Style 07 12 14

The Standard

Style

decEMBER 7 to 13, 2014

I SSUE 32

Star Profile

Inside

Cynthia Hakutangwi

style@standard.co.zw

Clive Chigubu

2 THE STANDARD STYLE / CONTENTS The Standard

Style

December 7 to 13 2014

Contents P08

Woman & Man 3 Woman Profile

Cynthia Hakutangwi

5 Motivation

Tafadzwa Taruvinga

7 Man Profile

Clive Chigubu

Home & Garden

P14

9 Home of the Week

Enter our competition

10 Trends

Fabulous Floors

Food & Drink

P07

P09

14 Restaurant Guide

Pine Tree Inn

15 Wine

Lebbie

Family 19 Family of the Week

Benhura family

21 Education

Cover to Cover winners

24 Family Getaway

More holiday outings

Arts

P19

As the day draws nearer and the countdown to The Standard Christmas Family Fun Day begins, this old favourite Christmas carol keeps ringing in my head, and I will sing just the one verse from the bottom up, simply because it’s the nicest one: On the twelfth day of Christmas my true love sent to me: 12 Drummers Drumming 11 Pipers Piping 10 Lords a Leaping 9 Ladies Dancing 8 Maids a Milking 7 Swans a Swimming 6 Geese a Laying 5 Golden Rings 4 Calling Birds 3 French Hens 2 Turtle Doves and a Partridge in a Pear Tree!

Whilst the exact origins and the meaning of the song are unknown, it would be apt to say that it’s a most beautiful.

Christmasy song which just uplifts one and puts them into the mood to drum like the drummers, swim like the swans and dance like the ladies on the ninth day!

Who doesn’t want to sing the famously elongated “fiiiive golden rings” bit? I know back in high school, as a Girl Guides Ranger during the nativity play we performed every December, I literally fought for that part! All things celebratory are special, good people. And because your readership, your business with us, and your loyalty to our brand, is that special to us, we extend our invitation to you and your families, and your neighbours, and the whole world, and it’s brother – to come switch the Christmas lights on with us at Old Georgians’ Sports Club in Groombridge, Harare, on the 20th.

Do come one, come all, let’s sing it together and make merry!

26 Breaking New Ground

Cynthia Mare

28 Bookworm

Literature Festival

29 Celeb News

Prudie – Style Desk

Nesbeth

To advertise in The Standard Style magazine please phone (04) 773930-8 Patience Mutimutema pmutimutema@alphamedia.co.zw Khalisto Manyanye kmanyanye@alphamedia.co.zw Nyasha Makovere nmakovere@alphamedia.co.zw

Emergency Numbers: 0772 122 122 Coming to save you www.roadangels.info

0732 122 122

0713 122 122

THE STANDARD STYLE / WOMAN / PROFILE 3

December 7 to 13 2014

Star Profile

Cynthia Hakutangwi Prudence Muganiwah

A

Pics by Masimba Mukundinashe (Mascomedia)

look at her fairly small build, one would never guess the number of hats she wears. Cynthia Hakutangwi is quite simply a busy body. A communications and personal development consultant, a life coach, author, and strategist, she is passionate about creating platforms for knowledge sharing and mentorship which will change the trajectory of Africa’s compromised identity.

“I am consumed with the restoration of dignity for the nation of Zimbabwe and the African continent at large. The paradox of Africa’s wealth and staggering levels of poverty has to be shifted by the current generation. Mindsets ought to shift and new progressive paradigms of thinking embraced.

I am relentless in provoking game-changers and thought leaders to a place where they are positioned correctly to steer the destiny of this continent to a better place,” she says.

Holding qualifications in Marketing Communications, Transformational Leadership and Public Administration, Cynthia has managed to develop and facilitate programmes in business skills, personal and transformational leadership development.

She says of herself, “I find fulfillment in bringing out potential in individuals who may not see the gifts that they possess. The nature of my work allows me to be my authentic self at all times and I enjoy working without a mask.”

The Managing Consultant of Traincor Business Consultants (Pvt) Ltd, a consultancy firm, she is also a leadership and development practitioner who has worked with the African Reform Institute.

She is the founder of Women Politicians’ Incubator Zimbabwe (WOPIZ), a training and mentorship establishment which capacitates women for leadership, and the Programmes Director for the Zimbabwean chapter of the Institute of Christian Leadership.

Born in Chivhu and educated in Harare where she started off as a school teacher, Cynthia moved to the corporate world where she embraced a career in marketing. “I have been privileged to consolidate my talents and professional experiences as a leadership development consultant, com-

munications specialist and strategist amongst other things,” says the host of “The Lead Show” – a leadership television talk show that profiles leaders who influence positive social change.”

“I am the product of a tough life journey. I believe that I am a living miracle saved by the grace of God because my life journey has been characterised by adverse conditions in various forms of abuse and exploitation which damaged my self-esteem from the early days of childhood. Having overcome these huge obstacles I see myself as a resilient globalised brand with a very strong rural background yet relevant appreciation of global contemporary issues and the ability to interface on any level.”

Also a Pastor at New Life Covenant Church, the lively Cynthia is Managing Consultant of Wholeness Incorporated, a publishing boutique. Some of her published books include; The Whole You – Vital Keys for Balanced Living and Intelligent Conversations: A mindset shift towards a developed Africa, which was launched recently.”

To top it all, Cynthia is a married mother of four children. Just how does she do it?

“My values are embedded in integrity, dependability and excellence. If we can be true to ourselves and commit to giving the best, we can pursue our life purpose and find fulfillment without violating others in the process. These beliefs are Biblical based and I believe that if we can see mankind as an image of the Creator we can begin to honour the sanctity of every human life in spite of our differing world views.”

She explains how tough breaking through in an environment where depressing levels of professionalism prevail. “It is a tall order indeed unless you carry an “established” and traditional name. Unfortunately there are still some spaces where opportunities are awarded in response to one’s gender, political alignment and who you know.”

Speaking glowingly of her role as a mother, she says, “I daily count it as an honour to be the vessel that God chose to bring these incredible lives on this earth because they are all so uniquely different in their own ways. I must also

add that nothing beats the adventure of raising teenagers as they develop minds of their own, this challenges my level of thinking as a parent and grows me to appreciate different perspectives on life and remain relevant. Maintaining well rounded health and vitality in my spiritual, emotional, physical and career life as I juggle various roles has been a major achievement.”

Cynthia says in another life, she would have been a doctor as she always had an avid interest in the overall wellness of people. “But I did not enjoy Physics and Chemistry in high school and I doubt that I would have survived blood scenes and needles!”

One of her pet peeves is the notion of re-inventiing the wheel. “I dislike frivolous conversations amongst adults. I feel extremely annoyed and uncomfortable to sit through and endure discussions on non-progressive low seat issues,” she says.

Since 2009, Cynthia has been actively involved in promoting ethnic designs in the spirit of Afro-centric development.

“Through Ethnic Ventures, a marketing company I registered in 2009, our endeavour is to support employment creation through the arts, promote the sense of self- value among the economically inactive and increase the ratio of breadwinners amongst dependants in various rural and urban communities in Zimbabwe.”

Cynthia says she is inspired by “the great African voices of this generation,” citing Bishop Tudor and Pastor Chichi Bismark, Dr Mensa Otabil from Ghana and the late Dr Myles Munroe.

Speaking on her recently launched book, Intelligent Conversations – A Mindset Shift towards a Developed Africa, the gifted writer says it focuses on issues that pertain to the development of the African continent and trans-generational thinking.

Some of her works to watch out for are sequels to The Whole You – Vital Keys for Balanced Living which she wrote in 2006, as well as books she coauthored with fellow African writers that should be available in 2015.

“My next book “Africa Re-Integrated” will pave way for some of the practical development work in which I have started engaging fellow Africans.

The busy mind says quite enthusiastically, that amongst many other projects she wishes to have accomplished within the next five years, she has also started penning a semi-fictional book which will also become a storyline for a film production, Shona plays and short stories she wrote during her high school years which she plans to adapt to literature and film.

“I have set clear goals in the area of nation building and leadership development which I intend to pursue and execute in conjunction with my spiritual ministry mandate and life coaching career.”

With Cynthia Hakutangwi’s mindset, Zimbabwe, and on a grander scale, Africa’s future cannot be any brighter.

4 THE STANDARD STYLE / WOMAN / FASHION

THE WEDDING PLANNER

Wild Geese Lodge Rufaro Mushonga “At Wild Geese Lodge we understand that your special day is a ‘once in a lifetime’ event and we endeavor to provide you with a personalised, customer-focused service that ensures your wedding lives up to your expectations; beautifully set up, providing the best in culinary service, smoothly executed.

By choosing Wild Geese Lodge, you are assured that your wedding day is tailored especially for you both; you will have the time to be able to take it all in and enjoy the every precious moments.

“I recently made an enquiry with Wild Geese Lodge, and Tina, the Venue’s Wedding Coordinator, sent me an email with all the wedding information I needed, together with the above-quoted message. Last week I had the pleasure of meeting Tina in person, and her assistant, Caroline. It had been some time since I had visited Wild Geese Lodge, and it was good to see that not only have they maintained their status as an award winning venue, but they have improved their product offering, and

now have more options available for weddings and all types of events. They have also introduced Sunday Lunches, ideal for a family outing.

Wild Geese Lodge is located on the edge of a private wildlife sanctuary.

The venue offers you a unique blend of well-manicured gardens, and the raw beauty of the African savannah as a backdrop.

The wedding package includes your choice of location for a garden or indoor ceremony, and a choice between 2 main reception venues. The Royal Musasa is a spacious, air-conditioned, state of the art structure, with sliding glass doors, set in the midst of Musasa trees. I would describe this reception venue as modern and elegant. The Pavilion is a thatched location which was specifically designed for wedding receptions. It is open sided, allowing guests a view of the private wildlife sanctuary. The Pavilion has a homely and natural feel to it, and can also be used for a wedding ceremony.

The wedding package also includes all tables, chairs, cutlery, crockery, glassware & linen for up to 300 max.

In order to ensure consistency, the venue’s catering and bar service is strictly in-house. Wild Geese Lodge will also give you 6 guest lodges for accommodation including a honeymoon suite, on the night of the wedding, on a bed and breakfast basis.

Wild Geese Lodge is an appealing venue for couples from a coordination perspective. It is a sophisticated and upmarket venue, and you have all the complex aspects of your wedding offered to you by professionals, in one package. There is an in-house wedding coordinator to assist you with planning your wedding, and to ensure that the venue honours its commitment to excellence. Buying your own ingredients and drinks can be a nightmare. Ensuring that your hiring list covers everything you need is equally as stressful, and it’s a huge load off, if you leave it to the experts.

Planning a wedding for next year?

Visit Wild Geese Lodge – it’s a 15-20 minute drive from town, and it’s definitely worth considering.

Rufaro Mushonga rufmush@gmail.com

December 7 ro 13 2014

THE STANDARD STYLE / INSPIRATION 5

December 7 to 13 2014

The 8 Essential Rs for a New Beginning... [Part I] Tafadzwa Zimunhu Taruvinga

T

he past year, since your last resolution into 2014, has been a challenging year.

You have succeeded in achieving some set goals, but you’ve also not realised others. This is an inevitable reality, that not all milestones and pebbles can be packaged together according to your hopes and wishes for your quest. Along the path, you’ve come across plentiful trials. There have been failures too. There have been successes smaller than those anticipated. There have been successes greater too. After all is said and done, whether you have succeeded or not, the important thing is that you’ve embarked on some kind of journey. This is good. But what is even better is to make a conscious effort to consolidate your goals for 2015 through what I call, The 8 Essential Rs. Retrospective Introspection In the first week of December, your task is to delve into the depths of retrospective thinking, as well as realistic goal-setting for 2015.

What does this mean? It means that you have to look at your list from that glorious day that once was January 2 2014 post much partying – hopefully you still have it. What on the list did you not achieve? What did you achieve? What, in fact, would have been unrealistic ambition from the start, in retrospect? The key thing is

to not rush through the process of introspection. Use the week fully to your advantage, in the quiet of the night, perhaps.

Realistic Goal-Setting Your list is done. The good, the bad and the ugly. If your introspection tells you that some of your goals were premature for 2014, decide whether they might be realistic for 2015, or ditch them altogether. Then, there were things which you couldn’t achieve. What were your limitations? Can you alleaviate those limitations somehow? If yes, then carry them forward. If no, write them on a separate list for consideration into the year 2016, perhaps.

Then, finally, come your successes. What did they teach you? Can you superimpose your formulae in order to succeed through your other goals? Most importantly, what new goals can you set realistically? Add them to the list. Tafadzwa Taruvinga is a Customer Service Consultant and the first author of a book on Customer Service Excellence in Zimbabwe, entitled “Serve Your Customers EXCELLENTLY, Or Not At All!”, published in June 2014. He is also a Member of the Advisory Council of the US-based organisation, Customer Value Creation International (CVCI). Tafadzwa can be contacted on e-mail at tafadzwazt@gmail.com and his profile is available on www.customervaluecreation.org/About-Us

6 THE STANDARD STYLE / MAN / GROOMING

December 7 to 13 2014

DECLUTTER Marshall Malikula

O

ut with the old and in with the new. As we call it a wrap, for the year 2014 let’s look into making a fresh start in 2015. Be bold enough to declutter your life. It is estimated that majority of people only wear 20 percent of clothing in their wardrobe, which implies that the other 80 percent is absolutely unnecessary.

Sounds familiar? In fact, some people have clothes they cannot remember, tucked away somewhere in the back of their closets. In some instances, some are as good as new.

The first step is to make time. Slip into something comfortable and let the cleansing ceremony begin. Group clothing into different piles as follows; Things to keep, Things to mend, Things to donate, Things you are not sure of and things to throw out. Of course, you get to keep all your favourite pieces that fit well and are worn regularly.

“Things to mend” consists of garments that can be resuscitated, given a new lease of life by a professional tailor. The third pile comprises clothes

you hardly wear, but are still wearable. We advocate for less garbage at the landfills, why not “go green” and donate these to charity or relatives and friends. Last is the pile with garments that have seen their fair share of days.

These are worn out and beyond repair.

Throw these out or use to stuff pillows and cushions.

Now it’s time to work out what’s missing in order to re – stock. Begin by grouping clothes into outfits. Make a list of things you need now and set a budget. It’s not possible to buy all at once, so go for basics first and then tackle seasonal pieces later. Look out for good quality fabric, in basic colours that suit your complexion; black, grey, navy, beige and camel. Keep your wardrobe limited to only a few key shades, to ensure most items are interchangeable.

My parting shot “Buy less, wear more!”

My Accessory of the Week; Versatile plain Tees Marshall Malikula is a Brand manager, Image Consultant, Stylist and he can be reached on marshmalikula@gmail.com

THE STANDARD STYLE / MAN / PROFILE 7

December 7 to 13 2014

Star Profile: Clive Chigubhu Prudence Muganiwah

I

t has been said that stand-up comedians are the funniest of all comics, largely due to the fact that they usually have to deliver impromptu, and during their acts there is no way they can randomly decide to stop, or pause. Or not be funny.

To “make the cut” in the industry, they have to balance a whole lot of worldviews, tones, and language in order to remain relevant, be appropriate yet still manage to make the audience crack up.

It is no wonder then, that 23-year-old Clive Chigubu, regarded as one of Zimbabwe’s most talented stand-up comedians, can aptly be said to possess rare talent. The comedian who doubles as an actor fell in love with theatre back in 2004 when he was in high school. After Ordinary level in 2007, he joined forces with a schoolmate, Mayibongwe Sibanda to form a group called Jeepers Makers that did comedy sketches at various platforms such as Ibumba Festival and Amakhosi Dreams To Fame.

But the duo had to split after his “partner in crime” relocated to South Africa.

Clive describes this as “a turning point for me to try out stand-up comedy,” as he then had to become his own person reliant only on his own talent. Having won people’s hearts at the Ibumba Festival, he gained confidence to be on stage and tell more jokes.

Since then, the vibrant young man has gained popularity at quite a number of public events for instance the Shoko Festival where he was made brand ambassador, HIFA, Protest Arts, Intwasa Festival and quite recently at the Zimbabwe Music Awards at the HICC where he left the crowd begging for more.

“I have shared stage with great comedians such as John Vlismas, Kakiso Ledika, and Tumi Morake from South Africa and locally Carl J Ncube as well as Micheal Kudakwashe amongst a host of other Zimbabwean comedians,” he adds.

Describing his passion, Clive says it is in communicating his thoughts and opinion through humour that’s based on what he goes through in day to day life. “l believe comedy is the only way people can live with their frustrations, and I love blessing my frustrated fellow Zimbos with laughter…. if l bless one person who is stressed my dream and goal will be fulfilled!”

Explaining what he enjoys most about what he does, the ever energetic Clive says, “I am enjoying that l got a job that l get paid while enjoying myself and most of it all l have finally understood who am l in this world.”

Whilst it would be reasonable to think that a career in comedy should be fun and smooth sailing, happy days, Clive says on the contrary, he has faced a number of challenges – citing his biggest one as changing from being a theatre actor to stand-up comedian. “The difference is that whilst with theatre or acting you stick to your script, with comedy it is more about making conversation and throwing energy to your audience as they will do the same.” The talented comedian goes on to explain that with comedy one is judged every 12 seconds they are on stage, and for one to reach a headliner effect they should give at least 5 to 7 laughs a minute, which can be quite a challenge. He also adds that the stand-up comedy culture is still quite new in our country, thus people are still sometimes offended. Clive further laments how the market is quite stagnant for the past few years, adding that in his home town, Bulawayo, the total number of show attendees usually ranges from 200 to 230 people.

After a rough phase in which the young man was diagnosed with meningitis, Clive says he now values life more as he almost lost his. “I believe that God has a purpose for everyone and he does not want any of us spend-

ing a day sad or angry. Love and peace must dwell in our minds and whatever religion you follow, as long it preaches peace and love no one must make you change what you believe in. Clive says whilst he does not consider himself a religious person, he believes he is spiritual, explaining that his theory behind that is that with religion you do something for God expecting something back whereas spirituality is about creating a personal relationship with God. Giving credit to his family, Clive says he is very thankful for their role in his life and chosen career. “Through everything that we have been through as a family, we are still smiling and becoming stronger and united. Most importantly we love and respect each other.”

Clive says if he hadn’t chosen comedy, he most probably would have been an electrician.

Asked about his pet peeves (yes, comedians also have these), he says, “When someone calls you with a number that you do not know and ask you who is this? Or when toilet paper drops inside the shanks, and you have to take it out then dry it for use!”

As part of giving back in his own field, even though he is still trying to find his feet, Clive is already giving guidance to upcoming comedians and affording them a chance to test their skills through The Umahlekisa Brand which is run by Ntando Van Moyo in Bulawayo.

He lists his inspirations as comedian Dave Chappell, and his director, and mentor Tswarelo Mothobi to whom he is grateful for his honesty and belief in him when no one else believed that l could make it in the industry.

To other fellow comics, Clive says, “Being a comedian is not a joke! It is serious business and it might take time for one to make it. Your first time may not always be not as good as your 10th time, thus research more and love your craft and the people will love it back.”

He also encourages upcoming artists to attend theatre workshops in order to gain the necessary knowledge.

It is often said many of the best comedians of all time started off as stand-up comedians before making it to create or act in films and TV series. Clive is confident that in the next five years, he will be a renowned comedian.

It takes a certain skill to achieve that special connection with the audience, and Clive definitely has it!

8 THE STANDARD STYLE / MAN / WHEELS

December 7 to 13 2014

The Nissan NP300 Hardbody – Proving its worth Fact Jeke

T

he Nissan NP300 Hardbody is an unmistakable legend of the Sub-Saharan African light commercial vehicle market. A thoroughbred workhorse, it continues to offer exceptional return on investment, delivering usable space and utility with ease and building on an already enviable reputation for getting the job done, whatever is asked of it.

Rugged build quality and engineering means the Nissan NP300 Hardbody can take the most demanding surfaces in its stride. It handles the toughest working conditions too, from flying quality testing of its paintwork, by firing diamond chips at the exterior, along with E-co gravel to extreme humidity. No matter how tough the task, the Nissan NP300 Hardbody delivers every time – safely and reliably.

Enhanced power, safety and visibility, combined with essential cabin comforts like power windows, a tilt-adjustable steering column, ABS and dual airbags (standard on selected models) confirm the Nissan NP300 Hardbody’s resourceful spirit. The Double Cab Hi-Rider interior finish includes front seats in stylish

leather and textile trim, a leather-covered gearshift knob and steering wheel, front and rear headrests and a sliding rear window.

Redesigned pillar seals ensure extra firm window closure for a quieter, dust-free interior with maximum protection against water seepage in wet conditions. Designed to carry almost any load, the Nissan NP300 Hardbody’s reinforced load-box inner panels are grooved to enable the insertion of a board for separate front and rear loading sections, while a horizontal board can also be inserted to divide upper and lower loading decks. Oval tubing in the styled roof carrier on DoubleCab models matches the side step style and is ideal for light recreational cargo. Whatever questions are asked of the Nissan NP300 Hardbody are immediately answered with confidence. Your business needs to perform in all conditions – and the Nissan NP300 Hhardbody has the power to rise to any challenge. With cabin comforts as standard and powerful engines that produce a surprisingly quiet ride, getting to where you need to be on time and conducting business on the move is easy. The Nissan NP300 Hardbody isn’t simply a business tool; it’s also a smart business investment perfectly

suited for any business from your farm, mine or transport business. With the farming season kicking in as the first rains are here, this is the perfect project accessory. You can pack a load in the back and still get to drive in the toughest terrain with no hitches. At Nissan Clover leaf Motors, Nissan is their business and they will make sure you get the best customer education before ordering and driving away in your new NP300.

It comes with so many benefits too. Longer service intervals, extremely low fuel consumption and an economical total cost of ownership mean that the Nissan NP300 Hardbody performs as well on the books as it does on the job, saving you both (down) time and money.

The unstoppable Nissan NP300 Hardbody workhorse range, along with the versatile Nissan NP300 Hardbody Hi-Rider range, are true assets to any business, large or small. The Nissan NP300 Hardbody’s diesel engines are the result of a 50-year heritage of engineering expertise. So when it comes to reliability, power and performance, the second generation 2,5 litre common rail turbo diesel engine is as dependable and responsive as you can get. The potent combination of turbo and intercooler

produces awesome power and torque and comes standard with a 5-speed manual transmission. Quieter, with reduced vibration and carbon monoxide emissions, the Nissan NP300 Hardbody diesel engines also use eco-friendly oil filter cartridges which can be completely incinerated after use, meaning they are environmentally responsible and hardworking.

The Nissan NP300 Hardbody remains the indisputable choice of business partner in the commercial sector. Its solid heritage rests on well-proven mechanical underpinnings and design philosophies that encompass the essential functional systems required of today’s business operations. The financial appeal of the Nissan NP300 Hardbody is further enhanced by an aggressive list price and proven economical total cost of ownership.

The Nissan NP300 Hardbody is not only a willing partner, but a sound investment for Zimbabwean businesses – large or small. For a test drive and more information, Admire Ndumo and his team are available in Masasa at the Nissan Clover Leaf Motors showroom.

The pricing is from US$27 000 Additional Source: Quick Pic Email: missjeke@gmail.com

THE STANDARD STYLE

HOME & GARDEN

COMPETITION

Send us a picture of your Home and enter “ZIMBABWE’S MOST BEAUTIFUL HOME” competition and stand a chance to win a self catering holiday for two couples in the picturesque Eastern Highlands

style@standard.co.zw

Specification: JPEG minimum size 2MB picture quality 300dpi

This week’s code: STDSTYHM32

10 THE STANDARD STYLE / HOME & GARDEN / TRENDS

December 7 to 13 2014

4

Fabulous Floors

PART

The Next Best Fabulous Alternatives

Laminate Wood Flooring

Floors are an integral part of your home and a great selling point for any home or property when you are selling. It’s imperative that you choose the best flooring that suits your budget without compromising on style. This week we look at what I consider the next best alternatives that are reasonably priced and are as elegant as your Italian tile or hardwood flooring. They are also hard wearing and easy to install.

Engineered Wood

Laminate flooring has the look of natural wood - Photo Voolis.com

Standard Engineered hard wood – looks as elegant and versatile as hardwood without the price tag Photo – Horwich Carpets Engineered hardwood flooring is real wood flooring and is more stable than solid wood. Engineered wood flooring is less susceptible to shrinking and expanding with changes in temperatures and humidity while the multiple wood layers in engineered hard wood make it very durable. It is available in many varied finishes just like hard wood. Engineered wood floors can be sanded at the most three times in their life span to refresh them or remove grime. They hold well in shape in the face of humidity and other weather conditions as compared to hard wood due to their multiple layered make-up. Bamboo, cork and laminate flooring are considered as engineered flooring.

Cork Flooring

Cork Flooring – a very “green” and low cost way of flooring. - Photo homelegend Cork flooring is a type of wood flooring made from the bark of an oak tree. The tree is not cut down but just the bark is harvested and mixed with other materials to form a durable form of soft flooring. Cork has a thin outer layer, moisture and excessive dirt can damage the flooring.

This type of flooring is most suitable for low traffic areas. Cork is a completely natural product, largely unchanged by processing. A new trend for the “green” environment a lot more research needs to be ventured into before you choose this type of flooring as it can prove a bit difficult to maintain and you have to import it. Some of the advantages of cork flooring are  Cork is supposedly a naturally fire resistant product and it does not release any toxic gases

on combustion.  Cork is naturally resistant to deterioration and water damage if well treated it resists the

growth of mold, mildew and bacteria.  Cork flooring is warm under foot and insulates heat and cold.  Cork provides a comfortable cushioned surface that gives a soft feeling to your feet

Laminate flooring is comprised of high-density wood materials pressed together at high temperature, a photograph, or image, of hardwood or tile then covers this composite wood, producing laminate flooring. A clear, hard layer is then placed on the top, giving it its sheen and durability. This makes laminate flooring a most cost effective way to floor your home and still get woody, stone effect as the real thing.

Laminate floors are durable and somewhat scratch resistant making them perfect for high traffic areas. They are easy to clean and can hold well in areas that have relative humidity. Excessive moisture can damage your laminate just as it would any hardwood or engineered floor. You can get these locally.

Carperts

Carpets – have the look and feel of grandeur – Photo Berber Point Carpets are great for areas that don’t have high levels of humidity or moisture. Aesthetically pleasing, carpets need to be chosen and installed carefully to compliment your colour schemes.

Natural tones are the best as they can blend in with any scheme. Carpets are high maintenance as they need to be professionally cleaned every six months to remove dust and grime that may set off allergies. Carpets can be looped, patterned, textured in natural or synthetic fibres, soft, industrial or premium soft. I would still recommend carpets in low traffic areas like the bedroom or the second lounge. If you can’t do carpets, consider other flooring options and break the monotony with a classic rug.

Credits – www.homelegend.com, www.lifeofanarchitect.com www.voolis.com www.floors2go.co.uk Noma Ndlovu is an Interior Designer & Property Stylist. Feedback on unaminkosi@yahoo.co.uk. www.facebook.com/unamihomestyle +263775402083

THE STANDARD STYLE / HOME & GARDEN /INSPIRATION 11

December 7 to 13 2014

A Red & Tan Christmas Colour Scheme

eam

These croqueted stars would look beautiful on a Christmas tree, hung around the house, or added to a Christmas present for that personal touch.

Attach a pretty plaid red ribbon so they are easily hung.

winter interior. Don't be afraid to use your nd preferences . But keep it practical. This nter indulgences - chocolate, coffee and

biggest decisions you have to make when eature in the room. Creamy hot chocolate ing room. You can set off your living room ut. If your lounge suite is brown don't panic. ng interest to the space with highlights of es, such as leather, sheepskin, suede and ter.

Spacework CHRISTMAS is almost upon us and you are getting ready to entertain family and friends.

This season we suggest you try something new! Break out of the red and green rut and decorate your home with pretty Christmas colour schemes that will wow your guests.

In this week’s colour scheme we swap tan for white to give your home a vintage holiday feel. Why not transform light brown uphol-

stery webbing into a large bow to accent your Christmas wreath, and fill the bed of a red toy pickup truck with tiny packages. A handmade burlap pillow with Christmas words and phrases finishes the natural colour scheme.

No matter how creative you think you are or not, now is the season to have some fun. Here are some great DIY décor ideas to add to your red and tan vintage Christmas look.

matched. For a less dramatic but equally ving room. Go ahead and rescue those old em. Visit a professional frame shop to help up them together for impact on your wall. A n you photograph people in colour, you essence of a natural setting and goes past

offee with a spew of sweet cream to cozy way you accessorize your space. Filled, hing touch for any room. Add mellow mood , set a collection of cream candles into it ms in a similar colour from table runners to id lots of pattern , as these tend to always

Simply changing the scatter cushions on your couch will help bring Christmas Spirit to your home. We love these tartan print cushions for our vintage theme

Add the festivity to your winter packages with these Snowflake Gift Tags. Each tag is hand stamped with To and From and decorated with patterned paper bands.

Not forgetting your table décor, for a simple relaxing evening meal outdoors we love this burlap table covering and the white and red towels, for placemats.

well. Use banding on cushions, pull out the

his week!

Whether you buy or make your own stockings for the mantle this year, mix all the colours together from tans, golds, browns with red and olive. Have fun combining classic linen with the textures of burlap, wool and heavy cotton and the patterns of plaid, paisley, polka dots, stripe, houndstooth and windowpane check into an unexpected and fabulous set of stockings. But don’t stop there, you can play with these fabrics and textures throughout your décor scheme.

References Fun and Festive Christmas Colour Schemes. [Sa]. [O].

Available: http://www.bhg.com/christmas/indoor-decorating/christmascolor-schemes/ Accessed on 2014/11/27 Images [1] Source: Better Homes and Gardens. Image by Unknown [2] Source: House to Home. Photograph by Tim Young [3] Source: South House Boutique. Image by Unknown [4] Source: SlumberSpun. Image by Unknown [5] Source: Scrappin’ with DeeDee. Image by Unknown [6] Source: Daily Dish. Image by Unknown

12 THE STANDARD STYLE / CHRISTMAS SPECIAL

December 7 to 13 2014

THE STANDARD STYLE

FOOD & DRINK

1 In this issue of Food & Drink

2

(1,2) Eating Out (4) Zimbokitchen

3

4

(3) Wine

14 THE STANDARD STYLE / EATING OUT / PINE TREE INN, NYANGA

December 7 to13 2014

Pine Tree Inn, Juliasdale, Nyanga 6

1 Dusty Miller

I

T was brain-broiling hot in Harare at the end of last week; not much cooler in Mutare, or the Lower Vumba in the Eastern Highlands Middle Vumba (around White Horse Inn) was a bit more comfortable and there was a lovely, invigorating fresh breeze blowing from the Indian Ocean at Leopard Rock (which has recently been sold).

Later that day at Pine Tree Inn in Juliasdale, Nyanga, the temperature plummeted and I could have kicked myself for not taking a fleece or warm jersey.

And on Sunday, when we celebrated Scotland’s national day with an al fresco lunch at Pine Tree, it was really traditional Caledonian weather for the feast of St Andrew Pine Tree Inn is just the sort of place to be when the weather is “dreich” (or miserable) with cozy, chintzy soft furnishings, cheerful well-stocked cocktail bar, excellent food and companionship and usually a roaring log fire half way up the chimney!

Our tour of the Eastern Districts was something of a gastronomic assault course. Lunch on the Friday was at the brand new Golden Peacock Villa Hotel in Mutare’s rather grim high-density suburbs, surrounded by bankrupt industrial sites, but with spectacular views of the mountains.

Supper therefore was by choice a nibbly matter of two starters and dessert at Inn on the Vumba, after a splendid Portuguese wine tasting session. Even though I had an early, fairly light breakfast there, I couldn’t really do justice to the sort of Saturday lunch that the amiable Frank Marembo wanted to serve us at White Horse Inn. Frank’s business partner David Graham is in India undergoing heart surgery, but the ship’s in good hands. (I’ll write about that meal next week.)

So at Saturday supper at Pine Tree, as the wind whistled and a light drizzle splattered the stoep, I went for the lightest, less filling options. Pineapple wrapped in rashers of great bacon and served with a rich gooey mustard sauce sounded and looked too much for me, but I thoroughly enjoyed an exquisite cream of broccoli soup with Danish blue cheese.

People who live in the mountains often have hearty appetites and most of my table companions wolfed piled plates of meaty braised

oxtail on a bed of long-grained fluffy white rice with veg.

I was torn between pan-fried Nyanga trout “Doria” garnished with sautéed cucumber, but assured the grilled gammon steak with apricots wouldn’t be a slab of dead pig the size of the Gauteng phone book chose that. Apricot made a pleasant change from the more traditional grilled pineapple. I can’t remember when I previously had gammon. It doesn’t now seem to be on many menus! I especially enjoyed the single good-sized parsley potato which went with it and seasonal vegetables.

For sweet I relished a chilled lemon flan but I’d usually have had the pear-and-apple crumble with fresh farm cream. The Vumba and Nyanga hotels are sourcing excellent products closer and closer to their operations.

We had coffee and liqueurs in the lounge while the fire roared, told outrageous stories and swung the lamp!

Pine Tree Inn’s very capable exec chef is Abisha Mutswapo, who’s been cooking since Pontius was a pilot and he does marvels in a galley-sized smoky kitchen creating his great dishes on a solid fuel cooker burning wattle.

St Andrew and any Scotsman worth the salt in his porridge would have heartily approved of the very reasonable US$15 charged for the al fresco lunch as I shivered and the piper battled to be heard above a soughing wind!

Smoked herring paté with fingers of toast was cleverly made from deconstructed breakfast kippers! A deeply intense chunky Scotch broth with a freshly-baked bread roll (and a drop of Presbyterian altar wine!) also helped keep the cold at bay.

Everyone within my sight plumped for a delicious roast leg of lamb with mint sauce and redcurrant jelly and all the trimmings, but pan-fried trout with celery and white wine sauce was also available.

Pudding was hot apple shortcake or “Scottish glacier”, which was supposed to be Highland berries in whisky ice-cream. I happen to know most of the fruit was the legendary dusty-berries from nearby Froggy Farm!

I’m afraid I settled for a couple of hours’ late afternoon Egyptian PT in front of BBC World TV in my chalet overlooking a glade in the forest and a porter had to wake me for a pre-prandial aperitif in the lounge before a Sunday night meal I wouldn’t have eaten had I been at home and still replete from lunch!

However, duty called. Sautéed mushrooms (huge ones) with garlic and mozzarella melt were far too substantial for me, but cream of

2

3

4

5 celery soup was delightful as a light starter.

I admired the appetite, digestion and stamina of those who went for fillet of beef steak tournedos style or the dreadfully rich sounding crumbed chicken breast filled with cheese and chutney and a port wine sauce.

Poached fillet of kingklip a la Mornay garnished with pink, plump Mozambican prawns sounded fairly manageable, but I couldn’t quite finish the portion served with pont-neuf potatoes and seasonal veg.

Which meant I shouldn’t have been allowed the boarding school style steamed ginger pudding with Cointreau-marmalade coulis and fresh farm cream. But I did! So there! It was wonderful!

I was amused to hear Abisha couldn’t pronounce this dish he had created!

7

8

9 1 and 2) The al fresco St Andrew’s lunch on the lawn at Pine Tree Inn, Juliasdale, Nyanga.

3) Braised oxtail 4) Mushrooms with garlic and mozzarella melt 5) Kingklip fillet with Mozambican prawns 6) Grilled gammon steak with apricots 7) Chilled lemon flan 8) Fillet steak tournedos style 9) Steamed ginger pudding with Cointreau-marmalade coulis.

All pictures by Dusty Miller Most of the weekend I drank chateau-cardboard white wine from the Cape fairly abstemiously. At the outdoor lunch someone shared a bottle of Steenberg sparkling SauvignonBlanc (champagne style) at our table; we had the odd Caledonian toast in Scotch whisky and on Sunday night I thought a gin-and-ginger beer or two might help provide internal central heating!

Back in Harare, the heat is almost intolerable. No sign of rain since a wee drizzle at Macheke. Next week I’m off to Adelaide, South Australia for a month. When I was there two years ago it was the hottest Christmas since 1938 and this year could well be even more of a scorcher! dustym@zimind.co.zw

December 7 to 13 2014

“The flavour of wine is like delicate poetry.”

–Louis Pasteur

THE STANDARD STYLE / FOOD & DRINK / WINE 15

‘Sugar and spice’ are all things wine

Lebbie Masavaya

C

haracterised by typical spice, rich, dark, blackberry fruits and black peppery flavours on the nose, and occasional hints of licorice, one wine comes to mind. That is the Syrah/Shiraz. Pronounced Sirah or Shiraz, this grape is classified as one of the world’s most noble premium grape varieties, found nestled in the Northern Rhône Valley of France. It’s a red grape variety with an amazing ability to be blended with almost any red grape. It is found as a single variety or blend (two or more varieties). In South Africa, this international performer produces some outstanding wines.

In a quest to find my Shiraz of the year (2014), I was glad when I had the opportunity to attend a wine-tasting event in South Africa, during the last quarter of the year. I set out determined to find that perfect Shiraz on my palate, the Shiraz that would be the ultimate winding down premium wine for the year.

Bread, olive oil and balsamic vinegar have become a favourite of mine, especially when the topic involves wine-tasting.

With Shiraz being, in most cases, a full bodied rich wine, I made sure I had definitely lined my stomach, as I got ready to taste the wide range of wines.

See, swirl, nose and sip actions, simultaneously took control of me as I moved from one exhibitor to the next. My quest involved more than just a Shiraz, my palate was eager for struc-

Bread, olive oil and balsamic vinegar have become a favourite of mine, especially when the topic involves wine-tasting.

With Shiraz being, in most cases, a full bodied rich wine, I made sure I had definitely lined my stomach, as I got ready to taste the wide range of wines.

ture, elegance and fulfillment. The Lynx Shiraz 2012, pleasantly layered with rich ripe fruit and an unmistakeable spice, proved a winner. It being their flagship wine, I wasn’t surprised at the joy it brought to my palate. Immediately, a Vergelegen, Shiraz Reserve 2012 beckoned to me. Its familiarity took me back a few years and a conversation with the winemaker who showed admirable passion. Its intensity took me by surprise, as the concentrated ripe fruit urged on this rich Shiraz. The comfort of giving it time to mature, 6-8 years, pushed me on, as I knew it had the potential of maturing beautifully.

Jordan Winery did not disappoint. Their Shiraz 2010, gave my palate a rich dark chocolate treat full of structure and body.

I was in for a treat. It was the Hartenberg 2008 Shiraz that stole my “wine” heart, with a palate soaked with a rich blend of spices, coupled with a firm yet elegant structure. It was beautifully matured and had that pleasantly sleek finish that I had longed for all afternoon.

With a tasty Shiraz tasting to bask in, I elegantly thought of all the evolved palates that would appreciate this Shiraz journey. To the many glasses of Shiraz that have been poured for you, it’s cheers with a Hartenberg Shiraz.

Till the next tasting, “sugar and spice”, are definitely, all things nice.

Pictures from www.google.co.za MyLifeAndWine@icloud.com

16 THE STANDARD STYLE / FOOD & DRINK

Good Old Fish ‘n’ Chips 4-5 Servings Cooking time: 30 min Fish and chips is one of those dishes that many of us Zimbabweans relish. I admit, things have changed a bit post 2000. Before this particularly in the 80’s and 90’s many takeaways used to specialize a lot in fish and chips dishes. This in many ways is of course due to historical English influence. In this recipe am solely focusing on doing your fish.

Ingredients 1 kg Kariba bream Tilapia 1 1/4 cups plain flour 1/2 cups constarch 1 tsp salt 1 tsp baking powder 1 tsp dried thryme 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper 2 cloves garlic, chopped 300ml soda water

December 7 to 13 2014

by Rumbie - Zimbokitchen

ground black pepper, and thyme into your bowl. Give everything a quick mix until everything is combined.

Add your soda water and mix until a batter is formed.

Put the remaining 1/4 cup flour and 1/4 cup cornstarch into a bowl.

Combine gently.

Heat oil in pan. Coat each piece with the mixed flour. Shake off the excess. Dip the chicken into the bowl with the batter. Again shake off any excess before frying in the pan. Fry until golden brown on both sides. Should take about 10-15 min.

Repeat process until the fish is finished. Enjoy with your fries and a salad.

Quick Instructions Get your ingredients ready.

Put 1 cup flour, 1/4 cup cornstarch, salt, garlic, baking powder, freshly

www.zimbokitchen.com

Upside Down Pineapple Cake Another great and simple cake to add to the Christmas sweet table. Served with custard or fresh cream, a perfect desert cake that is personal favorite.

3.

Put the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, butter, caster sugar and eggs into a bowl and using an electric beater, whisk until the batter is smooth. Then pour in the 3 tablespoons of pineapple juice to thin it a little.

4.

Pour this mixture carefully over the cherrystudded pineapple rings; it will only just cover it, so spread it out gently.

5.

Bake for 30 minutes, then ease a knife or around the edge of the tin to release the sides, place a plate on top and turn it upside-down. Voila!

Ingredients: Margarine (for greasing) 2 tablespoons old fashioned brown sugar 6 slices canned pineapple in juice (plus 3 tablespoons of the juice) 11 glace cherries (approx. 75g total weight) 100 grams plain flour 1 teaspoon baking powder ¼ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda 100 grams soft butter 100 grams caster sugar 2 large eggs

Method:

Cakes by Tamanda is on Facebook and can be contacted by email cakesbytamanda@yahoo.com

1.

Preheat the oven to 170°C. Grease an 8 or 9 inch cake tin 9 inch. Sprinkle the 2 tablespoons of sugar on top of the buttered base, and then arrange the pineapple slices to make a circular pattern as in the picture.

Cakes by Tamanda – a cake for every occasion

2.

Fill each pineapple ring with a glace cherry, and then dot one in each of the spaces in between.

by Cakes by Tamanda

December 7 to 13 2014

THE STANDARD STYLE / CHRISTMAS SPECIAL 17

18 THE STANDARD STYLE / FAMILY / CHRISTMAS FUN DAY

December 7 to 13 2014

THE STANDARD STYLE

FAMILY Mrs & Mrs Benhura

Send us pictures of your family and a short caption of your values. Email your photos with the weekly code in the subject heading to style@standard.co.zw Specifications: JPEG minimum size 2MB Min. 300dpi

20 THE STANDARD STYLE / FAMILY / PARENTING

December7 to 13 2014

Steps to Stop Bullying Edson Chivandikwa

I

F the environment at your school supports bullying or ignores it, working to change it can help. For example, there might be areas where bullies harass people, for examples in areas that are unobserved by teachers.

Before you take any step towards bullying, you need to make sure that you are truly being bullied or abused. This is very important because most people do not know what bullying really is. In other words for you to do something about “bullying”, you first of all need to make sure that the use of force, threat, abuse, or aggression has been imposed on you affecting you emotionally, verbally , physical, or

cyber, and not to refer bullying to something else.

If you are convinced that you have been abused or bullied at school then you can take the following steps: • You can try to talk to the bully. If you don’t feel comfortable, leave a note on the bully’s door or bag. Try to point out that his behavior is affecting you. This will make him/ her feel bad about his/ her actions as well as make him/ her think that you will be capable of informing your teachers, therefore they will feel threatened and most likely stop bullying you.

• Informing your friends can also help.

This gives license for your friends to support you as well as adds a stand against the bully, and in no time, weakening the bully’s chances of bullying you.

• If there is no progress, try inform your seniors in the school, if that does not work out, tell your teachers or the Headmaster and, finally, if there is no change at all, your parents can be informed.

• Another way to combat bullying is to join your school’s anti-violence/ bullying or, if your school doesn’t have one, make suggestions to the staff to introduce such clubs or to

start your own club.

• The most important an effective step to stop bullying in your school is to never be a bully yourself !

Most people hesitate to speak out because it can be hard. It takes confidence to stand up to a bully — especially if he or she is one of the school leaders. Staying quiet extends the bully’s reach beyond just one person, so, standing up for yourself is the only key to stop bullying.

By: Kudzanai Edson JNR Chivandikwa

THE STANDARD STYLE / FAMILY / EDUCATION 21

December 7 to 13 2014

MEET THE WINNERS LILIAN MASITERA

masiteral@yahoo.com 0772 924 796 Rise above, Take flight & Move on!

Usave Saskam,

verenga udzore pfungwa

Themmbani Tivake Magazi

Winner

St John’s College, Harare Form 3 & 4 Winner

Nobody Care Anymore Monday the 4th of October 2027 Dim rays of sunlight penetrate the grey city skyline. Not many of them can pierce the canopy of densely packed high rise buildings. I stop on the edge of the sidewalk, traffic rolling by on the road to my right, to enjoy this momentary glimpse of light. I don’t remember the last time I, or anyone else for that matter , saw full sunshine. The warm, ever consoling beams of heavenly revival were once all that we had left to look forward to in this accursed world.

But soon even that was taken away from us; now all that exists is grey. A dark , omnipresent, grey cloud that is as suffocating as it is toxic.

“The future through industry! Better lives

for all: food, healthcare, education!” they had promised. The new government schemes were intended to make things better and naturally the population was entranced by the idea. We were hungry, we were desperate and we were frustrated.

Why are we still scrounging for scraps in the dirt when the rest of the world is ushering in the new age of development? - We asked ourselves We eventually gave in to the tycoons and investors that offered us a part in this “We being the hospitable, optimistic people. We, who have always surrendered everything Once the public had been swayed and government agreed to this, businessman, native and foreign alike, pounced on

Charles Gambe

Second runner

St George’s College, Harare Form 3 & 4 Second Runner up

The Body Drifted Towards Us The Shona had been at war with the white settlers for over two years and finally the fighting had toned down in Chaota, so my sistr and I decided to go to Chipokoteke River to do our laundry. Our mother warned us for the umpteenth time, not to go upstream to where the settlers were camped but Rudo and I not knowing these were the last words we would hear from our

dearest mother decided not to listen.

On the way to the river we imitated our worried mother and laughed. We shared jokes and skipped stones while we looked for a suitable platform.

We found a place not too far from the path leading home and started on our laundry. We waited, while the clothes dried, making jokes and telling stories. When we were out of stories, Rudo

the country’s resources like hungry dogs. They delivered what they had promised yes but Utopia was not all we had imagined. The façade of benevolence in time faded away to reveal the ugly head of the demon that was greed. All was pleasing at first. We enjoyed things that we could once only have dreaned of but we were so enamoured by the sedative effect of this medicine that we did not see that it was rapidly poisoning ou land.

Economies grew almost overnight and the industrial sector boomed now that the nation was able to compete with global giants. The dream had been realised but very soon the strain it took on the natural environment could not be ignored anymore. Rivers and streams became contaminated with putrid waste killing all life in its path. The choking fumes released by production plants blackened the blue sky leaving the permanent haze we now know. All naturally beau-

ty was destroyed’; the country stripped bare of its rich natural life and bountiful resources.

Environmentalists and activits rallied and protested initially but inevitably their voices were drowned out by the sounds of industrial machinery, they were miniscule pests under the boots of the corporate giants Now there is nothing. People drone about their daily business in the overly congested city center and I am one of them. The sophisticated transport infrastructure in place makes this morbid commute so much easier. Faces that long ago were so full of hope are now bleak tired looking and monotonous From time to time I keep experiencing stirrings within. I get feelings of rage and bursts of inspiration tis urge to rebel, to cry out for help.

All I want is for a saviour to return things to the way they once were.

Someone, anyone to do something. But the cycle always ends the same

way – with me looking at people surrounding me and coming to the grim realisation that it is already far too late.

If only there was another person who shared my ideas. If only I was strong enough to actually change things. We could have rebelled together, but the fact is no one cares anymore But I wonder what if someone does exist?

Is there someone close by longing for the same thing? What if this someone, like me wants to take back the future?

I shake my head dismissing the thought and chastise myself for such wishful thinking.

No such person exists in this world any longer.

If we only we had done something back then, we wouldn’t be suffering right now. If only someone cared. The grey ceiling closes yet again as the city becomes noticeably darker and the temperature drops. I look down and continue walking as an asthmatic child gasps for air by the side of the road.

came up with an adventure for us. At first I was doubtful but finally, I agreed to quest with her to the settlers camp.

I could not let my little sister go there alone and I could not risk letting her think I was a coward.

We crept towards the camp and slowly our chatter died down. The settlers were basking in the midday sun laughing and drinking beer.

Growing up we had been taught to hate the settlers but the more time I spent watching them, the more I realised that they were only humans and not monsters as we had been taught. One of the men pulled a brick like device out of his pocket and to, my hor-

ror it talked to them.

I jumped back out of shock and stepped on a tiny twig. Before I could react, the man with the talking brick swung his rifle and aimed right at my chest. I could not comprehend the words he said so I decided to go back home.

I let Rudo run ahead of me and I followed close behind. I could hear the fusiliers pursuing me. I ignored the stones that cut deep into my foot and kept on running. As soon as the house came into view I remembered that my mom was home and it would have been unfair to have her killed for our foolishness.

I ran back towards the woods, taking the

longer road to the river \. We dived into the river and ducked behind some reeds. I whispered words of reassurance to Rudo. i could see the terror In her eyes. No sooner had I comforted her that a body came floating down the river, at first I thought it was a mermaid but as the body drifted towards us and my heart stooped halfway through beat.

My mother’s cadaver stopped right between me and Rudo, her eyes were ganged out and her tongue had been cut out.

I dragged her carcass out of the river while weeping bitterly. It dawned on me, them, that I was now an orphan.

22 THE STANDARD STYLE / FAMILY / HEALTH

December 7 to 13 2014

Who to see for your particular problem…

My sole mission today is to clarify the difference between an Optometrist, an Optician and an Ophthalmologist so people know where to go with a particular eye problem.

Lynet E Masiwa

A

LTHOUGH all of the above mentioned professions are key players in the delivery of eye health they serve very different functions in the field and have different scopes of practices, therefore making it important for you to know where to go with a particular problem.

The Optometrist is a primary eye care practitioner who will carry out an eye exam and advise you on whether your problem needs medication or spectacles. A standard eye exam

includes the check of your eye health and refractive error (determine whether you are long or short sighted). Additional tests may be carried out depending on your presenting complaints and the practitioner’s findings. At the end of a consultation an Optometrist will provide you with a prescription for spectacles or medication. If need be, they will refer you to an Ophthalmologist for further care.

An Ophthalmologist is a surgeon who specialises in eye care. They are eye care special-

ists usually seen by referral either from your General Practitioner (family doctor) or Optometrist. However, should you have an emergency you can walk-into their clinics. They attend to the more complex eye conditions which often require long term medical care and/or surgical intervention.

The Dispensing Optician is responsible for making up your glasses once you have been consulted by either an Optometrist or Ophthalmologist. They will help with your frame

selection, lens choice and contact lenses. They do not carry out eye examinations.

If in doubt please do check with the reception staff when making an appointment if you are seeing the correct person for your problem.

By Lynett E Masiwa FAOI Optometrist BSc Hons. Optometry (Ireland)

AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDER Dr Farzana Naeem

A

UTISM is known as a complex developmental disability. Autism presents itself during the first three years of a person’s life. The condition is the result of a neurological disorder that has an effect on normal brain function, affecting development of the person’s communication and social interaction skills.

People with autism have issues with non-verbal communication, a wide range of social interactions, and activities that include an element of play and/or banter.

A person with autism will find it much harder to understand the feelings of other people. His/her ability to instinctively empathize with others is much weaker than other people’s. However, if they are frequently reminded of this, the ability to take other people’s feelings into

account improves tremendously. In some cases - as a result of frequent practice - empathy does improve, and some of it becomes natural rather than intellectual. Even so, empathy never comes as naturally for a person with autism as it does to others.

Autism is a lifelong developmental disability that affects how a person communicates with, and relates to, other people. It also affects how they make sense of the world around them.

It is a spectrum condition, which means that, while all people with autism share certain difficulties, their condition will affect them in different ways. Some people with autism are able to live relatively independent lives but others may have accompanying learning disabilities and need a lifetime of specialist support.

Behavioral symptoms include:  aggressive or self-injurious behavior;  noticeable extreme under activity or over activity;  throwing tantrums;  short attention span;  abnormal responses to sensory stimuli (for example, expressing over sensitivity or under sensitivity to pain);  abnormalities in eating or sleeping;  not responding to normal teaching methods;  playing in odd or unusual ways;  having inappropriate attachment to objects; Social skills training by psychologist can help children with autism improve their interpersonal functioning; psychological therapies can

help those who have the disorder by teaching and modelling appropriate social behaviour.

Written by Clinical psychologist Dr Farzana Naeem If any queries please contact on 0772397362 Email freefari@yahoo.com

December 7 to 13 2014

THE STANDARD STYLE 23

24 THE STANDARD STYLE / FAMILY / GETAWAY

Colour Spekes Team

More holiday outings – happy times, making memories Rosie Mitchell

T

HE time has come and teachers and pupils are probably breathing a sigh of relief. Third term is always frantic and stressful and the Christmas holidays well-earned and very welcome by the time they come! For the parents however, as much as you love your little (and not so little) darlings to be home with you, comes the challenge of dreaming up some fun ways to keep them amused and active, and spend quality family time with them, at least some of the time. Doing nothing in particular is also part of this holiday season mind you. Perhaps none of us makes enough time for that sort of “staring into space” recreation, so make sure you schedule some “down time” too!

Today At 11.15am today, pop along to the Fun Pub Quiz at Reps bar with quizmaster Mark West.

It’s free and all are welcome including chil-

December 7 to 13 2014

The Friendly Dombombira Crew will keep everyone happy.

Enjoying one of the Dombombira babies dren. Then this afternoon at 2.30pm at St George’s College you can enjoy Christmas in Africa, a lovely, unusual candlelit concert with African Voice, school choir plus guests.

Grab a grocery gift for the underprivileged and pay at the door. This morning, Old Georgian’s is pumping with festive activity as hundreds of runners in annual 32km road race the Europcar 20 Miler, cross the finish line and enjoy some well-earned relaxation after an all-up-hill race starting out on Shamva Road.

Among them I shall be, and an exciting race this always is, the premier event on Harare Athletics Club’s calendar, and this, the 43rd edition no less! This marks the last serious running event on the calendar – though Comrades training has now begun, so I doubt 90th Comrades entrants (myself included) will be letting training slip before the first event, early January!

Colour Spekes - exciting community art project in the CBD Urban Space will in a public event running December 10 to 12, work on Speke Avenue to create an environment to make Zimbabweans proud! All are invited to get involved. You can vote on the street canvas to be painted or you can come and join in the painting of the Street!

The giant canvas will stretch 100 metres along the pedestrian walkway. Check Facebook for more, or mail greenharare@gmail.com.

Tree Walk & Talk plus High Tea On Sunday December 14 enjoy an informative Tree Walk and Talk led by Mark Hyde followed

by High Tea, all hosted by Reps. Meet at Botanical Gardens for the walk and talk, then enjoy a social High Tea on Tada Terrace at Reps, with entertainment. Bookings and details, aquarius@iwayafrica.co.zw.

Brutus the babysitter at Twala!

Twala orphaned vervet babies Standard Style Family Fun Day Diarise Standard Style’s very own event, the Christmas Family Fun Day on 20 December at Old Georgians Sports Club. This will make a super family outing with lots going on; exhibition markets, entertainment, shopping booths, Santa’s Grotto, fashion and make-over stands and more.

Book a Day at Dombombira A great new place for family outings near Ruwa, and an easy, short drive from the capital, Dombombira should definitely be on your list of places to book a day trip (0772 466 683; threepiglets@mango.co.zw; plus see Facebook). Dombombira is proving popular as a picturesque party and wedding venue, is fully licensed, including that hard-to-attain liquor license, and can do all your catering and flowers too. Owner Angela Jenkins is a long-time professional florist amongst multiple talents!

Food and drink is available to buy out there, or bring your own picnic, and you can also braai.

If you don’t feel like packing your own, they even sell braai packs. There is a friendly team to take you around and keep everyone happy, whatever it is they feel like doing – from nature trails, kopje scrambling and seeing the San bushmen’s paintings, to mini golf, from a giant outdoor Snakes and Ladders game to visiting and petting some of the cute animals, or just chilling out in a pretty environment in a private braai area. Definitely a good time to go check this out!

Visit Twala Animal Sanctuary Also a short, easy drive from Harare, heading out on Arcturus Road, is Twala Animal Sanctuary, which is going very strong and has all sorts of new residents to engage and entertain children and adults alike. Latest arrivals are two orphaned baby vervet monkeys who are

winning everyone’s hearts – even Brutus the dog’s! Twala is another perfect place to take the whole family for a day outing (pre-book on 0774 312 887, sarah@twalatrust.co.zw, plus see Facebook). There is a coffee shop, some lovely equipped braai areas by the dam, knowledgeable guides and beautiful undulating bush scenery. Your small fees paid all go towards the upkeep of the rescued animals, plus the guided tour around Twala to meet its diverse residents, both wild and domestic, is very educational.

Don’t forget Mukuvisi and Haka I like to keep reminding readers of these gems in Harare – game parks with beautiful scenery and lots of wildlife of many kinds, so close to the city. Thousands of visitors have this year taken full advantage of the Mukuvisi Woodland Walk/Run/Ride, which for a while now has been offered every Sunday morning in response to popular demand – whole families come, with kids in prams or on bikes, dogs on leads, and after their delightful wander through the pretty marked trails, enjoy breakfast at the coffee shop and then watch the animals from the game viewing platform. There are lots of options at Mukuvisi, every day of the year. The horseback safaris and guided walks are very educational and very popular.

Both these game parks have a proliferation of species – wildebeest, eland, impala, giraffe, zebra, jackal, and more. Latest to join the Mukuvisi family are two bushbuck recently donated by the Guramatunhu family, and a male sable, soon to be released from his boma.

At Haka you can drive, cycle or walk unaccompanied, as well as braai and picnic, and they sell drinks, ice and wood at the gate.

Feedback and info on content, rosie@wildimaginings.net, 0772 212 730

THE STANDARD STYLE

ARTS & CULTURE

1 In this issue of Arts & Culture

2

(1) Breaking New Ground (3) Bookworm

3

(2) Arts (4) Celeb News

4

26 THE STANDARD STYLE /COMMUNITY/ BREAKING NEW GROUND

December 7 to 13 2014

I Found Myself When I Lost My Mum – Cynthia Mare

Patricia Mabviko-Musanhu

I

n previous articles we have discussed how challenges and hardships in most cases present us with opportunities to grow from strength to strength. This got me thinking about death, which can be viewed as a difficult situation that we all have to embrace at some point in our lives. Can anything positive possibly come out of death?

Sensational and multiple award winning singer and song writer Cynthia Mare says that she discovered her real purpose after her mother’s death.

“I wouldn’t be who I am today if it wasn’t for my mother’s death. I had never lost anyone

close to me until 2011 when my mum passed on. I was devastated,” she added.

Cynthia was at the time based in England and on a video shoot for one of her songs “Going in” which she did in collaboration with UK rappers Young Don and Scorcher when she received a call. Her mother was seriously ill. At the time Cynthia’s music career seemed to be on the rise in the United Kingdom where she had been singing for almost 10 years. Some of her music videos had been played on MTV and channel O and she had won numerous music awards. She had also travelled on a promotional music tour in Nigeria as well as attended the MTV MAMA Awards after being signed on

by Efe Omorobge who was manager for the famous Nigerian singer and songwriter TuFace

Idibia.

After receiving this message, Cynthia was on a flight to Zimbabwe the very next day. She arrived at the hospital to find that her mother had gone into a comma from which she would not recover. It was the last time Cynthia would ever see her mother.

“I didn’t have a chance to talk to her, not a chance to say goodbye. I was overwhelmed with grief and pain”.

Two days after the funeral Cynthia went into the studio to record a tribute album to her mother which she called “Songs My Mother Loved”. This was the first time that she would write and sing about something she was personally going through. Most of the songs she had sung previously were about love or dance or something that was around entertaining people or having fun. “Up to this time my dream had been to sound and look like an American superstar. I wanted to be like Beyonce, Mariah Carey or the late Whitney Houston. I thought I was doing extremely well until I came “face to face” with the pain of losing my mum”, she added.

For someone who was overwhelmed with grief, Cynthia struggled to write most of these songs in memory of her mother Enita Charewa. “Zuva Rimwe”, which was produced

by ZimPraise Chief Executive Officer Joseph Madziyire was particularly difficult to write and sing. She would stop in the middle of writing the song and cry wishing she had had a moment to speak to her mother just to tell her how much she loved her. It was the first time Cynthia was completely honest in her music and the first time she sang from the depth of her heart. She said that the songs were a form of therapy and helped her to deal with this agony. This made her realize that when one comes face to face with some of life’s most difficult moments, there is no desire and no

energy to try and imitate someone else. All she wanted to do was to express her feelings and begin to understand who she really was.

“I had always thought my music career was going somewhere in England but this incident made me realize that I was going nowhere.

What became clear instead was that I had an identity crisis,” she added.

Cynthia decided to move back to Zimbabwe in May 2013. By this time her song “Zuva Rimwe” had been playing on some radio stations for a while and had become a hit. In December 2013 she decided to launch her tribute album and the first copy of her album sold for a shocking US4000! She has shared the stage with some of the most successful musicians in Africa including Oliver Mtukudzi, Steve Dyer, Hugh Masekela and Zahara. In October this year, she won three music awards at the Zimbabwe Music Awards namely, best single for 2014 for “Zuva Rimwe”, best female for the year 2014 and best alternative Album for year 2014.

“I didn’t expect it and it came as a shock,” she said. “Perhaps it was because for the first time I sang about a feeling that was so real that the song took on a life of its own and people could genuinely identify with it,” she added.

Cynthia said losing her mother had an immediate positive impact on her life and her music. She has gone from singing RnB music in the UK to singing Afro-Fusion. Her lyrical content has matured and she is now singing inspirational music. Her manager Njabulo Tytan Nkomo is guiding her on this journey to discover what she has to offer as a truly Zimbabwean music icon. Patricia Mabviko Musanhu is a Company Director/Producer at Black and White Media Productions. She can be contacted at pmabviko@gmal.com

December 7 to 13 2014

From Nothing to Something

THE STANDARD STYLE / ARTS 27 Nyarai Chapingidza

I

T is always refreshing to see young people doing what they love and working towards not only improving themselves but other people too. LnJ music is a gospel, R&B duo based in Australia who once lived in Zimbabwe. LnJ stands for Laurette and James who are siblings that shared similar tastes in music and had a passion to find their voice and share it with the world. Music is something that Laurette says was inherited from her mother who sang in the church choir. Church is what inspired Laurette and James to pursue their dream and the passion to sing that was already burning in them. Coming from a Congolese and refugee background, it is remarkable to see how Laurette and James have transformed their lives through music and how their music has also inspired individuals who have listened to them.

The purpose of LnJ music is to uplift and inspire individuals from different walks of life, whether you are a refugee, old or young, educated or not educated, you can find refuge in their music and story.

Hearing success stories form individuals you can relate to or those who have been through what you are going through, allows you to believe that there is

hope for everyone. LnJ’s music reflects this as they started from very humble beginnings but never lost sight of their dream, regardless of how difficult the journey was. Often in life we give up when things get too hard or when rejection becomes too much. We give up before the dream is realised. Never in a million years did Laurette and James think they would find themselves sitting in the Warner Brother’s studios in Australia, waiting to be heard. Through hard work and perseverance it happened. James describes this as going from nothing to something.

Their experience at the Warner Brother’s studios inspired their debut single “my very moment” which will be released on 13th December, 2014. This is a song that anyone can relate to because we have all had moments in our lives that were either; exhilarating, life changing or inspiring. Perhaps it was getting a job promotion you were waiting on, or the dream house you had been saving up for or even graduating from college despite failing a few courses or fear of not being able to fund your education. These moments are captured in the lyrics of LnJ’s single and will leave you inspired not only by their powerful voices but if you dig deep in your heart, your own story too which is your very moment.

28 THE STANDARD STYLE / ARTS / BOOKWORM

December 7 to 13 2014

What’s booking at

The Spotlight Harare’s central booking office Reps Theatre Foyer, Belgravia Shopping Centre Tel: (04) 308159 or 0771 357204 Open Mon-Fri 9am to 4pm, Sat 9am to 12 noon ON REPS MAIN STAGE

SLEEPING BEAUTY 4 – 21st December 2014 6.30 p.m. nightly (no Sundays and Mondays) Matinees 2.30 p.m. Saturday 6th, 13th, 20th and Sunday 21st.

Tickets from $6.00 to $14.00 depending on when and where you sit Special prices for children and Reps Members.

AND

NOTHING USUAL

Reps’ New Year’s Eve Variety Concert One Night Only – Wednesday 31st December at 7 p.m.

All Seats $10.00 IN THEATRE UPSTAIRS The Repteens Present:

EASY STAGES

3rd – 6th December 2014 7.00 p.m. nightly – Matinee 2.30 p.m. 6th December All tickets $5.00 On Sale at The Spotlight

Membership for WILDLIFE AND ENVIRONMENT, ZIMBABWE Collection of Membership Fees being undertaken by Reps as a Community Service.

Also on sale: latest copies of Ndeipi magazine Plus

InnSider Cards New InnSider cards and renewals can be done at The Spotlight for discounts at the Inns of Zimbabwe Group We also sell airtime for

Econet – NetOne – Telecel and uMax Collect from here the latest copies of community free papers Harare News and Zimtrader And don’t forget that Reps membership forms are also available!

If you would like to sell tickets through The Spotlight call the Reps office mornings only 335850 for information

Is this the litfest we have always wanted?

Bookworm

I

first heard in the grapevine that a literature festival was being mooted. No one really wanted to give away much.

Between November 27 and 29 the steering committee of LitFest Harare presented a series of literary events as a foretaste of an annual International Literature Festival that is set to be launched in November 2015. It is no doubt a significant initiative.

The Live Literature Days kept literary practitioners and art lovers engaged for three days. It was an intellectual and artistic feast, and some of us practically attended all the sessions. The festival gave us the opportunity to reflect on the state of our literature. However, I had naively hoped that we would finally get some honest conversation about the current situation of our literary arts. Conspicuous by their absence were the socalled big publishers – College Press, Longman, Mambo Press and ZPH. Even though Litfest is being developed as a “platform to celebrate literature and to engage minds in a stimulating environment” the attendance was an antithesis to that aspiration.

The problem with Litfest as I experienced it is that it is a network of a few and unless the organisers grow the circle bigger, the festival will not generate the excitement and buzz it ought to.

It is sad that literary events in Zimbabwe – book launches, public readings, book clubs attract the same small crowds. As a result, the problem of our political consciousness is essentially a class one. We have unwittingly reduced literature to soap operas about suffering Zimbabwe-

ans receiving handovers from NGOs, about T-shirt wearing political activism, about the village funeral at which people are happy to be eating meat, and about a president who is the answer to all our problems.

Yet the shenanigans of corruption, laziness and arrogance of those in political office affect our economic and social life, since they interfere with our ability to be friends, spouses, parents, lovers and providers for our families. Those with political power eat into resources that could give all of us recreation facilities like parks, provide public transport for people to easily get to work, provide good education that make us love one another from a position of consciousness, and provide good social services that facilitate the growth of commerce and subsequently of employment.

I see a literature festival not only as a place to celebrate books but ideas. There is so much we need to talk about.

Stanley Nyamfukudza one of the key speakers at the just ended Litfest wrote a brilliant essay, Skinning the Skunk, a few years ago, about the culture of fearing to speak up.

He says, “I believe the syndrome explains many factors in the context of any current discourse about matters Zimbabwean. At present it operates by way of raising a selection of emotive ideas to the status of sacred cows; ideas of national unity, of sovereignty, of the sacrifices of liberation, and of patriotism and racial solidarity. It then requires monopoly control of the means of communication

to exclude any scrutiny of the detail or veracity of the ensuing arguments. It is a pervasive syndrome, which I believe to be the lost chord required to harmonise a lot of disingenuous explanations and accounts of so many events that are discordant with the truth.”

The truth is, when you have been cheated so long that you are not entitled to power and privilege, you become nervous and prefer to zero in on small targets rather than look at the real bigger issues. Only the other day, a friend was saying on Twitter, “Mediocrity is Zimbabwe’s bane: we love it, embrace it and celebrate it.” I agree. We are equal participants in our acceptance of mediocrity, that it is shocking.

As Dambudzo Marechera once said, “As soon as one talks about a writer’s role in society before you know where you are, you are already into censorship…. A writer is part of society; a writer notices what is going on around him, sees the poverty every day. How can you whitewash poverty?” That’s what I wanted to hear, a conversation about what people in power are doing to us? Why we are complicit in our exploitation?

One of the highlights of the whole festival was the handover of a collection of books belonging to 2007 Nobel laureate Doris Lessing. Lessing was born of British parents in Persia (now Iran) in 1919, and moved to Rhodesia in 1925 and so we are very happy to claim her seeing as there are so few Nobel laureates in these parts of the world.

That’s in spite of the fact that

she moved to the Britain in 1949 and died there last year. The Doris Lessing event that attracted a full house was a celebration of her legacy and commemoration of the first anniversary since her passing-on.

Perhaps, the other challenge of the festival is that the venues are dotted around the city – Book Café, Harare City Library and the University of Zimbabwe – too far apart to create the buzz and energy a festival requires. The festival organisers need to rethink how and where the events will take place. One of my favourite African literary gatherings is Storymoja Hay Festival held every September in Nairobi at a central location.

I still find that the critical discourse in Zimbabwe still shuns young minds. The impression I got sitting through some of the sessions was that young Zimbabwean people lack interest in literature, politics and public involvement. If Litfest is to attract audiences, it needs not alienate young people but embrace not just as festival runners but as key discussants. A literature festival is about conversation not lectures.

I still look forward to the actual event next year, where we have been promised the presence of writers in the ilk of Wole Soyinka. The festival has to attract the most exciting local and international writers and thinkers in order that we have both engaging and stimulating discussions as well as lighthearted entertainment. Feedback: bhukuworm@ gmail.com

THE STANDARD STYLE / ARTS / CELEB NEWS 29

December 7 to 13 2014

Reggae Artist Nesbeth Video ‘Taste Victory’ Featured on MTV Iggy Destine Media

#CHOAMVA14

And the Winners are…

A

frica’s biggest night in music, the 2014 Channel O Africa Music Video Awards, was once more a massive celebration of the crème de la crème of the music industry.

East and Southern Africa reigned supreme in the form of Tanzania’s Diamond and South Africa’s Cassper Nyovest and who scooped the most awards on the night.

Bongo Flava recording artist Diamond Platnumz proved that he too is a force to be reckoned with when he took home the Most Gifted Newcomer, Most Gifted Afro Pop as well as Most Gifted East awards for his breakout hit “Number One”. Cassper - who has been on a winning streak this year and most recently celebrated his debut album Tsholofelo going Gold - his catchy club banger “Doc Shebeleza” earned him a win in the Most Gifted Male, Most Gifted Southern and the biggest award of the night the Jameson Most Gifted Video of the Year categories.

Beating the likes of DJ Clock, Tiwa Savage, K.O, Riky Rick, Burna Boy, Emmy Gee including the Prince of Hip Hop himself A.K.A who were also nominated in the latter category.

Up against Nigeria’s Seyi Shay.

Mozambique’s Liza james, SA’s Thembi Seete and Bucie, “Eminado” featuring one of the continent’s well-respected producers Don Jazzy garnered a win for Tiwa Savage in the Most Gifted Female category. KCEE won the Most Gifted Duo, Group or Featuring award for his song “Pull Over” which features one of Nigeria’s best selling artists Wizkid, beating K.O, who undoubtedly has had one of the biggest songs of the year. The awards for the equally competitive categories Most Gifted Kwaito and Most Gifted Hip Hop went to Uhuru featuring Oskido and Professor for “Y-Tjukutja” and A.KA for “Congratulate” beating Khuli Chana and Cassper Nyovest respectively. Other winners included Busiswa (Most Gifted Dance – “Ngoku”), Buffalo Souljah (Most Gifted Ragga/Dancehall– “Turn Up”), Donald (Most Gifted R&B – “Crazy But Amazing”) and Olamide (Most Gifted West – “Turn Up”).

The only award not determined by public votes, the coveted Special Recognition Award went to South African hitmakers, Boom Shaka. Channel O paid homage with an honorary performance to the

pioneering group that dared to be different and ultimately shaped the Kwaito genre in the ‘90s.

Bucie and Busiswa took to the stage and joined remaining group members Junior Sokhela, Theo Nhlengethwa and Thembi Seete and paid tribute to fallen band member Lebo Mathosa with an emotional rendition of the group’s song “Free”, concluding with a spectacular trip down memory lane with the mega hits “Thobela” and “It’s About Time”.

In true Channel O Africa Music Video Awards style, the night was dominated by never-seen-before collaborations and mash-ups.

K.O and A.K.A had the crowd in a frenzy when they opened the show with their hit songs “Caracara” Jozi”. and “Run Other mind blowing performances included “Tsekede” and “Yaya” by Dreamteam and DJ Dimplez featuring Anatii respectively; Patoranking featuring Tiwa Savage (“Girlie ‘O” remix); Bucie (“Easy to Love”); Donald (“Unpredictable”); Davido (“Aye”); Lil Kesh (“Shoki” remix); Riky Rick (“Amantombazane” remix); Cassper Nyovest (“Doc Shebeleza”) and Emmy’s Gee’s Rands and Nairas remix.

“Events like the Chan-

nel O Africa Music Video Awards happen once a year, but the artists are constantly at work perfecting their craft.

Having the privilege to witness that hard work in one night and on one stage is an incredible feeling. Channel O has always provided musicians with a platform to showcase their talent and tonight was no exception. As Africans we have come a long way and I would like to thank those individuals who make a valuable contribution towards making the African music industry a masterpiece that we can all be proud of,” says Channel O Africa Manager Leslie Kasumba.

In their 11th year running and hosted by Eku Edewor of Africa Magic’s Jara and Vuzu’s Siyabonga Ngwekazi the 2014 Channel O Africa Music Video Awards were broadcast LIVE from the sold out mammoth Expo Centre, Nasrec, Johannesburg.

If you missed it, check out the show repeats on Channel O, DStv channel 320 on:

Monday, 1 Dec at 20:00 CAT Friday, 5 December at 14:00 CAT Tuesday, 30 Dec at 10:00 CAT

New York, New York (December 3, 2014). Reggae recording artist Nesbeth is on the road to victory.

‘Taste Victory’ is his first single off his recently released EP titled “Victory” for the UK based Entertainment Soul label. The song chants hope for the future, while reminiscing on the harsh past.

The video stylishly portrays the theme of the single by depicting the reggae star as a boxer, who is staged in the ring to battle with his negative past self. The star is victorious and the sweet melodic chorus is sung over & over again, “now I can taste victory”.

The video is currently garnering exposure from numerous media outlets and most recently was picked up by MTV Iggy. MTV Iggy is a division of Viacom Media Networks, focused on bringing cutting-edge global music and pop culture to the U.S. “Taste Victory” video can be seen on MTV Iggy and has received quite a few hits since its post on the site several days ago.

Directed by Jamaican music video specialist RD Studios, it is the artist himself who is credited with the visual concept.

“I wanted to portray to those that live with self doubt, that personal achievement is often only held back by this negative internal struggle and that it must be over-

come to fully flourish” said Nesbeth.

On the subject of the video getting picked up by world famous station he continued “It is an honor to have my video apart of the brand MTV Iggy and among a diverse group of musicians. I see this as an opportunity receive exposure to a new audience and gain new fans”.

Nesbeth is currently promoting his EP “Victory”, which has just received a stellar review from prominent website Reggaeville, and look forward to his upcoming performance on Rebel Salute.

30 THE STANDARD STYLE / ENVIRONMENT

December 7 to 13 2014

The Water Harvester by Mary Witoshynsky. This season’s must read.

Typical Rainwater Catchment System courtesy of www.nzdl.org.

Harvesting rain water Michael Nott

W

ith the highly anticipated rainy season hopefully about to begin, now is the best time to start thinking about harvesting this free water supply. Our rainy season here in Zimbabwe is really only about three months and the rest of the year most parts of the country experience water shortages which are at times so critical as to threaten crops and livestock, leading to hunger, poverty and malnutrition.

Over the last few years we’ve been experiencing warmer temperatures and more erratic rainfall patterns and experts predict that due to climate change and global warming the situation will become worse. Some analysts predict that the next great wars will be fought over access to fresh water. World renowned lawyer and politician Ram Jethmalani was quoted in The Economic Times earlier this year, saying, “In future, war will not be fought over any territorial or other issues, but over the sole issue of the water crisis…The world is rapidly running out of clean water. Some of the largest lakes and rivers on the globe are depleting at a very frightening pace. Approximately 40% of the entire population of the planet has little or no access to clean water and it is being projected that by 2025 two-thirds of humanity will live in water-stressed areas.”

(See http://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/2014-0129/news/46782455_1_water-crisis-clean-water-ram-jethmalani) Many Harare suburbs have gone for months, or in some cases years, without receiving council water and the situation is the same in most towns and cities across the country. Even when council water is sporadically available, the water is of very dubious quality as the water processing plants are chronically underperforming. Those suburban residents who can afford it have been forced to drill boreholes or buy water in bulk from water suppliers. As a result of the huge increase in the number of boreholes combined with the abuse and mis-management of our natural wetlands the underground water table in Harare has dropped significantly, with some people having to drill up to 60m deep to get water.

And it’s not just in the towns and cities, rural dwellers are facing similar problems. In an article published in The Zimbabwean in September this year entitled, “Mass movement of people in search of water causes friction in Manicaland” written by Andrew Mambondiyani, (which won him Best Features Reporter 2014 in the Environment Africa/RTG environment reporting awards) the writer investigates the problem of so-called illegal settlers coming into conflict with established farmers over water supplies in the Burma Valley.

One of the simplest ways of harvesting rain water is from your roof top. It’s really just a gutter, or an outlet from your existing gutters, that channels water into a storage tank. The system can be as elaborate or as simple as you choose. An easy method is to remove one of the downpipes from your gutter and replace it with a length of black plastic sleeving that feeds the water into your tank. The tank can be above or below ground, but if it’s below ground you’ll probably need a pump or some other system to get the water back out. It’s pretty low

A simple system that you can install at home.

Relax and enjoy the free water - picture courtesy of HarvestingRainwater.com

tech, relatively inexpensive, all the components are locally made and best of all its very effective. NGOs like International Relief and Development (IRD) and the Rooftop Water Harvesting (ZimRoof) programme have already installed hundreds of water harvesting systems in Harare, Chitungwiza, Mutare and other areas, benefitting households and schools and creating jobs. How much water you can collect will depend on the type and size of your roof and the amount of rainfall you receive, but as a rule of thumb each square metre of roof collect one litre of water for every one millimetre of rain. For an average suburban house which has about 80 square metres of roof you can collect 800 litres of clean free water each time you receive 10mm of rain.

Rural dwellers can, in addition to roof top harvesting, use other forms of catching, storing and saving water. The most famous Zimbabwean water harvester is, of course, Zephaniah Phiri Maseko from Zvishavane. His story and his methods have been told in TV reports, magazines and newspapers. The best known work on this extraordinary gentleman, ecologist and environmentalist is The Water Harvester, written by Mary Witoshynsky, published by Weaver Press, 2000. If you haven’t got it yet it is this seasons “must read” for anyone with any interest in the environment. It would make a great Christmas gift too. It’s the story of how this remarkable man turned his

barren 8 hectare plot into an abundant and fruitful oasis with over 50 species of trees, year round fruit and vegetable crops as well as supplying fresh fish for his family and neighbours. People have come from across Zimbabwe and from all around the world to view his methods and learn about his environmental philosophy. He started one of the earliest NGOs in Zimbabwe in 1987 called the Zvishavane Water Project to assist neighbouring communities and to date over 30 other NGOs have visited his smallholding to develop new projects.

I don’t have the space to go into his methods in great detail – you’ll have to read the book for that! Very simply and briefly he has dug a series of cisterns or soakaways which retain water in the rainy season and slowly allow the water to filter back into the soil during the dry months. A system of terraces prevents valuable top soil from being washed away and ditches and pipes direct the water to where it is most needed. The water table has risen so the ground water is now closer to the surface and through good organic farming practices he has vastly improved the quality of his soil. He has created a haven of biodiversity for plants, birds, insects and amphibians and all with simple, inexpensive, low tech methods.

Perhaps if we all built rain water soakaways in our suburban gardens the water table across the city would begin to be restored to what it used to be?

Green Tips (7) Environment Africa suggests five easy ways to reduce the amount of litter you produce.

Buy only what you need.

Reduce unnecessary waste by avoiding those pointless purchases. Items that rarely get used can be borrowed or shared with others.

Buy products that can be reused.

Buy bottles instead of cans and rechargeable batteries. Items such as this create very little waste as they don’t have to be thrown away after they’ve been used just once.

Buy all purpose household cleaner.

Instead of buying many different ones for each cleaning role.

Buy products with little packaging.

So that less packaging ends up in your rubbish bin. For those items that you use regularly, buy them in bulk instead of in smaller amounts. This will save you money as well as reduce waste.

Sell or give away unwanted items.

Reduce waste by donating unwanted items to family, friends or neighbours.

Thanks Environment Africa for these handy hints. Contact Environment Africa at 76 Queen Elizabeth Street, Greendale,

December 7 to 13, 2014

106

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Business for Sale

FOR SALE new Upmarket Restaurant for sale, located in a new up coming Shopping complex , fully staffed, furnished and equipped, walk in walkout. Contact 0772200030 for fur ther details 208662

Opportunities 702 Business ACCOU N T I N G Se r vi c e s , company formation, updating company returns, project proposals. Phone 0772682955, 0772807352, 04 710454 199336

801 Vehicles for Sale

NISSAN Hardbody 2.7 double cab (year 2002) for sale $6.500 neg 0774149936 208651

HONDA CG125 runner $650-00 Neg. Call 0772523780 208695

751904 / 751906 / 773578 info@abcauctions.co.zw www.abcauctions.co.zw

QUALITY DRIVE THROUGH VEHICLE AUCTION 12 DECEMBER | TIME 10:OOAM | DEPOSIT $ 2,000.00 2009 MAZDA BT50 2.5TD D/CAB 2008 TOYOTA LANDCRUISER 4.2D 70 SERIES S/WAGON 2004 M/BENZ E240 SEDAN 2003 VOLVO S40 2.0i SEDAN 2003 VOLVO XC90 2.5i SUV 2002 M/BENZ C200K SEDAN 2002 AUDI A4 3.0i V6 COUPE 2001 VW GOLF 4.20i H/BACK 2001 TOYOTA TOURING HIACE M/BUS 2001 BMW 318i SEDAN 2001 MAZDA 626 GLX SEDAN 2000 NISSAN LIBERTY 2.0i CVT S/WAGON X2 2000 KIA CARENS LS S/WAGON 1999 NISSAN SERENA 2.0i S/WAGON 1998 TOYOTA HARRIER 3.0i V6 SUV 1997 NISSAN ELGRAND HOMY 2.5i S/WAGON ON BEHALF OF ABC MONEYLENDERS (PVT) LTD. FOR VEHICLES PLEDGED AS COLLATERAL ON LOANS IN AUGUST 2014 1999 FORD FOCUS 1.6i SEDAN 1998 MERCEDES BENZ E320 SEDAN 1994 FORD COURIER 2200D LWB P/UP 1989 NISSAN SUNNY SEDAN

VISIT US AT HATFIELD HOUSE, SEKE ROAD, HARARE, ZIMBABWE NIGEL 0772 390 592 | LUCKY 0772 702 492 | +263 (4) 751498 nigel@abcauctions.co.zw | lucky@abcauctions.co.zw

HEAVY AND LIGHT VEHICLE SPARES SALE(FREIGHTLINER) & LIQUIDATION SALE (To defray our storage expenses)

Within our Premises Wessex Road Mabelreign Wednesday 10 December 2014 at 10:00 for 10:30am

On Offer: Bearings, Pistons, Rings, Sleeves, Pressure & Clutch plates, Rear & Front shocks, Springs, Air & oil filters, Head lamps, Tail lamps, Windscreens, Brake Pads, Wheel covers, Bumpers, Grills, Bonnets, Doors, Bolts & Nuts etc.

AND ALSO FARMERS WORLD IN LIQUIDATION

On behalf of Mrs T. Grimmel in her capacity as the Liquidator of Farmers World (Pvt) Ltd in Liquidation.

Within our Premises Wessex Road Mabelreign Wednesday 10 December 2014 at 10:00 for 10:30 am

On Offer: Display chillers, Counters with granite top, Bottle coolers, Supermarket trollies, Wire lockers, Vegetable racks, Shelving units etc.

Viewing: From Monday 8th to sale day.

Deposit: USD500 Contacts: 04 305225/8, 0775 213 076 or 0772 367 823

Christmas in Nyanga!!!

A 3 bedroomed self catering lodge, 4kms from Troutbeck Hotel, just off Nyamaropa road.

Gazebo, dstv, in-door games etc.

Very good views.

Call : 0773 681 917 0712 202 957 E :shongweguesthouse@hotmail.com W: www.shongweguesthouse.com Office Address: 34 Edmonds Avenue, Belvedere, Harare.

32 THE STANDARD STYLE OF THE NAL FESTIVAL IO AT N R TE IN RE

December 7 to 13 2014

ARTS

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The arts can articulate the best aspects of who we are as individuals, as productive and imaginative communities, and as a vital, multi-dimensional nation.

28 APRIL - 3 MAY 2015

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