Llantilio Pertholey based charity, Love Zimbabwe, has now officially linked Abergavenny with Chinamhora, the village that Martha Musonza Holman calls home in Zimbabwe.
The link is authorised by the Welsh Assembly through their ‘Wales for Africa’ programme. To qualify, Love Zimbabwe has made connections between the Methodist Church in Castle St, 7 Corners Youth Group, Meadow Mills disabled group and Abergavenny Town Council with their respective partners in Chinamhora. The link is intended to broaden knowledge and promote cultural understanding between the two towns. They were presented with a large metal plaque, which will go on display in the One-stop shop in Abergavenny. The Mayor of Abergavenny, Councillor Samantha Dodd has agreed to give the couple an official greeting from the town council to give to the chief of Martha’s village.
Martha and her husband David, who helps run the charity are to visit Zimbabwe in October this year to construct a workshop for their arts & crafts producers. The Methodist Church in Castle Street intends to support the cost of the building which will give shelter and security to local producers. The couple have been helping artists in the Chinamhora region (45 minutes north east of Harare), for ten years, selling their hand made batiks, metal sculptures, ceramics and wood carvings. They have built up a solid retinue of festivals and events including Glastonbury, Greenbelt, Abergavenny Food Festival, Hay Literary Festival and Wales World Trade Fair.
Before their trip to Zimbabwe, Martha and David are organising their annual ‘March for Africa’ on Saturday 15th September during the Abergavenny Food Festival. The march is supported by Oxfam Cymru who will be focusing on their ‘Grow’ campaign, and will include children from Cantref school dressed as fruit and vegetables! The march will also feature members of Fairtrade Abergavenny, Castle Street Methodist Church and 7 Corners Youth group. It will start at 1pm from the Angel Hotel and proceed down the High Street, to Red Square and finish in Castle Street. On the way, the various groups will stop to talk about their various perspectives on food issues throughout Africa.
Following this, the next event will be the Wales World Trade Fair on Saturday 6th October at the Guild Hall, Brecon, and on the 7th October in the Market Hall, Abergavenny. This is the sixth year of this multi-cultural event. It is the largest Fair/ethical trade event in Wales and features 75 stalls selling goods from around the world over two days.
There will be Zimbabwean food, dancing and drumming. Entertainment will be provided by Abercapella, Buzzard (Irish folk music), Martha’s reeds and one fella, Mike Parker and Stainless Steve. There will also be the ‘F Factor’ – the Fairtrade song competition featuring 10 schools, as well as a dedicated children’s zone. Fairtrade Abergavenny, Crickhowell and Usk will organise Fairtrade workshops as usual and entrance is free! Love Zimbabwe is commited to enriching the residents of Abergavenny with a multi-cultural flavour and would love to see many more people visiting their events. For any more information please contact either Martha or David on 07774608215 or go to www.lovezimbabwe.co.uk