The Embassy of Spain and Espana Cooperacion  Cultural Exterior.are pleased to support Spain based trio “Demachena” on their upcoming musical tour to Zimbabwe to appear at the  Chimanimani Arts Festival  – scheduled to run from 23-24 May. The group will also have shows  in Harare at the Book Café and The Mannenburg on Wed  27 and Thurs  28 May respectively.

Demachena perform a distinctive blend of Arab, African and Latin music incorporating a host of  styles  to produce an intriguing musical concoction.

The trio comprises of Luis Giminez  – an enthnomusicologist and  master mbira and Spanish guitar player; Antonio Prats  – an astounding percussionist and founder of the Spanish percussive orchestra “Batukem Takada” and Rugare Musikavanhu – accomplished instrumentalist and vocalist.

“Demachena” translates to “Black and White” in Shona  and it is the traditional instrument of the Shona culture, the mbira from which the group  derives a strong component of their compositions. Whilst experiences in the Sahara Desert, Mali and India, spent documenting regional culture and traditional music, also  exert their influences and are evident in the  bands unique tones.

Demachena’s music is a fascinating musical journey – from Flamenco to Central African Katanga,  complimented by the mastery of  ethnic and contemporary instruments.(mbira, ngoni, udu and didgeridoo).

The group have headlined at major Spanish festival s and were nominated for the prestigious  “Fundacion Canal de Isabel II” awards in Madrid in 2008 – which recognizes talents of young musicians across all genres.

More info on the group can be found at www.myspace.com/demachenaworld

Contact Steve Sparx for more festival information – sparx@thulani.net