US Embassy Harare hosts panel celebrating women in the arts

The event, moderated by local musician Tariro neGitare, featured distinguished panellists, including music historian Joyce Jenje Makwenda, dance instructor Soukaina Edom, sculptor Agnes Nyanhongo, and writer Virginia Phiri.

The panellists shared insights from their remarkable careers and discussed their contributions to Zimbabwe’s cultural landscape. Makwenda, a renowned music archivist and owner of the Joyce Jenje Makwenda Collection/Archives, spoke about how her family in Mbare inspired her passion for documenting Zimbabwe’s music history.

“I knew about Zimbabwe’s music scene through my family, especially my father,” Makwenda said. “It’s important to document our stories. Let’s take advantage of digitisation so that history can be accessed. I am very much into documentation, let’s document our country.”

Also a journalist and author, Makwenda has written several books, including Women Musicians of Zimbabwe Diary, Zimbabwe Township Music, Usenzeni, and History of Women Politicians of Zimbabwe. Her work has extensively documented the Mbare and Makokoba suburbs, which have been pivotal in shaping the music scenes of Harare and Bulawayo, respectively.