Young Zimbabwean Artists Mokoomba Denied Visas by European Authorities

Music Crossroads International  reported today that The Mokoomba European summer tour 2009 was cancelled this week. "After insurmountable visa hassles and around-the-clock efforts to obtain these precious documents – only one week before the first concert – we have had, for the first time in Music Crossroads’ history, to realize that visas will not be ready on time and, finally forced to succumb to European countries’ immigration offices ignorance, indifference and formalism, the 2009 European summer tour of ‘Mokoomba’ had to be canceled," said Dag Franzén, Executive Director of Music Crossroads International.

Zimbabwean band Mokoomba from the Vic Falls region won the 1st prize at the Music Crossroads InterRegional Festival in Lilongwe, August 2008. Since then, they have been working hard to expand their repertoire and improve their performance skills with Music Crossroads International’s Band Manager Poney Gross, who has done three week-long rehearsal sessions with the band in Vic Falls and in Harare over the past year. A CD has been recorded and manufactured and all nuts and bolts perfectly trimmed for the six band members’ tour in Europe during summer 2009 – in Spain, Holland, Belgium, UK, Ireland, Sweden, Norway, Slovenia and Croatia.

"This is a big disappointment to concert-goers throughout Europe – but even more so for the band members that have worked so hard and successfully to prepare a magnificent stage show for European music-lovers," continued Dag Franzén. "Mokoomba has been ranked by record companies and concert promoters as one of Music Crossroads’ biggest and most promising discoveries since its inception in 1996."

 Music Crossroads International is already assessing the possibilities to organize a smaller tour in Europe for the band later in the season 2009/2010 but potential concert organizers and contributors have yet to be contacted and confirmed.

"Music Crossroads International thanks all organizations, festivals and local organizers for their support, efforts and pursuits in staging ‘Mokoomba’ this summer, with our sincere hope that we shall be able to cooperate again and under better terms for the future – be it with ‘Mokoomba’ or with other prize-winning acts of Music Crossroads," said Dag Franzén.