I AM A HERO!
Ngiliqhawe! Ndiri Gamba! I am a Hero!
Join us as we celebrate Zimbabwe’s 42nd Independence Day at our signature, virtual pop-up camp
Date: April 24 | Time: 12PM EST | Fee: $20 per child*
About Us
The Zimbabwe KIDS Summer Camp is a virtual, educational experience created for children ages 5-10 globally.
Our mission is to educate every Zimbabwean child by 2025, through our signature Liberated Curriculum.
Our Liberated Curriculum grounds our children in the Madzimbabwe teachings of Mushandirapamwe (collective cooperation), Hunhu
(a love for humanity) and Chivanhu (ancestral wisdom as a way
of being).
Our camp upholds these teachings by nurturing community with families, hiring stellar Zimbabwean Teaching Artists and by making our camp financially accessible to students through scholarships.
Meet The Team
Dr. Tanyaradzwa Tawengwa
Founder & CEO
Professor Tanyaradzwa Tawengwa is a gwenyambira, singer, composer and healer whose practice is grounded in the rich cultural reservoirs that Zimbabwe possesses. She is the founder of Nhanha Inc., a company dedicated to creating children’s edutainment materials in Zimbabwean languages. She earned her B.A. in music composition (cum laude) from Princeton University, her M.M. in Voice Performance at the University of Kentucky and her Doctorate in Voice Performance at the University of Kentucky.
Vongai Shava
Teaching Artist
Ratidzo Dangarembwa Morgan
Teaching Artist
Dr. Tawanda Chabikwa
Teaching Artist
Vongai Shava is a third culture kid raised in Zimbabwe, the United Kingdom and China. She holds a B.A (Hons) in Film and Television Studies and trained classically at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York. Recently she won the award for Best Drama Actress at the Catalyst Content Festival for the immigration-inspired short "Patiri In The Promised Land".
Ratie is a singer and songwriter born and raised in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe and currently based in Eugene, Oregon. Her love for harmonizing voices was nurtured when she joined Zimbabwean all female acapella ensemble Nobuntu on their debut European tour and backing vocals for Bongolove on their US tour.
Tawanda is a Zimbabwean-born interdisciplinary artist-scholar engaged in practice-as-research methodologies, in collaborative, contemplative, and creative endeavors. Current intrigues involve transnational Afrikan identities, contemporary African theatrical dance, Africana philosophy, religions and spiritualities, decolonial modernities, and embodied research methodologies. He holds a B.A. in Human Ecology, an M.F.A. in Dance and a PhD.
Mirirai Sithole
Teaching Artist
Kanukai Chigamba
Teaching Artist
Thamsanqa Moyo
Guest Artist
Mirirai Sithole is a Brooklyn based artist. She has worked Off-Broadway in plays such as “School Girls; Or, The African Mean Girls Play” and “If Pretty Hurts...”. She grew up in Framingham, Massachusetts but was born in Harare, Zimbabwe. She can be seen in the most recent season of Black Mirror as well as the first season of Russian Doll as well as a multitude of other TV shows.
Kanukai Chigamba is a multifaceted dancer, musician, performer, and photographer. At a young age in Harare, Zimbabwe, she danced at Mapira ceremonies and later joined the Mhembero Dance Troupe, performing traditional Zimbabwean dance. In 2010, Chigamba moved to Oakland, CA and has since expanded her dance repertoire in both traditional and urban styles as a lead performer of the renowned Chinyakare Ensemble, and principal in Gbedu Town Radio, a Pan Afro Urban Music and Dance Ensemble.
Thamsanqa Moyo, known as Tamy Moyo is one of Zimbabwe’s young vibrant artists. She is mostly known for her songs “Beautiful, Ndozvandiri”, which was our daily camp song in August, “Kwandinobva” and “Kuteera”. She was recognised as the Outstanding Female Musician 2020 at the National Arts Merit Awards in Zimbabwe. She is based in Zimbabwe where she continues to make empowering anthems for Zimbabweans and Africans.
Thomas Mapfumo
Guest Artist
Tanaka Chikati
Camp Intern
Thomas Tafirenyika Mukanya Mapfumo is Zimbabwe's greatest living musical artist. His Chimurenga music wielded (and continues to wield) political influence during Zimbabwe's Liberation Struggle from 1965-1980. In 1980, he performed with the icon Bob Marley at the Independence Concert. In the year 2000, he was awarded the National Arts Award for Zimbabwe’s Person of the Century. He is currently based in the United States of America where he continues to make wonderful music.
Tanaka Chikati is a gwenyambira, marimba and hosho player. She is an aspiring music major who is passionate about arts education and economic support of artistic individuals on the African continent.
What Parents are saying
“After class Nyasha would be singing all the songs and telling everyone what an amazing day she had! I do want to know though, now that most of the kids are gonna be in school virtually, what’s next!? Cause we want to sign up for everything.”
- Mavhu W.
“Omolola was so excited to be in camp and she was so excited to be prepared for camp. She was really really excited after the classes and wanted to do all of the homework immediately after! I’ve never seen her be that engaged in a Zoom class! I would definitely say that if there was another camp I would sign up.”
- Sharon A.
“Thank you so much for such an enlightening camp! This is so needed in our community. I would love to see this grow into something bigger that we can participate in throughout our kids' childhood. Thank you for all of your hard work and patience. Bless you always!”
- Lynnet N.
“Thank you so much, and it’s truly amazing for the kids to have access to so many incredible artists in such a short span. It’s beautiful to see how much warmth and love that can be given via Zoom."
- Rashida B.
“Living in Santa Barbara, there aren't that many Zimbabweans- so at times teaching him our culture can be challenging. But this camp was like an “Aha!” moment for him, realizing that there are other Zimbabweans who are like him. It was an awesome experience for him to share with other kids to get into that space and see how we live.”
- Angela C.
“Thank you so much for this camp experience! My boys had a fantastic time and even made friends from this camp! Well done, thank you for such a well planned and professional experience! They are still singing the songs and dancing”
- Millicent M.
Sibingeleleni!
The Zimbabwe Artists Collective is a creative community founded by Vongai Shava and Tanyaradzwa Tawengwa. We are a collective of US-based Zimbabwean artists with the mission of providing Zimbabwean-driven cultural content to the Zimbabwean community here in the US.
If you have any questions or need clarification, please do not hesitate to reach out.