Here’s our Inside/Out with Mokoomba, who, as kids couldn’t wait for the school bell to ring so they could get out of class and go play music!

Read a 2009 Kubatana interview with Mokoomba

*Note: we answered these questions generally as a band

Describe yourselves in five words?
Fun, energetic, flexible, humble, persevering.

What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever received?
Never stop working hard.

What’s the most ridiculous thing you’ve ever done?
On our first trip to Europe, we got “lost” by accident in the red-light district in Amsterdam and we were a bit surprised by what we saw in the windows! We were on our way to a concert and we arrived a bit late understandably . . .

What is your most treasured possession?
Our music instruments.

What do you regard as the lowest depth of misery?
The sorrow of losing loved ones.

Do you have any strange hobbies?
Not really, coming from Victoria Falls we are used to seeing people jump off the bridge with ropes attached to their ankles. Nothing is strange after that!

What do you dislike most about your appearance?
Nothing at all, we are very confident young men.

What is your greatest extravagance?
Free time.

What have you got in your fridge?
ZLG water, fish from Norton, Lyons Maid ice cream, vegetables from Mbare musika and some really smelly cheese.

What is your greatest fear?
It has to be death and snakes.

What have you got in your pockets right now?
Phone, keys, wallet and some “sweets for change” from our favorite supermarket.

What is your favourite journey?
Our favourite journey is coming back home to meet our friends and families after a long tour.

Who are your heroes in real life?
Our parents and families are our everyday heroes but we also admire musicians from Africa who have made it, like Youssour Ndour, Salif Keita, Baba Maal, Oliver Mtukudzi.

When and where were you happiest?
On stage, doing what we love.

What’s your biggest vice?
Rehearsals.

What were you like at school?
We were generally good students at school and some of us had OK academic grades but to be honest we always could not wait for the bell to get out the door and go to play music.

What are you doing next?
We are preparing for 4 different concerts which we will do in December in Harare, London and Victoria Falls.

Just called ZESA to check up on a fault from yesterday at 6am. He replied:

don’t stress about time

Source: Brainpickings

Under the theme “Getting To Zero: Zero new infections. Zero deaths. Zero Discrimination” schools in Zimbabwe kicked off the World AIDS Day School Arts Festival commemorations in Harare last Friday at Allan Wilson High School.

Various schools drawn from several provinces across the nation converged in Harare to raise and strengthen HIV and AIDS awareness through debate, drama, poetry, song and dance. Art is a powerful tool to fight stigma associated with HIV and AIDS especially among children and youths. This year’s commemorations hosted by Let Them Trust saw schools battling it out for top honors in drama and poetry. Students urged society to fight AIDS through seeking early treatment, practicing safe sex, getting tested and abandoning cultural norms like spousal inheritance.

According to the National Aids Council, around 1,242,768 as people are living with HIV of which 941,0241 are AIDS orphans.

AIDS has left many children in Zimbabwe vulnerable. The effect of AIDS has resulted in many children dropping out school to become parents at a tender age. Left with no coping strategies most of these children end up on the streets begging and exposed to sexual abuse, especially young girls. The economic situation in the country has seen an increase in spousal separation as people cross borders to neighbouring countries in search for jobs. As highlighted in one of the plays, the battle to reduce the HIV prevalence rate takes the collective effort of the whole community.

Recently it was reported in the press that the HIV prevalence rate in Zimbabwe is on the up and this has been attributed to the economic challenges we are facing. In addition, the delay by men to visit health institutions, and inconsistent treatment uptake has also been one of the major setbacks in the fight against AIDS in Zimbabwe.

From a Kubatana subscriber:

This is the type of water that the residents of Hatcliffe are subjected to drink. It’s our constitutional right to have clean water. Is it incompetence or it’s just that they don’t care about our health?

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Vacancies: Africa University
Deadline: 21 December 2013

Africa University, an International Pan African and United Methodist Church Related Institution in Zimbabwe invite applications from suitably qualified and well experienced persons to fill the following positions:

1) Student Recruitment Officer
Main purpose of the position Responsible for the administration and management of national and international student recruitment processes for the university to meet the Pan-African vision.

Minimum qualifications
A Bachelor’s degree in Education with a bias in marketing Fluency in French and / or Portuguese is an added advantage

2) Director Information and Public Affairs

Reports to: The Vice Chancellor

Main purpose of the position
The main purpose of the position is to promote, protect and enhance the mission, goals, image and the development of the institution by information sharing, event management, fund raising, and marketing and effective public relations management.

Requirements
A minimum of a Master’s degree in social sciences (Journalism, Public Relations, Corporate Communications)

Experience
5 Year’s experience in Journalism, Public Relations, Corporate Communications and managerial experience

3) Associate Professor/Senior lecturer/Lecturer

Preferably with a relevant PHD to teach in the following areas:
-Tourism and Hospitality
-Agribusiness
-Agricultural Engineering
-Animal Science
-Natural Resources management
-Soil Science
-Human Rights

To apply
Applications together with CV, copies of certified certificates, academic transcripts and at least three names of referees with their e-mail and postal addresses should be forwarded to:

Assistant Registrar, Personnel and Administration, Africa University, PO Box 1320, Mutare, Zimbabwe

Or email: arpa [at] africau [dot] edu

For more information visit our website at www.africau.edu