with Southern Eye Lifestyle in the UK, Ncube was naturally excited by the one-man tour of duty.
“I am in the UK and I will be teaching in at Jawz Festival (Shetland) where I will be demonstrating drumming together with some of the internationally-claimed artistes like Sura from Senegal, Adriano from Brazil and some from Israel.
I will be teaching people various things done in the art industry in Zimbabwe, including drumming, singing and gumboot dance,” he said.
Ncube added that he will attend Drum Camp (England) where he would be teaching traditional songs from Zimbabwe and Gumboot Dance before heading to African Drum Village (Scotland).
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“I will get to meet up with Seckou Keita the guy that I regard as my inspiration and mentor,” he added.
Ncube said he will be working in schools with choirs, conducting community drumming and singing groups all over the UK in places like Norwich, Newcastle, Wakefield, Edinburgh and Aberdeen.
Ncube collaborates with Music Bus a group in Zambia.
“This year we are collaborating with the Music Bus from Zambia led by one of my long time friends called Ali Bullivent who is English from Wakefield county.
The project is about promoting and bringing up young artistes from Bulawayo and in December we are hoping to do a project-festival-function called Beats by MEMA.
The event seeks to bring drummers from all over the country together to share learn and teach different types of rhythms from around the country.
So far there has been a great response from a lot of young people,” he added.
Ncube has taken part in big events overseas before in which he managed to woo big crowds and gain popularity.
“I have been to Africa Drum Village, Aberdeen International Youth Festival, Edinburgh Fringe Festival of Spirituality in Scotland, Matisong Festival in Botswana, Harare International Festival of the Arts, Intwasa Arts Festival koBulawayo, Inxusa Festival, Ibumba Arts Festival and opening acts of the Nama,” he added.
