18 Jul 2013

Zen Promotions  will host a two-day arts kgotla for the disabled people who are in the arts industry in September.

Managing director, Zenzele Hirschfield said in an interview that people living with disabilities, who are in the arts industry, had not been fully coming out to show off their talent. “The two-day workshop will therefore offer a platform to all the people living with disability who show a lot of talent in any form of art, either in music or fine arts to show case their talent to the corporate world”, she said.

The workshop would culminate with an arts exhibition and a night of music and dance featuring people living with disabilities. A renowned South African artist who was born blind, Baxy Mlangeni, would be a guest at the workshop. She said Mlangeni was an inspiration to many people living with disabilities.

To fundraising for the workshop, jazz lovers will this Saturday part with P60 for a charity show that would feature two jazz maestros at Millenium Jazz Restaurant. The show would feature Benson Phuthego and Bhudhaza Mapefane from Lesotho.  Bhudaza of the Bo Mapefane fame would be promoting his latest album entitled Likgomo.

Phuthego is a recipient of Best Folklore and Best Newcomer in the 2012 Botswana Music Union music awards. Hirtchfiled said she was expecting a lot from jazz lovers who would be also partaking in raising funds and assuring their participation in improving the lives of the disadvantaged in the society.

This will not be the first time that people living with disabilities benefit from Zen Promotions as they once hosted a dinner whose proceeds went to a group of visually-impaired talented young men called Lentswe La Batlhoka-pono. Zen Promotions also assisted a folklore artist, Andries Bok , who contributed significantly to folk music in the country, but recently lost his sight.

Zen Promotions spent a day with him and also bought him some groceries with some of the funds raised from the dinner. Zen Promotions celebrated thei 10th anniversary in style last year.

Hirschfield could not just let the 10 years of raising giant musicians and roping in great musicians from abroad into the country just go off without meriments. Not only did she think of celebrating with her own but expanded her tent to celebrate especially with the less privileged of the society.

She then came out with Zen’s 10 good deeds concept to mark Zen Promotions celebrations of the 10th anniversary.

Last year she ran helter skelter, in the name of charity helping Molepolole folklore musician, Taka “Kotaeshele” Baponi , built him a house where she also sponsored a table for 10 destitute elderly people from Kweneng District with each of them receiving grocery hampers worth P300 as the second deed.

She also hosted a celebrity fundraising charity cup/fun day in Gaborone where  a society for orphans, people with disabilities and the elderly called BENO benefitted. Zen Promotions  also donated P5 000 and some hampers to 55 orphaned students of her former school Marang Junior Secondary.

“We are almost done with wrapping up the project and our energy is now dedicated to the last two major deeds”, she said. ENDS