Millicent Chapanda
Live Stream Concert
Celebrating Sanctuary Birmingham
Facebook Live March 6th
We can make no bones about our love for the Zimbabwean mbira musician and singer, Millicent Chapanda. Her performance, alongside Germa Adan at the OUTSIDELEFT NIGHT OUT just prior to the lockdown was our social event of the year, your entertainment event of the year - whether you witnessed or not. In Bearwood, it would go on to be as legendary as the Sex Pistols at the Free Trade Hall - everyone from Bearwood is saying they were there. To be fair, I think everyone in Bearwood was there.
Millicent is the consummate live performer, whatever that means. What I mean, is when she played at the NIGHT OUT in Bearwood, it was not unlike, I think, when the legendary critic, Lester Bangs reported on seeing Elvis live in Michigan.
Lester Bangs - It was the autumn of 1971, and two tickets to an Elvis show turned up at the offices of Creem magazine, where I was then employed. It was decided that those staff members who had never had the privilege of witnessing Elvis should get the tickets, which was how me and art director Charlie Auringer ended up in nearly the front row of the biggest arena in Detroit. Earlier Charlie had said, “Do you realize how much we could get if we sold these fucking things?” I didn’t, but how precious they were became totally clear the instant Elvis sauntered onto the stage. He was the only male performer I have ever seen to whom I responded sexually; it wasn’t real arousal, rather an erection of the heart, when I looked at him I went mad with desire and envy and worship and self-projection. I mean, Mick Jagger, whom I saw as far back as 1964 and twice in ’65, never even came close.
(See the whole Village Voice archive of the article)
Millicent has that power for sure. Such charisma, Millicent had an audience that could barely see her so crowded was the room, eating from her hand. And practicing their mhururu’s right along with her. Milicent’s singing and playing was simply stunning.
Anyway, as we are marginally lifted from our permagloom by a little vax optimism, Celebrating Sanctuary Birmingham (CSB), who do such great work with talented refugees in the city and beyond, are staging a series of online concerts, to be streamed on Facebook live. The artists are drawn from across the globe. CSB say, “Come with us on a journey around the world of music.”
On Saturday March 6th, Celebrating Sanctuary Birmingham presents a prerecorded captivating and spellbinding performance from Millicent Chapanda. It’s going to be the sounds of Mbira and song, with engaging rhythms from the deep cultural well and heritage of Zimbabwe. Recorded at home in lockdown, Millicent brings the lived experience of women in Zimbabwe on to world music stages across the globe.
Main photo: Millicent Chapanda by Jonathan from Rubber Ears, thanks!
ESSENTIAL INFO
Event by Celebrating Sanctuary Birmingham
Online with Facebook Live
Saturday at 7 PM UTC
Price: Free
Public · Anyone on or off Facebook
Event streamed Saturday 6th March at 7pm
more info on Facebook here
In OUTSIDELEFT
Millicent Chapanda Week in Outsideleft
