HARARE — One of Zimbabwe’s longest-running urban culture festivals has returned with a programme that puts music, comedy, digital media and community issues on the same stage.
The 16th edition of Shoko Festival, running under the theme “Unmuted”, opened in Harare this week and will continue until Saturday, with events taking place at Harare Gardens and in Chitungwiza. The festival has built its reputation by giving young artists room to experiment, speak freely and reach audiences beyond the usual entertainment venues.
The wider programme began with a Sofar Sounds pop-up at Harare Gardens. The intimate show featured Cingi, Vicky Soulful, Bhanshee and Kuda Rice, setting the tone for an edition that is designed to move between established performers and artists still building their names.
Comedy Night is scheduled for Thursday, September 24, at Harare Gardens. Nigel Maritinyu, better known as Nigel tha Slick Pastor, will headline the show alongside South Africa’s Vafa Naraghi. Neville Nyoni, who performs as Neville Bird, and Glad Syre Chipenzi will add to the line-up, while Sharon Chideu, also known as Magi, will host the evening.
For Naraghi, the event will mark a debut at Shoko’s Comedy Night. His appearance brings a South African voice into a programme that has generally used comedy as a way of widening the festival’s regional connections while keeping Zimbabwean performers at its centre.
The festival will turn to music on Friday for Mash Up Night, another of its most popular annual events. Bulawayo-based Bhila, Saintfloew, Voltz JT, OneDa from the United Kingdom, Mugaratia and Xiba are among the headline acts. Their performances will be supported by artists connected to the third edition of Mashoko Tapes, including Supermuno, Millz Million, Easy Ice, Luigi Badgenna and Hooksmith.
Mashoko Tapes is a music residency built around the Mash Up Night performers. Now in its third year, the project brings artists together to work in a shared creative setting and produce an original album. It has become one of the festival’s clearest routes for collaboration, allowing performers from different backgrounds and cities to develop new work rather than simply appearing on the same bill.
The third volume was released ahead of this year’s festival. Some of the artists involved are expected to take the new material from the recording process to the live stage at Harare Gardens, giving audiences a chance to hear the results of the residency in the setting where the collaboration is being celebrated.
Shoko Festival Coordinator Natasha Sipanera said this year’s edition is bigger and amplified.
“This year’s edition line up is a testament to Shoko Festival’s commitment to celebrating local stars and providing a platform to unheralded talent, in tandem with this year’s theme, Unmuted. Expect fireworks during the three day event with Comedy Night, Mash Up Night and Peace In The Hood in Chitungwiza on Saturday,” said Sipanera.
The festival will close on Saturday with Peace In The Hood in Chitungwiza. The free-entry event has become Shoko’s signature community concert and is intended to take the festival outside Harare’s formal arts spaces. It brings the programme into a high-density neighbourhood, where live music and public participation sit alongside the festival’s wider message about peace, inclusion and the value of local creative talent.
Peace In The Hood is also part of Shoko’s long-running effort to connect culture with everyday life. Previous editions have used the event for music, murals and collaborations involving young artists from Zimbabwe and abroad. The format has helped make the closing show one of the most accessible parts of the festival, particularly for people who may not be able to pay for ticketed concerts.
Running alongside the main performances is The Hub Unconference, scheduled for September 24 and 25. The gathering will focus on digital media, civic tech and the creative economy. Its programme includes panel discussions, masterclasses, debates, live podcasts, creative pop-ups and interactive showcases.
Speakers will include Angela Kilisungu and Nkumi Mtingwa from Tanzania, Antonio Kisembo and Samuel Eibu from Uganda, Willson Chivhanga from Malawi, Zimbabwean Member of Parliament Darlington Chugumbu, and Zimbabwean contributors Linda Mujuru and Joice Svotwa. The sessions are expected to examine how young people use technology, media and creative work to participate in public life and build new opportunities.
The Hub Unconference reflects the way Shoko has developed since its first edition in 2011. What began as a platform for spoken word, hip hop and urban culture has grown into a broader meeting point for artists, activists, journalists, digital creators and audiences. Its organisers have continued to combine concerts with conversations about expression, technology and social change.
The programme will also include the Green Cities Expo, a convention focused on clean energy and climate change in Africa. Speakers from Zimbabwe and other African countries will discuss practical responses to environmental challenges and the role of cities in building a cleaner future. The expo adds an environmental strand to a festival already known for crossing between entertainment, civic participation and creative enterprise.
Shoko is a project of Magamba Network, a Zimbabwean organisation that emerged in 2007 during a period of hyperinflation, political pressure and deep public disillusionment. Magamba used hip hop, satire, social media and innovation to engage young people, later developing projects in arts, digital media and civic participation.
The network is also associated with Moto Republik, Zimbabwe’s first creative hub, as well as digital media initiatives including Open Parly and The FeedZW. Its work has helped create spaces where young Zimbabweans can produce media, stage performances and discuss public issues in language that connects with their own lives.
That history is visible in this year’s festival structure. Music fans can move between the Sofar Sounds pop-up, Comedy Night and Mash Up Night, while participants interested in media, technology and climate issues can attend the daytime discussions. The arrangement allows Shoko to function as both a cultural festival and a working platform for new ideas.
The timing also places the event within a growing series of creative-industry gatherings in Zimbabwe. Creative Economy Week, held in the country in March, brought together creative professionals and policymakers for discussions on collaboration, innovation and enterprise. Shoko’s Hub Unconference approaches similar questions from the perspective of artists, digital creators and civic organisations, while its performances show the public-facing side of that work.
For the artists, the festival offers more than a single booking. Musicians and comedians gain a stage, new audiences and the chance to work across borders and disciplines. For the audience, the programme offers several ways to experience Zimbabwe’s urban culture, from intimate live sessions and stand-up comedy to collaborative hip hop, spoken word, digital media and a free community concert.
As the “Unmuted” theme suggests, the 16th edition is built around voices that are already shaping Zimbabwe’s cultural life and those still waiting for a larger platform. By combining familiar names with emerging performers, regional guests with local acts, and entertainment with public conversations, Shoko Festival is once again making Harare and Chitungwiza meeting points for the country’s alternative youth culture.
The festival’s main events continue at Harare Gardens with Comedy Night and Mash Up Night before the closing Peace In The Hood celebration in Chitungwiza on Saturday.