Silver Jubilee Party for CHIPAWO

The countries leading Children's Performing Arts Workshop (CHIPAWO) will celebrate its 25th anniversary with a host of activities at the Zimbabwe College of Music on Friday October 31.

The celebrations will featuring a number of performances by various guest artists and CHIPAWO alumni.

Officially opening the silver jubilee celebrations will be the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Sports, Arts and Culture, Dr T. Chitepo.

Commenting on the celebrations CHIPAWO Trust manager Chipo Bassop said, "As a way of celebrating and sharing this milestone, CHIPAWO will screen a 10 minute documentary which will summarize the success story of CHIPAWO from its birth till now and also its future dreams and ambitions that it would aim to achieve as the leading arts education organisation in Zimbabwe if not in the world."

"There will also be an exhibition that will be showcasing the most memorable moments of CHIPAWO from the happiest times to the saddest moments that CHIPAWO has experienced. Moreso, on display will be various products that CHIPAWO manufactures which include marimba, ngoma, costumes, productions from its media department and services that it offers," added Bassop.

In the last 25 years that CHIPAWO has been actively engaged in the arts and culture sector it carries a whole lot of achievements that include staging performances on various international festivals, regional and international cultural exchange programmes, nurturing talent with the likes of the late Chiwoniso Maraire, David Chifunyise, Rute Mbwango, Danai Gurira and other young people who today are working in the organisation and a multiple projects that CHIPAWO has done for various organisations having passed through it.

Of notable importance is the creation of CHIPAWO World that saw the establishment of sister organisations that in neighbouring countries that include Botswana, Namibia and South Africa who are affiliated to CHIPAWO Zimbabwe.

Established in 1989 CHIPAWO is an Arts Education for Development and Employment Trust which works with children and young adults in child development. CHIPAWO as an organization that has been working with children and young adults for the past 25 years and has been involved in many International festivals and exchanges has learnt from its own experience what children and young adults can perform.