Zimfest London/Homelanz Festival closes with a flourish
An estimated 3 000 people thronged last weekend’s Homelanz/Zimfest festival in West London’s Baston Manor Park, capping a glorious summer day in the British capital.
Thabo
Natalie Paapaa
The all-day festival brought together cultures from four different southern hemisphere countries – Australia, South Africa, New Zealand and Zimbabwe – and saw artistic performances from each of the countries.
Zimfest Director Hilton Mendelsohn said: “The whole festival went on smoothly and swiftly thanks to the sound management and professional production of the logistical functions.
“We had between us a shared wealth of experience as Homelanz and Zimfest have in the past held events independently. We are glad that it all went OK and we have been heartened to have an absolute flood of thumps up messages from people who attended,” he added.
New Zealand superstars, Tahuna Breaks, closed down the festival with their funky musical set which incorporates elements of reggae, soul and electro funk.
Earlier, the crowd had been treated to some grooving Australian reggae vibes from the Blue King Rock bands, who are involved in a wide range of issues surrounding social and political justice.
The group’s lead singer and vocalist, Natalie Pa’apa’a and her band have been promoting their Rize of the Morning Star project, a collective of musicians, filmmakers, journalists and activists fighting for the independence of indigenous West Papuans who have lived under brutal Indonesian military rule for 50 years.
The band has been touring recently with two indigenous West Papuan sisters, Lea and Petra Rumwaropen, who besides adding their strong vocal talents to Blue King Brown’s energetic live show stood as a symbol for the West Papuan struggle for independence.
From Zimbabwe, the novelty newcomers of the year were Thabo and the Real Deal, who gave a spirited soul and funk show.
Thabo’s crooning was charming, impressive, and so were some of their songs, influenced by Hip Hop and Neo-soul. The group have already proved their worth in the clubs around the UK, but they sounded equally confident playing to a festival crowd.
