Schoolfees for talented handicapped performer from Zimbabwe, 5820 Euro 

Pharis Mashava is a former student of the KG VI centre for disabled children in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe. Pharis is a born entertainer. He is a young man of twenty years old with the charm and charisma to keep any group of people entertained. His teachers have seen him produce shouts of laughter from an enraptured audience with his portrayal of a character in a play. And on another occasion watched him reduce an audience to tears of horrified pity for the character he was portraying. As well as his dramatic skills he can sing and he has a wonderful repertoire of instrumental accompaniment noises which enliven the cappelo singing group he helped to form. He has written songs, adapted songs to his own offbeat taste, taught himself to play the keyboard and is fast mastering the piano. He impressed his music teacher by listening once to Pachebel's Canon in D, taking the tune and producing a cheery Christmas song out of it.

His experience has been varied. He was part of a group who were asked to write and perform for the inter-Africa Ms Malaika beauty pageant. Again without any formal teaching he wrote a song complete with music entitled 'African Woman'. The results brought tears to the eyes of Ms Malaika and her entourage. They were asked to perform one of these songs at the Zimbabwean selection ceremony held at the Holiday Inn in Bulawayo. 

A couple of years back Moments of Joy paid for the airfares for Pharis and another boy so they could attend an international arts workshop in Greece. Here they were able to meet up with other performers and share so many experiences. Once again they impressed this international audience with their harmonising and their sheer enjoyment of their performances. Sadly there were no funds to send them to the follow up event in Portugal. 
By this time Pharis and his group were winning local competitions, performing at weddings and church services as well as continuing to entertain at their school. At a public concert in Bulawayo, the group, now calling themselves Inkonjane, enthralled the audience and were called back for encores. It was decided to make a recording of their best tracks and audiotapes and CDs were produced. Everyone was impressed all over again with the quality and ability of the group. Time and again the question is asked - were they really given no formal training?

At the end of 2004 he went with two other students from KGVI to Switzerland where they worked with the Hora Theatre group to produce a Zimbabwean theme play. 
This is Pharis and his dream is to be a performer. He has had plenty of practise at social events at his school where he is always asked to be Master of Ceremonies. The week he spent working with a DJ at one of the local radio stations only served to further his yearning. He loves music, he has a real understanding of different types of music and his greatest delight is to entertain people and make them laugh. He can talk non-stop and can charm and wriggle his way out of any situation. What he needs now is some formal training and loads of experience.
So what is standing in the way of his dream? Pharis has a double disability. Firstly he is in a wheelchair and secondly he is from Zimbabwe! In his own country he suffers the humiliation of the disabled stigma. He has tried to get into the entertainment world and learn as an apprentice but because of his disability he is turned down time and again. In South Africa he found a college but they were on the top storey of a building without a lift and were not prepared to consider any options for access. 

Pharis has another dream which is to make the people of Zimbabwe realise that having a disability does not mean that you cannot live a useful life. To this end we have tried to get as much publicity as possible for him and his group. There have been articles on them published in both the government and independent press (copies of these are available). They have appeared on TV and radio and winning local competitions also gets them accepted and well known. If we could get Pharis overseas and give him some training, some experience and some polish he would be able to really make his mark in the entertainment world when he returns to Zimbabwe as well as help his aspiring fellow entertainers. This is an important mission for him.

The staff of KG VI has finally found a place for Pharis at the Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts (LIPA) in Liverpool, England. This is the music centre which was started by Paul McCartney of Beatles fame. Pharis has been offered a place for a one year's diploma in Music and Sound Technology. KG VI has found a donor to cover his airfare and Pharis himself has - at tremendous effort - raised his own accommodation costs. Some funds have already been collected towards the course but we are still short of GBP 4000 (5820 Euro). 

This appeal has been put together by the King George VI Centre and School where Pharis went to school and was encouraged to develop his talent for the arts: 
"The reason we are backing Pharis so heavily is two fold. One - he does have talent and will be useful getting KGVI more widely known. Already we have a good reputation in Switzerland following their three months stay. He is one of those people who just makes an impact. Two - when he has completed his course he will come back and assist us in setting up a proper arts programme and a recording studio to give young disabled artistes opportunities they would never get otherwise. Pharis himself has managed to raise his own accommodation and living expenses which is a tremendous effort. We have managed to collect half his fees for the course. However, because he is a foreign student we are still short of the other half, i.e. 4000 pounds. It sounds like a huge amount(it ís a huge amount!) and I this sounds like a big commitment to one person, but we see it as a commitment not just to Pharis but to the future of KGVI."

Total € 5820,-- 

adopted by the general fund of Moments of Joy

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