Another Zimbo who won’t stop dreaming
By Showbiz Writer
If there is one thing Zimbabweans will not stop doing; it’s dreaming?
One young man, Ronald Tinashe Chironga aka Zawa is a spectacular example of such.
Just in 2014, he was a club DJ but when he answered to his dream he found himself as a new found phenomenon in South Africa’s education sector where he taught music and arts.
Chironga Zimre Park says it was always his dream to make a difference in the community.
“It was always a wish to make a difference in our community of Mbare to fill in the shoes which my father left, who was well known and respected for his wonderful work grooming and helping footballers in the suburb,” he said.
“My journey started when I visited Faith Ministries in Mbare and I was asked to help the children’s department at Church. I volunteered to work in that department as a food distribution staffer, helping and looking after underprivileged children to give food and pay for their school fees. In that period I got involved with many organisations like Mercy Corps, Child First and Celebrate the Children.
When he left in 2014, he initially targeted getting experience as well as learning different cultures and languages but he found himself in a whole new sphere.
“I started working for Lighthouse Christian College as an arts and culture teacher for a year before I started my own organisation called Celebrate Your Child with 11 students specifically chosen for their remarkable yet untapped talent at Lighthouse Christian College the school I was working for in Madibeng, North West Province, South Africa,” he said.
“CYC is a group centered on the world of arts, using the different forms of arts to create a safe, productive and positively fruitful environment and lifestyle for children in an around the community. With the hopes of finding the most influential position for CYC I have had the heart of it all distributed among various schools in South Africa as I come to find that there is much undiscovered talent found there.
“I have also come to realise that most uncanny activities taken part in by children are due to lack of something better or more productive to do…simply boredom…and we have thus decided that there is no better way to keep them preoccupied and entertained while simultaneously grooming them than introducing them to the world of arts.”
By the time he came back home, CYC already boasted of a membership of 450 children from different day cares across Brits.
“The best of it all we started this year. We have organised the concerts in South Africa now namely Embracing the beauty of Arts, Show me what you gut and Celebrate the children which were all extraordinarily received by different communities in which we hosted them,” he said.
He said his exposure in South Africa has helped him bring something different in the arts and said he was glad that the mentoring he got from Willis Wattafi and Pied Pipers among others for over 10 years was beginning to pay off.
Chironga said he also benefited from touring Oliver Mtukudzi’s Pakare Paye Arts Centre and getting the chance to ask the superstar how he could leave a mark in the country.
“His advice has been essential in this journey,” he said.
He however said South Africa had proven to be starkly different from Zimbabwe in terms of their treatment of arts making it way easier for him to work across the Limpopo.
“In South Africa they enjoy themselves. You don’t need to push them or convince them to join. If you are doing something good they take part and as teacher it motivates you to do more. Financially, it is rewarding and it’s not like what we have in Zimbabwe so I could do more without limitation of finances and costs because each parent could pay in time and facilities were also good for well standandised concerts and plays,” he said.
“In Zimbabwe parents might be willing to be involved but the financial situation may force a parent to withdraw a child which kills the potential and creativity of a student while most parents also take arts for granted when it is actually an industry. Already it is looking gloomy in terms of sponsorship for concerts or other activities as it is now hard for many companies and schools due to the strenuous financial situation that has led organisations to trim their budgets. When they do the arts suffer first.”
His dream to host programs in Zimbabwe has led him to start School of Praise International which held its first under CYC at Oxford High School Friday.
“School of Praise was formed in July this year to promote, nurture and develop high school choirs around the various schools in Zimbabwe. We target age range of 14-20 years and we take students to specialise in gospel and motivational music. We have picked various talented students from different schools to form School of Praise International,” he said.
“We have already recorded with students that we have selected to set the standard we need as an institution. The production is set for release on Friday is a song titled Mona Mona done in Setwana.”
He said he expected School of Praise International to develop into an international group that will eventually perform on international platforms because of the richness and standard of their music.
“We have only started with Oxford High in Harare but we going to be reaching out to many high and secondary schools in the capital first then progress to rest of the country,” he said.
