Events

tanya in red dress and feathered headdress

Tanyaradzwa Tawengwa. Courtesy Beavan Photo

2021-22 Hodder Fellow and Princeton alum Tanyaradzwa Tawengwa ’14 performs original music for mbira, voice, and piano inspired by her ancestral rite of passage into womanhood, followed by a moderated conversation with Marcus Zvinavashe, Nyasha Jeche, and Ulenni Okandlovu from CaliGraph and Skeyi and Strobo, two Zimbabwe-based multidisciplinary art collectives, who worked on imagery for her forthcoming album “MWEDZI.”

Tickets & Details

This event is free and open to the public. Tickets required; reserve tickets through University Ticketing.

Get directions to the Forum and find other venue information for the Lewis Arts complex.

COVID-19 Guidance + Updates

Per Princeton University policy, all guests are required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 to the maximum extent, which now includes a COVID booster shot for all eligible to receive it, and to wear a mask when indoors.

Accessibility

symbol for wheelchair accessibilityThe event space is wheelchair accessible. Visit our Venues and Studios section for accessibility information at our various locations. Guests in need of access accommodations are invited to contact the Lewis Center at 609-258-5262 or email LewisCenter@princeton.edu at least one week in advance of the event date.

"Songs from the Heart" Featuring Tanyaradzwa Tawengwa

About the Guest Artists

3 people standing in fashionable colorful clothing, holding wooden canesMarcus Zvinavashe and Nyasha Jeche are the founders of CaliGraph, a mural-creation company whose goal is to use shared spaces to tell stories of history, culture, and traditions. When speaking to GQ South Africa, Zvinavashe said of the group’s art, “For us, one of our aims is to effectively communicate with people during and after the mural is put up…Our goal is to encourage people and the community to have conversations, for kids to start asking questions, and to encourage understanding.” Though the group has created over a hundred murals in Zimbabwe and Zambia touching on many different themes including #GirlPower, CaliGraph rose to fame during the COVID 19 pandemic as it took to public spaces to paint murals featuring local celebrities encouraging people to follow precautions such as wearing a mask and social distancing. Zvinavashe and Jeche met while attending Chinhoyi University in Zimbabwe, and after graduating they created CaliGraph as a way to make their own artistic opportunities. CaliGraph has collaborated with brands such as British Council, GOAL Zimbabwe, the British Embassy, Paper Bag Africa, and the National Gallery in Bulawayo, among others.

Ulenni Okandlovu is a musician, digital storyteller, and the creative director of Skeyi and Strobo, a multifaceted studio dedicated to archiving, showcasing, and telling Zimbabwe’s untold contemporary stories through film, fashion, and photography. Skeyi and Strobo works closely with CaliGraph to document and film the process of creating each mural. Additionally, Skeyi and Strobo hosts an annual Fabrik Party in downtown Harare, Zimbabwe, which brings together a group of young innovators, tastemakers, stylists, and forward thinkers to discuss, network, and create. As a musician, Okandlovu is the co-founder and lead vocalist of the experimental music duo BantuSpaceships. He also released a solo album in 2021, The Last King of Matabeleland.

Presented By

  • Lewis Center for the Arts

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