A Rebel's Guide to the Barefeet Revolution #BarefeetRev

Follow me @whoops_c for
live tweeting during the
Revolution

The Revolution is upon us so it's time to get revvvvvvvved up and excited for the week of mischievious entertainment ahead. So gentlemen (and women), start your engines...but unlike RuPaul's Drag Race, everyone wins, not just the best woman ha ha ha ha ha! Yes I have gotten hooked on that reality show but I digress. Back to the important things...

As a self appointed Rebel of the Revolution (I came up with the name for all press and social media gurus helping to promote and document the Festival he he he), I thought it important to follow up my manifesto, aka my previous post, with a guide to help you visionaries out there (the public who will be in Lusaka this week and have cash to spend) navigate through the programme of activities.

First, turn up to a recruitment centre  - any Computicket situated at all Shoprite Stores in Zambia and buy either a Big Foot all-access pass for K250 (you can also call comrades Kazembe: 0973923651 or Charmaine 0978948372), or tickets to the events of your choice.  Please consult the Revolution schedule below to figure out whether it would be more cost-effective to buy the all-access pass.  You can also purchase the Big Foot or buy a ticket for events at the door. 

Once you have enlisted to be a soldier of the Revolution, plan out your schedule to enjoy the various performances our comrades from Barefeet and their friends from Italy, the UK, Zimbabwe and South Africa have in store. Be all 21st Century about it and download the ZHappening app on your phone so you can set reminders so you don't forget when and where to revolt :)

Find the entire Barefeet Festival Schedule on Zhappening and set reminders for each event! @BarefeetTheatre pic.twitter.com/ceTr213pbW
— Zhappening (@zhappening) August 15, 2014

If you can't make to some of the events have no fear, there are a whole band of rebels out there who will be spreading the word and documenting activities all through the week.  I can vouch for quality tweeting from:

Mwanabibi Sikamo @mwanabibi 

Mr. Blow @Benny_blow

Samba Yonga @Kuwaha
George Mutale @LupMqr

and of course our comrades at Barefeet - @BarefeetTheatre and @BarefeetAdam

Here is a video to get your body to find its revolutionary spirit:

Highlights of the Revolution include:

For more information about the Festival: tickets, performances, venues, directions and anything else pertaining to the Revolution, visit Barefeet's website or Facebook Page. VIVA!

e18hteam: Using the Power of Film to Speak

Zambian Theatre release: October 2014

True to my word, I have enjoyed the World Cup, and just as football gave me voice to start blogging four years ago, it continues to inspire me. So I am officiallly back, ready to communicate and to indulge my love of words with ease.  I am proud that the essence of who I am as a writer and what created this blog for still rings true as I professed and promised in my inaugural post.  Let me just say how I am even prouder of never letting the standard of posts go down just to keep the blog current, and that I continue to take the time I need to regenerate when necessary, and that whenever I come back, I come back with a vengeance he he he.  This sleeping lioness has once again awakened, and she is out for blood.  No mucking about, straight for the jugular.  We do things royal here, no mediocre, only the regal will do for me, and for you :)...

 © Football Association of Zambia

So what causes me to break my silence?  I already have alluded to what I am about to reveal before.  On February 12, 2012, the Zambian National Team: the Chipolopolo achieved the dreams of a nation.  They not only won AFCON 2012 for the first time, but also honoured the dead: the Chipolopolo who died in a tragic plane crash off the coast of the Gabon, the very country in which we then triumphed.  When they won in 2012, the first thing I thought of was documenting their momentous win, after screaming like a banshee and shedding emotional and proud tears.  It was more than just Zambia's first raising of the Africa Cup of Nations:

Their efforts embodied 50 years of the Zambian National Team carrying the hopes and dreams of a nation.  50 years of potential almost realised, but never quite producing at the highest level, until AFCON 2012.  Most of all, this was facing our loss and allowing it to heal by soldiering on in the very place where we had suffered an inconsolable pain, despite the odds stacked against us:  we had to defeat more well-known and higher ranked African teams that had played at the World Cup, and the weight of sorrow could have burdened us and hindered us.  Instead the Chipolopolo found a way to soar like the nkwazis (eagles) we Zambians all have the power to be, and raised our flag proudly in honor of those we lost, preserving their place in history by winning on their behalf.  

As my beloved country turns 50, I am honoured to be able to give this gift to the people.  I may have a turbulent relationship with the place of my birth, but the best relationships ebb and flow - there will always be that tug-of-war to remind you to be present and to make sure to give as much as you take.  I thrive in the conflict that my Afropolitan identity creates as it clashes with some of the more static and stagnant elements in the Zambian environment.  It allows my creativity to thrive by causing me to turn inward to figure out new ways to express myself in ways authentic to my soul and freeing to my spirit in order contribute to the communities I engage and/ or identify with.  The moment it happened I knew I  too could achieve some of my dreams through their success. I could finally become a filmmaker by documenting this seminal moment in history, and could go one step further by preserving this story for future generations.  One of the recurring themes on this blog is legacy, the other is capturing an African experience in the 21st century and populating the internet with more content produced by the continent, so we can tell our own stories now and in perpetuity.  As a media professional, and a passionate Afropolitan, I am taking advantage of the multiple ways afforded to me. Film is another way to do that.  I formed my production company Purple Tembo Media because of how inspired I was watching the Chipolopolo continue to triumph despite being written off as the underdog.  Triumphing when underestimated is one of my favourite things to achieve and to see unfold in others.

I can now also freely share this journey with you on the blog and on social media.  There will be a series of blogposts about this that will be curated in the e18hteam tag.  In the meantime please like the following on Facebook and follow on Twitter to follow my journey through this film:

MbA on Facebook and Twitter

The documentary film about the Chipolopolo: e18hteam on Facebook and Twitter

Y Zed: It's a Revolution...

@Barefeet Theatre #Revolution

Before you panic, remember though TIA (This is Africa), we are talking about Zambia. We pride ourselves on being a peaceful nation, so the likelihood of you needing a gas mask, as the forces of liberty battle those of enslavement, are slim to none.  No you shouldn't have built that bunker and shopped for supplies to go underground for months for the apocalypse either.  Seeing a makishi dancer in a mask however is no cause for alarm though.  If you are already in conniptions, sorry for the angina, we were going for the dramatic, not histrionics, with this beautiful poster.  Plus it does actually indicate what it is for so really...

It's that time of year again, and this time I am blogging in realtime about the Barefeet Festival, not months after the fact he he he.  This year the theme is #Revolution!

I am so excited to be helping out this group of mischievious performance artists again.  I continue to be inspired by the fact that these young men and women turn their lives around by turning their backs on the street and put their youthful energy to good work in their communities and around the world, utilising the inherent power of art to transcend boundaries and limitations, so their spirits and souls are free to connect with others.

I will blog more about the Festival over the coming weeks and of course, follow me on Facebook and Twitter to keep up-to-date with live tweeting and photo posting.  In the meantime here is a sneak peek at what Barefeet have in store for you:

Post by Barefeet.

Yes that's South Africa's Freshly Ground :)!

Beginnings of our giant giraffe puppet (minus head) made with trainees @BarefeetTheatre @barefeetadam @PuppetPlace pic.twitter.com/Yvp2g07jBo
— Rowan Watts (@VIPPuppets) August 6, 2014

Excited coz they are making an elephant puppet too!

To find out about tickets and the full schedule of festivities, like Barefeet Theatre on Facebook and follow them on Twitter.

For more on the blog about Barefeet, read about last year's Festival: ROAR in these posts: Part I and Part II.

Are you a young person looking to do something during the holidays, a student looking for social media and web experience, or are you a professional with time to spare to help Barefeet with their online activities?  Contact Communications Manager Andrew at andrew@barefeettheatre.com or drop by their premises in Thorne Park to lend a hand.

Directions to Barefeet Theatre: 

At the Great East-Makishi Road traffic lights turn onto the Wimpy side of Makishi Road.  

After the Petroda Station on your left and the hump take the next left onto a dirt road.  

Take the first left indicated by an Airtel credit hut.  

As the road bends to the right you will see a tree in front of you: take the turn into the small lane behind the tree to your left and follow the lane over the bridge.  

You will see a yellow wall fence with Barefeet in huge letters in front of you to your right.