Apr 1 2011 4:00PM
A UCS Music Production| student has been given a £400 grant by West Suffolk College (WSC) Education Opportunity Trust to boost exciting plans to transform the music scene in Zimbabwe.
Fullton Rupapa, 30, who lives in Ipswich, comes from Harare in Zimbabwe. He is currently studying for a Foundation degree in Music Production at UCS Bury St Edmunds|.The grant will help fund a two week trip to Zimbabwe in August.
Fullton has ambitious plans to bring artistes from other countries to Zimbabwe and also to popularise the country’s vibrant music scene.
He said: “I want to set up a recording studio in Zimbabwe. I have arranged to work in some studios in the country in August. This visit will also give me a chance to make contacts and talk to people in the government’s music rights department about royalties, work permits for musicians from abroad and all those sort of things.”
He is also organising a major concert during his visit to Zimbabwe. He has contacted popular Jamaican singer Chevelle Franklyn, who is keen to perform her own repertoire of gospel reggae, plus a few local songs.
Zimbabwean music covers a range of styles, from traditional African mbiramusic to marimba and afro-jazz. Fullton said: “Our music mixes influences from South Africa and Zambia, so there is a regional sound. It is quite exciting, but there is not much international exposure. I want to have a set-up where I have contact with producers in the UK and USA and it is a two-way traffic.”
Alan Gordon-Stables, Chairman of the Trustees of WSC Education Opportunity Trust, presented the £400 cheque to Fullton in March.
All students and alumni of UCS Bury St Edmunds and West Suffolk College are eligible to apply for support from the Trust, an independent charity founded in December 2008 with donations from former students and local employers.
Alan Gordon-Stables said: “The Trust aims to assist students to enhance their educational experience and overcome difficulties that may prevent them from achieving their full potential. These could range from buying textbooks, specialised tools and materials, or contributing towards the cost of a field course or voluntary service in the UK or overseas.”