Afro-Sino Dreams: My First Official Collaborative Recital!
By:
Anesu Ndoro
On
28/06/2025Reading time:
3 min
Summary:
Dear friends: on the 28th of June 2025, I took part in a very memorable performance alongside fellow artists Belle Qiu and Sabelo Nyoni. This one of a kind performance brought together African, Chinese and Western music. Read all about the concept we came up with and it went down!
Experience Afro-Sino Dreams: A Musical Fusion Like No Other
Have you ever imagined hearing the ancient, meditative tones of the Chinese Guqin, the haunting resonance of the Uhadi, and the expressive range of the piano—all together, on one stage? Our musical recital defied borders and genres in Harare at the Theatre Upstairs, Reps Theatre, on June 28, 2025
Recital poster for the show
I appeared on national TV to promote the show!
It was pretty hard work...
I remember having to travel to Harare every weekend to rehearse and prepare for the show. It demanded time and resources, but it was worth the sacrifice in the end. Our audience came out to support our work and I felt so so so humbled by how much our communities were willing to invest in us.
Three Visionary Artists, One Unprecedented Collaboration
Belle Qiu, Sabelo Nyoni and I are three musical explorers from different worlds, united by a passion to create something truly original. Our journey began as a playful idea between Sabelo, a seasoned pianist and choral director, and Belle, a master of the Guqin from China. When Sabelo sought to add African stringed instruments to the mix, fate led her to me. Together, we crafted a soundscape that weaved together East, West, and the Motherland.
Afro-Sino Dreams is more than a concert recital—it’s a cultural dialogue. We brought together the Guqin’s subtle, introspective melodies and made them intertwine with the earthy timbres of African stringed instruments and the expressive voice of the piano. I'm grateful to have had the chance to bridge continents, celebrates diversity, and invite you all to experience the world through sound.
Try out that idea on your mind
This show ended being a success, but had we not gone out of our comfort zones, I doubt it would have come to be. I'm happy that Belle and Sabelo were always to generous and kind throughout. By supporting each other, we ensured that we had the ability to create something that, up until now, has likely not yet been tried in Zimbabwe. I could be wrong, but whatever the case my be, this was one of the best and most informative experiences of my life.
Here, I was playing the song "Kuloyiwa" on the Xitende, a traditional Tsonga-Xachangaani instrument