Zim Expo 2019
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Business Expo Brings Zimbabwe Diaspora Together
An annual business expo organized by Zimbabweans in USA, brings fellow citizens together to network, socialize and even take care of important paperwork such as renewing passports. This year’s ZimExpo was in Chicago. VOA Zimbabwe Service's Gibbs Dube attended the event and filed this report.
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Cindy Munyavi Performing At Zim Expo 2019
Cindy Munyavi performing at Zim Expo 2019 in Chicago. #Zimexpo2019 .
- Gibbs Dube
Jah Signal Singing Stonyen in Chicago
Zimbabwean singer Jah Signal singing a popular hit, Stonyen, at this year's edition of Zim Expo in Chicago. #Zimexpo2019
Cindy Munyavi Performing At Zim Expo 2019
Cindy Munyavi of the Waya Waya fame performing at the 2019 Zim Expo in Chicago last weekend. #Zimexpo2019
Jah Signal Performing At Zim Expo 2019
Rising Zimbabwean dancehall star Jah Signal singing at this year's edition of Zim Expo held last weekend in Chicago. #Zimexpo2019
Nyasha Madzakure Voted Second Princess in Miss Zimbabwe USA
Nyasha Madzakure Was Voted Second Princess in Miss Zimbabwe USA
Natalie Looking Into The Future ...
Natalie Mushore was voted first princess in the Miss Zimbabwe USA contest held Saturday in Chicago, USA.
- Gibbs Dube
Zim Expo Ends on High Note With Lucrative Business Deals in Pipeline
Some Zimbabweans, who took part in this year’s annual edition of Zim Expo in Chicago, USA, say they are optimistic about making follow-ups on deals they negotiated during the three-day event, which ended Sunday.
Johnfet Sibanda, a pharmaceutical distributor, says some Zimbabweans living in USA indicated that they would partner with him in enhancing his business that is being affected by the current cash crunch in Zimbabwe where a quasi-currency, the Real Time Gross Settlement (RTGS), is devastating industries that need foreign currency to buy material from different nations.
“I met a lot of potential clients and business partners. I’m sure that we will pursue our discussions on boosting each other’s businesses. I’m in the pharmaceutical industry and hope to partner with some businesses in USA. This was a great opportunity for me to create links with international businesses.”
Another Zimbabwean entrepreneur, Andile Mpofu who was the 2017 Miss Zimbabwe USA, said a lot of people showed interest in her Africa jewellery, handbags, attire, purses and handbags.
“I’m happy about potential business partners I got here. I will make follow-ups to ensure that the business deals materialize.”
Show organizer, Quite Ncube, said they were impressed about this year’s attendance, which drew people from Canada, Zimbabwe and USA.
“We hope the event will be bigger and better next year. People attending the event had a chance to sample Zimbabwean dishes, drink Zimbabwean beverages and engage in social networking,” said Ncube.
The event ended by the crowning of Nothando Jack as Miss Zimbabwe USA and Chicago Soccer Team as the 2019 Zim Expo Soccer Cup champions.
Nothando walked away with $1,500, a year’s supply of Honde Valley Foods and cosmetics from Jacque Mgido, a beauty specialist. She will now compete in the Miss Zimbabwe competition back home.
On the other hand, Chicago got $800 and one of the team’s players was voted the Most Valuable Player of the tournament. Ohio came second followed by Atlanta.
Zim Expo, which was launched 20 years ago, is an annual event for business development, social empowerment, equity investments and networking opportunities for Zimbabweans living in various countries. It is held in different cities and features a soccer tournament, business dinner, beauty pageant and other activities.
- Gibbs Dube
Zim Expo in Full Swing in Chicago As Rising Dancehall Star Jah Signal Promises Fireworks
The 20th edition of Zim Expo is in full swing with a large number of people still flocking to the Zimbabwe Embassy corner where some people are obtaining birth certificates and passports.
Some companies and individuals are exhibiting various items with the Movement for Democratic Change stand being another crowd puller.
Indications are that all people visiting the Zimbabwe Embassy corner, manned by two members of staff from Washington DC, are getting birth certificates or passports.
A smiling Minenhle Pedzisayi, who visited the center to obtain a birth certificate for her one year-old son Gabriel, was happy about services being provided by the Zimbabwe Embassy staffers.
"I'm happy that I have obtained my son's birth certificate. I live in Indiana and so it's difficult to go all the way to Washington DC to get some of these important documents. So, I decided to come here and got all what I wanted."
Another happy woman is Indiana resident Ester Gwepo. "It took a very short time for me to process all the necessary papers. I have extended the expiry date of my passport. I'm not worried at all now as I no longer need to travel to DC to extend it."
Apart from these two, Zimbabwean Shamiso Nkonkoni came to the business and social networking event this year to represent the MDC led by Nelson Chamisa.
"We have a lot of t-shirts, hats and other items that we are displaying and at the same time we are looking for new members. It's great to see that so many people support us as they are visiting out stand."
No other party is being represented at this year's event.
The Miss Zimbabwe pageant and music performances by two Zimbabwean artists are set for Saturday night with rising dancehall star Jah Signal promising fireworks.
A DJs competition and Business Dinner capped the day's proceedings on Friday night with some company executives expressing optimism of striking good deals by the end of the day Sunday.
At the same time, some individuals are also displaying items associated with their motherland, Zimbabwe. They include homemade biltong and alcoholic beverages produced in the southern African nation.
- Gibbs Dube
Zimbabwe Embassy Instant Hit At Zim Expo 2019 in USA
Staff members from the Zimbabwe Embassy have become an instant hit in Chicago at this year's annual Zim Expo, a business and social networking event being held in Chicago, United States of America.
People seeking birth certificates, passports and other documents are trooping to a section of this year's event manned by two staffers and some Zim Expo senior officials.
Although embassy staffers were not in a position to shed light on the number of people who have since obtained birth and death certificates and passports, the number of people visiting their desk is a clear testimony of the pressing need for such documents.
The Embassy staff said they were not cleared by top state officials to speak to the press.
However, beneficiaries are happy to have managed to obtain these precious documents. One of them, Dumisani Mpofu, drove from Michigan to Chicago instead of taking a flight to Washington DC to have his passport renewed.
"This is a very important service. I'm very happy to have come to this place to obtain a new passport. The process was very smooth. It was just a two-hour drive to come here instead of going to DC (District of Columbia).
"I live in Michigan and I drove for one and a half hours to come here and the whole process was well executed. I'm really happy about this because I was supposed to visit Washington DC next month to renew my passport which was set to expire at the end of June."
Several people, who obtained birth certificates and passports, expressed the same sentiments, noting that the embassy should expand this outreach program.
Zim Expo co-founder Tonderai Tela said the processing of passport and birth certificate papers was usually a bit hit among Zimbabweans during Zim Expo.
"We are happy that this has become one of our major events and we hope that many people will come and get the necessary documents."
Tela could not give a specific number of people that have obtained these documents following the inception of Zim Expo 20 years ago.
This year's event is also featuring a business dinner, DJ competition, Miss Zimbabwe USA, business exhibition and soccer matches for teams drawn from all over USA.
- Gibbs Dube
Annual Expo Brings Zimbabwe Businesses Together
The 20th edition of Zim Expo, an annual event for business development, social empowerment, equity investments and networking opportunities for Zimbabweans living in various countries, kicks off Friday in Chicago, USA, amid an economic meltdown back home.
Organizers of the international showcase are optimistic that the event will be a big success.
The event’s co-founder Quite Ncube says he is hopeful they will record significant business deals, which is one of two objectives of the Expo, the other being entertainment and social issues.
"One branch of Zim Expo had to do with business entity, empowering the small businesses from Zimbabwe, those who are living here in the diaspora, and we would help the Zimbabwean business people by bringing the market to the Zim Expo venue, exposing their businesses to the market. That was the primary objective of the market and still is today.
Ncube says the event is the backbone of the non-profit organization held annually in different states, during the Memorial Holiday.
Ncube, a medical practitioner who has been living in the USA for more than 30 years, says although senior Zimbabwean authorities are unable to attend the event this year, the country’s representatives based in Washington DC will be issuing birth certificates and passports to Zimbabwean citizens.
He says Zimbabwean authorities do not run the event but play a critical role in creating links among potential investors.
One of the beneficiaries of the consular services provided by the Zimbabwe Embassy is Jealous Chiyambiro, a soccer enthusiast.
"Well, the passports, of course, definitely very beneficial because I've renewed my passport there," said Chiyambiro.
In addition to the consular services, which have proved very popular, other scheduled events include performances by Zimbabwean-based musicians – Cindy Munyavi and rising dance hall star Jah Signal, and also Miss Zimbabwe USA contest.
A regular visitor to Zim Expo, Musawenkosi Ndlovu, says this is her favorite part of Zim Expo.
"The Miss Zim USA Pageant, I know its more about what they are learning and part of the showcase of course includes the beauty part of it, that I think is a fun event. We in the past have had artists come from Zimbabwe and I think that's also part of the fun," said Ndlovu.
Some people like Handsome Sibanda visit the show to participate in the soccer tournament, which has in the past featured retired soccer stars like former Highlanders and Warriors captain Thulani Biya Ncube, and draws players from different parts of the U.S., Canada, Britain and elsewhere.
"Its a pretty organized and fun event, and basically you get to meet some former players from Zimbabwe, such as Thulani Biya Ncube, Vitalis (Takawira), and all those guys, and then you get to play against them, which is interesting and exciting," Ncube said.
Organizers of the event say while they are now in their 20th year, the annual event has been affected by lack of funding, and also a perception that the Expo is linked to Zimbabwe’s ruling Zanu-PF party – a claim co-organizer Quite Ncube, refutes.
"We try not to mix politics and Zim Expo because we are pretty much non political, motivated," said Ncube.
Zim Expo co-founder, Anesu Manjengwa, says management is addressing some of these concerns with a view of making it one of the top-most events convened by Zimbabweans.
"We can always have suspicions on everything, but the bottom line is we are a non governmental organization, we are completely business minded. I am a business man and I will do business-like things. People are going to suspect that you are government related, but we are not," said Manjengwa, adding that, "we've been in this industry for 20-years because we are doing our politics right. We'll work with anybody who wants to work with us."
Others, however, like Chiyambiro say there is need to revamp the annual event to attract more participants.
A large number of participants say they have benefited a lot at the Zim Expo with some of them getting good business deals. At least 20 companies are expected to display their goods at the Zim Expo this year.
