Nubian Notes: Women Take Their Sound to the Streets and the HICC

Zimbabwe’s top female artists — Feli Nandi, Tamy Moyo, Gemma Griffiths, Shashl, and Nisha Ts — unite for Nubian Notes: The Rise of Her Sound, an all-female concert at the HICC blending performance, advocacy, and empowerment in Zimbabwe’s music industry (image source)

Zimbabwe’s female music stars have flipped the script on concert promotion, taking to the streets to drum up support for Nubian Notes — an all-female showcase billed as “Mambokadzi: The Rise of Her Sound” that will headline Feli Nandi, Gemma Griffiths, Tamy Moyo, Shashl, and Nisha Ts at the Harare International Convention Centre (HICC) on November 8.

Organisers Gateway Stream Media, a subsidiary of the Rainbow Tourism Group, say Nubian Notes is intended as a landmark celebration of women in music and a direct response to a male-dominated live circuit. The campaign has mixed conventional publicity with grassroots outreach — artists have been seen engaging fans in townships and city centres, handing out flyers and performing acoustic sets to build momentum ahead of the main show.

“I feel this is a moment to show we belong at the forefront of our music scene,” Feli Nandi told media while outlining the concert’s intent to spotlight female creativity and commercial clout. The street-level push underscores a practical reality of Zimbabwe’s entertainment economy — visibility and direct fan engagement can be as important as radio play or awards in selling seats and sponsorships.

Proponents say the visible outreach challenges stereotypes about how headline acts must behave. Supporters contrast the women’s grassroots approach with how some male stars typically promote big shows, arguing that the female artists’ hands-on marketing signals both hunger and humility. Critics, however, caution against implying that street promotion equates to lesser status, noting that the strategy builds fan loyalty and broadens access for audiences who may not follow mainstream channels.

Event planners say the HICC concert will blend spectacle with advocacy. Alongside performances, there will be segments highlighting women’s roles in the music business, mentorship slots for emerging artists, and a marketplace for female-led creative enterprises. Gateway Stream Media insists the event is both commercially viable and culturally consequential, aimed at creating a recurring platform for women’s live music in Zimbabwe.

Industry analysts view Nubian Notes as part of a wider trend in African music where female artists increasingly claim space through curated festivals and themed shows. The success of the Harare event could encourage promoters to invest more in female lineups and in the artist development pipelines that feed them.

Organisers and artists have called for civility and support from fans, noting that the concert’s message extends beyond entertainment to a broader push for equal representation and professional opportunity. If ticket sales and sponsorship targets are met, Nubian Notes could become a blueprint for how Zimbabwe’s music industry balances commercial returns with intentional inclusion.