Her inherent passion for the development of Africa and Africans living in Africa makes her a dynamic young activist for the propagation of effective and positive social, political, cultural and economic change in African communities. She is also a keen follower of current African Affairs having spent the last few years working on African heritage reclamation projects using arts and culture as a medium for communication and interaction. In both her corporate and arts-related work, she strives always to raise public awareness of African (continental) reform objectives and the roles of Africans in ensuring the implementation of those objectives as set out by the African Union and NEPAD as well as international bodies such as the UNDP and UNICEF. 

To this end she has worked with the South African Chapter of the African Renaissance (SACAR) in developing strategic marketing and communications strategy for the organisation. She is also determined to promote the positive aspects of Africa to balance the negative views often expressed in world media – the landscape, the people, the cultures (traditions and customs), the heritage and the efforts of Africans towards re-establishing the continent as the powerhouse of the world!

Through various other youth development projects, Chigo strives to destroy racism, xenophobia, tribalism and other forms of discrimination prevalent in our African communities, with the purpose in mind to unite Africans towards a common goal of development and eradication of poverty through (re-)education. 

Some of the really exciting projects and poetry performances that she has been involved in include:
1. Youth HIV/AIDS awareness and edutainment projects with NGOs, national and international media, business corporations and community networks; 
2. Youth role-modelling workshops in schools and communities; 
3. Youth music concerts organised to raise awareness of social issues (i.e. gangsterism, rape, crime and poverty) affecting youth in South Africa; 
4. Fund-raising concert for the rehabilitation of street children in Cape Town; 
5. Workshops with youth on multi-skilling and entrepreneurship; 
6. A music recording with the Western Cape Network Against Violence and Abuse on Women for their “Every Six Days” awareness campaign launched in April 2002; 
7. The research and compilation of the Directory of Small Medium Micro Enterprise Service providers in the Cape Metropolitan Area on behalf of the Cape Metropolitan Council; and
8. The African Summer Stage Human Rights concert with Making Music Productions featuring Burundian singer and UNICEF Ambassador Khadja Nin – Public Relations and Media Relations.
9. Standard Bank Joy of Jazz (JHB) in 2002 with Making Music Productions and T.Musicman – Publicity.
10. Africa Day Schools Celebrations hosted in Johannesburg’s Newtown Cultural Precinct by the Department of Education and Department of Arts & Culture in 2002 – performance scripting and poetry performance.
11. Launch of the World Petroleum Congress 2005 hosted in Cape Town in 2003 – creative concept development, creative direction, scripting and poetry performance.
12. SABC 1’s launch of the Project 10 Documentary Series on the Nelson Mandela Bridge in downtown Johannesburg in April 2004 – conceptualisation, creative direction, event production and performance.
13. Creative Scriptwriting and conceptualisation of the 10th South African Music Awards (SAMA 10) hosted at Sun City in May 2004. 
14. The wRite Associates / Department of Arts, Culture, Sports & Recreation Celebration of 10 Years of Freedom & Democracy through Literary and Oral Arts at Windybrow Arts Theatre and Kippies (performance and workshop) in early-2004.
15. Creative Direction, conceptualisation and production of SABC PBS Radio’s Celebration of Chomane Chomane in July 2004.
16. Creative Direction, conceptualisation and production of SABC/UNICEF Roundtable Discussion on the Rights of the Child in the Media hosted by UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador actor Laurence Fishburne.
17. Creative Direction, conceptualisation and production of SABC Education’s launch of kids news and current affairs TV programme Kids News Room in October 2004.
18. Creative conceptualisation and scripting for SABC PBS Radio Youth Day (June 16) programmes in 2004.
19. Creative Direction, conceptualisation and production of the SABC/African Bank Voice of Choice Gala Awards – live radio broadcasts across 13 radio stations and TV broadcast on SABC TV 2 in August 2004.
20. SA Tourism International Tourism Board exhibition and launch in Berlin, Germany – also performed in that time at their launch hosted by the German Foreign Minister and gala dinner hosted by the SA Tourism Ambassador at the SA Embassy. Other South African Tourism events include performances in Milan (Italy), Mumbai (India), Stockholm (Sweden), Sydney (Australia) and South Africa (Johannesburg and the Durban-hosted Tourism Indaba).
21. Poetry performances for the SA Secret Service, International Council for Small Business, Moral Regeneration Concert for the City of Cape Town, UNISA Brand Launch, World Expo 2005 in Aichi-Japan including the Launch in Cape Town, etc.
22. Poetry performance, creative conceptualisation and event production for brand re-launch of Gauteng Provincial Legislature in 2004.
23. Poetry performance for the Women in Dialogue Conference hosted by Mrs Zanele Mbeki (SA’s first lady) in Pretoria in July 2004.
24. Poetry performance at the 70th Birthday Celebrations for Mrs Adelaide Tambo.
25. Poetry performances for various African Embassies.
26. Poetry performance and MC’ing at the Department of Education Africa Day Celebrations in 2004.
27. Hiphop-poetry performance at the Youth Day celebrations hosted at Orlando Stadium in Soweto on 16 June 2004.
28. Poetry performances during the Gauteng Provincial Department of Sports, Youth, Arts and Culture “Celebrating a Decade of Democracy through Literary and Oral Art” events in 2004.
29. Poetry performance at the World Expo 2005 in Aichi-Japan in March 2005.
30. Poetry performance at the Australian-Southern Africa International Business Council Conference in Botswana in February 2005.
31. Poetry performance, scripting and MC’ing at the UNISA Brand re-launch in March 2005.
32. Poetry performance at the launch of the Gauteng Economic Portal in April 2005.
33. Poetry performance and MC’ing at the MTN Marketing Awards in November 2004.
34. Poetry performances in Malawi, Zambia, Mozambique, Ethiopia and Tanzania during December 2004 – January 2005.
35. Poetry performance and MC’ing at launch of MTN’s Yello Leadership Academy in June 2005.

Chigo’s poetry has been published on various websites such as the afro-cultural website www.kush.co.za (2003 Website of the Year), www.poetry.com, www.amuseafrica.co.za, www.africasgateway.com, etc. She was nominated thrice for the USA Poetry.Com poetry award in 2000, 2001 and 2002, and with partial funding from the National Arts Council of South Africa has recently self-published her anthology of original creative writings titled Journey to Womanhood, which she plans to launch on Africa Day 25 May 2005 as well as a self-produced music album planned for launch in June 2005. 

Among her many career and artistic achievements, Chigo holds a Masters Degree in Arts Marketing-Communications (IMM Graduate School of Marketing), an Honours Degree in Public Relations and Certificate in Creative Writing. She has also spent time script-writing as a freelancer for Channel O’s Slide show and co-hosted the SABC 1/Palmolive Miss SA Teen 2002. She also has two award-winning top-selling chart busting music albums released in Malawi in 1997 and 1998 with Malawian youth band “Bubu” to her name including her self-produced hiphop EP “M” released in Cape Town in 1999. She made her television debut appearance in 1996 as researcher and Cape Town host of SABC 3 TV programme “Music Mania”. 

As a musician Chigo has performed and collaborated with various well-known bands and artists such as Nine, Firing Squad, Colourfields, Dantai, KB, Black Noise, Jamayka, Mister Devious, NCM, Lady E of Moodphase 5, etc. She was also the first black female hiphop artist to perform live at Oppikoppi opening the door for the likes of Skwatta Kamp, Tumi & The Volume, Soul 2 Mouth, etc. She also performed at the 5FM Hangklip Rock Solid Festival, launch of the Women In Film Festival, Synergy Millennium Concert, Observatory Street Festival, Cape Town One City Many Cultures Festivals, Invest in Da Youth Concert, Black August HipHop Concert, Black History Month Poetry Celebration, Windybrow Arts Festival, Arts Alive, City of Cape Town Moral Regeneration Concert, Africa Day Celebrations and twice opened poetry shows for Sarah Jones as well as dub poet Mutabaruka during his promotional tour of the movie Sankofa. The list goes on and on… She has been featured on TV1’s Phat Joe Live and Mojo shows as well as in magazines such as Cosmopolitan, True Love, Elle, Marie Claire (SA and Europe), Drum, SL, Y-Mag, Sowetan Newspaper, Pretoria News, etc. 

Chigo passionately uses her flair for writing and performing poetry and music to promote African-specific causes such as developmental education, abolishment of child slavery, human rights, etc. – of course, never forgetting to celebrate the joys, pride, strength and beauty of Mama Afrika. She is a staunch believer in these projects and campaigns as mediums of redress that will unlock Africa’s potential. Her role as well as that of Afro Poetics, she believes, is a necessary and practical investment in the continent of her birth and heritage, an investment in our people (both born and unborn). 

Chigo’s interests and hobbies include writing short stories and poetry; reading; sightseeing; composing, producing and performing music; watching documentary films on world cultures; drumming and African street theatre. 

For more information please contact her on the below details.

E-mail: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
Website: http://www.afropoetics.co.za

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