Thursday, January 24, 2008

MaKuYa Press Release [English & Swahili]

[PRESS RELEASE IN SWAHILI]

TAARIFA KWA VYOMBO VYA HABARI
Shukrani za pekee ziende kwa wafadhili wetu:-
Switzerland, Ubalozi wa Finland,Taasisi ya Artumas Africa Foundition na Ubalozi wa Ujerumani.
Kwa mara yakwanza katika mkoa wa Mtwara shirika la ADEA –“The centre For African Development Through Economics & the Arts” ina furaha kuujulisha umma kuwa tamasha la ngoma za asili MaKuYa sasa litafanyika tarehe 29 hadi 30 mwezi wa nane mwaka huu.
Tamasha hili ni jitihada za taasisi isiyokuwa ya kiserikali ADEA ambayo imekuwepo mkoani Mtwara tangu mwaka 2004 ikijishughulisha na kuboresha maisha ya wasanii wakiwemo (Wachongaji,wasusi,mafundi chuma,wachoraji) katika eneo la kusini mwa Tanzania kupitia mafunzo yanayowasaidia kuhamasisha ubunifu na kutafuta masoko ya bidhaa zao kwa wale wanaofanikiwa kuzalisha.
Kwa karibu mwongo mmoja makabila kusini mwa Tanzania yameendeleza utamaduni pekee wa sanaa ya kucheza ngoma za asili huku wakiwa wamejificha kutoka uso wa dunia hadi sasa.Hata hivyo kutokana na mabadiliko yanayoendelea kutokea katika bara zima la Afrika urithi huu uko katika hatari ya kutoweka. Bila kuwepo matamasha kama MaKuYa kuhamasisha wadau wa ndani na wale wa kimataifa utamaduni huu utatoweka katika kizazi hiki.
Kwa lengo la kuhifadhi utamaduni huo kabla hatujachelewa,tamasha la MaKuYa litawakutanisha wasanii kutoka maeneo mbalimbali ya vijijini katika mkoa wa Mtwara kwa mara ya kwanza.
Zaidi ya vikundi vya ngoma 15 na washiriki zaidi ya 300 kutoka makabila makubwa matatu katika mkoa wa Mtwara wamakonde,Wamakua na wayao; watatumbuiza na kucheza katika tamasha la mwaka huu la MaKuYa.MaKuYa itawaweka pamoja wasanii hao wakiwemo wapigaji na wachezaji wa ngoma za asili kutoka katika wilaya zote za mkoa kwa upande mmoja na wazalishaji sanaa na kazi za mikono,bidhaa zinazozalishwa katika mkoa huo pia wataonyesha bidhaa zao sambamba na tamsha hilo.Jina MaKuYa linatokana na maneno ya makabila matatu Makonde-Kua-Yao
Kutokana na uhaba wa wa matukio na shughuli za kijamii katika mkoa wa Mtwara tamasha hili linatarajiwa kuvutia watu wengi kutoka nje na ndani ya nchi yetu kuja kushuhudia wenyewe tukio hili.Katika mikoa mingine ya Tanzania kwa muda mrefu Mtwara imekuwa ikieleweka kama sehemu ngumu kufikika yenye maisha ghali sana.Tamasha hili litadhihirisha kwamba kinyume chake Mtwara ni mahali rahisi kufikika na inayofaa kutembelea kutokana na kuwa na mengi wageni wanaweza kujifunza.

Kama sehemu ya tamasha kutakuwepo na maonyesho ya bidhaa zilizotengenezwa na wazalishaji katika mkoa wa Mtwara ikiwemo kazi za mikono,vinyago vya kimakonde na bidhaa nyinginezo zenye asili ya Mtwara zitaonyeshwa.
Tamasha la MaKuYa limegawanyika katika makundi matano muhimu ambapo sehemu ya kwanza msisitizo umewekwa zaidi kwa wachezaji ngoa za asili.
1. Maonyesho ya kazi za mikono na bidhaa zilizozalishwa mkoani humo atakayosaidia wahusika kujipatia kipato kwa kuuza bidhaa.
2. Maonyesho ya wazi ambapo mafundi wa jadi wataonyesha wakiwa kazini
3.Michezo mbalimbali ya jadi
4.Kutakuwepo na mabanda machache kwa ajili ya mashirika na tasisi za kimkoa zinazohamasisha maendeleo ya Mtwara leo kesho.
Madhumuni ya tamasha hili ni pamoja na:-
• Kusaidia na kuhakikisha uhifadhi wa ngoma za asili.
• Kuthibitisha na kuhimiza ngoma za asili (kupiga na kucheza) utamaduni wa ngoma za asili
• Kusaidia vijana wa Tanzania kufahamu utajiri na urithi wao wanapokwenda na mabadiliko ya kisasa.

• Kujenga uelewa kwa jamii Mtwara,nchini na kwa wageni wa kimataifa wanaotembelea eneo hili juu ya utajiri na urithi wa ngoma za asili

• Kusaidia vijana wa Tanzania kufahamu utajiri na urithi wao wanapokwenda na mabadiliko ya kisasa.

• Kutambulisha umma kwamba utamaduni wa ngoma bado upo kusini mwa Tanzania ingawa unakumbwa na mabadiliko.
• Kujenga uelewa juu ya utamaduni wa kusini mwa Tanzania

• Kuwezesha wasanii kupata mahali pa kubadilishana mawazo wao kwa wao na kujitangaza kwa makundi mengine.

• Kuongeza shughuli za maisha ya kila siku ya Mtwara na kuhamasisha utalii wa utamaduni katika mkoa ambapo wananchi watapata fursa ya kutengeneza kipato kupitia biashara zao ikiwemo nyumba za wageni,vyakula, vyombo vya usafiri n.k.
Katika tamasha kutaonyeshwa mitindo mbalimbali toka makabila hayo na tuzo zitatolewa kwa kila kundi.
• Tamasha la mwaka huu ambalo ni la kwanza litafanyika kwa siku mbili mwezi wa nane Ijumaa tarehe 29 na Jumamosi 30 katika uwanja wa mpira wa Nangwanda Sijaona mjini Mtwara.Waandaji wanatarajia siku za usoni tamasha kuongezewa siku zaidi na kushirikisha mkoa wa Lindi.
Uchezaji wa ngoma:
• Tamasha la MaKuYa litachezwa na makabila matatu wamakonde,wamakua na wayao.Makundi haya yataalikwa kucheza,kuimba kwa mahadhi na maonjo yao ya asili,zitakuwa ni siku mbili muhimu kusherehekea utamaduni wa mwafrika katika mikoa ya kusini.
Tamasha hili la MaKuYa mwaka huu limedhaminiwa kwa pamoja na shirika la misaada la Uswiswi (Switzerland) lililochangia 47.6% ya bajeti,ubalozi wa Finland hapa nchini (38.07%),Taasisi ya Artumas Foundation (12%) na kitengo cha utamaduni cha ubalozi wa Ujerumani wamechangia (1.87%).Zaidi ya shs. 91milioni zitatumika kwa ajili ya tamasha hili.
Fedha hizi zitaisaidia ADEA kugharamia usafiri wa wasanii kutoka wilayani kuja Mtwara na kurudi,gharama za malazi na chakula kwa muda wote watakaokuwa katika tamasha,ununuzi wa vifaa kwa ajili ya wasanii,ununuzi wa vifaa na ujenzi wa mabanda ya maonyesho,gharama za uendeshaji na gharama nyinginezo.
Tungependa kuwashukuru tena wafahili wetu kwa kusaidia kutekeleza wazo hili la tamasha la MaKuYa kuwa kweli,bila kusahau serikali kupitia chombo cha Baraza la Sanaa Tanzania (BASATA) kwa ushirikiano ambao wamekuwa wakiuonyesha kufanikisha tamasha letu.
Tunawashukuru na kuwakaribisha sana katika tukio hili la kihistoria katika mkoa wa Mtwara.
Karibu Mtwara,Ijumaa na Jumamosi,tarehe 29-30/8/2008 kujionea wenyewe utajiri wa ngoma na uchezaji uliofichwa kwa muda mrefu.

[PRESS RELEASE IN ENGLISH]

MaKuYa Traditional Performing & Cultural Arts Festival
Tamasha la ngoma za utamaduni na maonyesho ya biashara 2008
ASANTE SANA, ASANTE SANA, ASANTE SANA, ASANTE SANA

Special thanks to our - Sponsors
Switzerland, the Finish Embassy, Artumas Africa Foundation, the German Embassy.
For the first time in Mtwara region ADEA-the centre for African Development through Economics and the Arts is delighted to inform the public that the first annual “MaKuYa Festival” will be launched in Mtwara municipality August 29th - 30th, of this year.
This festival is the initiative of the Non-Governmental Organization ADEA, which has been active in Mtwara region since 2004 improving the livelihood of artisans (Makonde carvers, metal workers, tailors, basket weavers and painters) through skills training, the stimulation of creativity and market accessibility for their products.
For century tribes in southern Tanzania have danced in secret, developing a culture of unique performance art, which has been hidden from the eyes of the world until now. As a wave of modernization sweeps over Africa, these unique cultural heritages are endanger of disappearing. Without an event like MaKuYa to raise local and international interests and awareness, these traditions will vanish within a generation.
With the goal of preserving them before it is too late, the MaKuYa festival will bring together performers from remote rural areas for the first time.
The name of MaKuYa comes from the three participating tribes: Makonde, Makua and Yao. More than 15 groups including three hundred performers and artists will gather for this year’s festival. The performers at MaKuYa will come from throughout the region, as well, local handcraft and tradition arts producers will show their skills and products.
As public activities in Mtwara are rare, this festival is assured a sizable and interested local crowd. As Mtwara is considered by many in other parts of Tanzania as an expensive and difficult place to reach with little to offer to visitors, this festival will prove that it is worthwhile to come and visit the region.
MaKuYa Festival will be organized in five categorized of activities:
The primary being: Traditional performance
The other activities will be:
2. A Maeyesho exhibit for vendors of locally produced products
3. Exhibition spaces where people will get to see fundis (experts) showing their traditional skills
4. Games inspired by local or traditional skills (to keep the event lively.)
and
5. Mtwara of tomorrow: an area dedicated to other projects working in Mtwara helping to assure a better future for Mtwara.

To help ensure the preservation and perpetuation of the ngoma art forms

To encourage local ngoma (dance and drumming) troops by providing them an annual venue to perform

To facilitate the exchange of ideas between performers through exposure to other groups

To validate and encourage traditional tribal cultural art forms

To help young Tanzanians experience the richness of their own heritage as they modernize

To create awareness of Mtwara’s rich heritage of performing arts among the local communities, nationals and international visitors.

To make clear to the public that the traditional performing arts are still alive in the southern region of Tanzania
To increase interest in southern Tanzanian
To boost the daily life of Mtwara town by promoting cultural tourism in the region resulting in added business opportunity for guest houses, foods, gifts, transport etc.
For this first festival performers have been invited to dance and sing focusing on traditional dances, as they might have been seen prior to strong “western” intervention.
As the festival progresses in years ahead we will be able to explore deeper into the local culture, and include more performers (traditional and contemporary). Even to include the element of competition. It is likely that the event will expand to include more days and more regions (we have our eye on Lindi). But first things first, we are now busy preparing the first of what we envision being a long-term tradition.
Again, we express our thanks to our sponsors, to whom without there generosity, this event would be impossible. The MaKuYa Festival this year is sponsored in collaboration by The Switzerland, which has contributed 47.58%, The Finish Embassy 38.07%, Artumas Africa Foundation 12% and The German Embassy contributed 1.87%. More than 90 m. will be spent during this Festival. The funds will allow ADEA to cover transport costs for artists, meals and accommodations as well as awards for participants, construction of booths for exhibition, administration and all the costs involved in making such an event a reality. To them we are exceedingly grateful.
Thank you very much for taking your time with us.
Karibu Mtwara, Friday and Saturday, August 29th and 30th, do discover the richness of ngoma performances that have been hidden there for so long.

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