ALBUM: US$10 includes delivery charge

Option 1: If you are buying from developed nations such as Britain, USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand etc you may use WORLD REMIT mobile transfer Ecocash number to 0771516725 Violet Makunike, Mutare, Zimbabwe. Once you send the money Violet Makunike will receive a text message from Econet – Ecocash that she has received money from World Remit and the amount. World remit will send you confirmation that Violet Makunike has received the money. Once the transaction has been confirmed please send a text message or WhatsApp to +263 (0)771516725 or +263(0)783524049 or email viomakmusic@gmail.com with your confirmation and postal address and the product/s will be sent to you. When you send the text or WhatsApp message may you please also indicate if you prefer a hard copy album posted to you or the MP3’s emailed to you. Delivery is free.

ALBUM: US$5 Equivalent to Zimbabwe currency at the time of purchase

Option 2: If you are buying from developing nations such as ALL countries in Africa you may arrange direct Ecocash transactions to mobile transfer Ecocash number to 0771516725 Violet Makunike, Mutare, Zimbabwe. The music is only sent to buyer on email as MP3’s or on WhatsApp or other send platforms at that time. No hard copies are posted to developing nations. Once the transaction has been confirmed please send a text message or WhatsApp to +263 (0)771516725 or +263(0)783524049 or email viomakmusic@gmail.com with your confirmation and the product/s will be sent to you.

MP3’s

Option 3: All MP3’s are us$1 each and only emailed or sent on WhatsApp or other available send platforms. May you please follow the buying instructions above.

SOUND TRACKS

Option 4: Ready to go instrumentals available for sound tracks for documentaries, films, trailers, voice over and other multi-media projects for this album and many others that are not on this website. All instrumentals are over 5 minutes long, in MP3 format. Each instrumental is US$100 for both developed and developing nations. Once the transaction has been confirmed please send a text message or WhatsApp to +263 (0)771516725 or +263(0)783524049 or email viomakmusic@gmail.com with your confirmation and the product/s will be sent to you.

As a woman empowerment advocate Viomak recorded the music album, ‘Hello Women’ which is her ninth music album. As per her tradition, the album has 8 songs and the music is protest music but socially raising awareness about women oppression and empowerment. The songs advocate for equality of opportunities for women including treating and respecting women as first class citizens like men and not as second class citizens. Socio-cultural and political factors have limited Zimbabweans (especially women)’s role in Zimbabwe’s development process and the right to freedom of expression. Zimbabwe women are culturally, politically and socially oppressed and the album ‘Hello Women’ raises awareness and speaks about and against these issues while inspiring women to empower themselves and stop being sex objects. The album was inspired by the silence of many women in many sectors whereby women model themselves as housewives who can only do house chores for men and dance to the desires of men. As a female social and political activist and protest musician Viomak notes that women can use their artistic talents to resolve the issues affecting them but they rarely do and just do what is expected of them by their oppressors. This silence and societal expectations encourage men to resort to women abuse and the behaviour is viewed as normal and expected by their victims. In this regard we hear the women themselves condoning the abuse and defending men saying men are like that. By the time the women realise that the behaviour is abuse and men are not supposed to be like that it will be too late and usually the realisation comes with deep wounds and scary scars. In this album Viomak wishes to share with others how she is also using music as a tool for social change. She notes that in the midst of a chaotic and hopeless political crisis in Zimbabwe, there is a wider creative arts progress taking place to mourn the death of democracy in a country crippled by severe human rights abuses as a result of bad governance but women are musically quiet despite the ppression they suffer. Her music is therefore playing a big role in her activism and quest for change. Viomak believes that with the release of ‘Hello Women’ women will come to terms with how music plays a great role in informing and educating girls and women and society at large and raising awareness about the socio-political problems that women are facing. Despite that the art industry is moving into protest art to highlight the challenges facing the people of Zimbabwe in order to find solutions to the social, political and economic challenges facing the great nation, women have remained silent as men engage themselves in various forms of protest art .In light of this, the challenges faced by would be female protest artists in political activism in Zimbabwe is also an issue worthy discussing at national level. Their lack of enthusiasm is an issue of great concern which could be a result of inequality, discrimination or oppression towards women. Viomak recognises that there are many men out there who empower women and many women out there who disempower women. Focusing on feminist protest music and its educational implications on socio- political activism is therefore a must if society is to eradicate women discrimination and oppression. Viomak notes that women are like field dependent learners who tend to favour a spectator approach to learning and not field independent learners who tend to favour an inquiry approach. Culturally girls are forced into early marriages or are forced to pay for avenging spirits and women do not raise their artistic voices. The music album motivates women to speak out and come up with innovative ways to deal with their issues which also include oppression of women by other women.

The songs on the album are:

• Kodzero
• Taurai amai
• Mukadzi simuka
• Pfambirume
• Ramba mwanasikana
• Kupomerwa mhosva
• Equal rights
• Chigezamurwizi

The album opens the curtains with the informative song Kodzero (Rights) which laments that all human beings, women, men, children, pets have rights and none should be treated like a slave. The song is a summary of Article 1, which states that, “All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood”. Listening to the song, the pains and sorrows of human rights abuses faced by human beings and caused by human beings towards each other loom like a dark night as Viomak’s highpitched and soft voice craft the path through the trauma and grief faced in the battle of relationships of the heart. Zimbabwe is in a social revolution and this song is a great part of a revolution that speaks against inhuman behavior and oppression especially towards women. Eversince, Viomak lend her voice in support of respect for women rights and freedom of expression the song speaks on behalf of the oppressed women of Zimbabwe and fights for their rights in song to be respected and also for the rights of men and children to be respected. Overall this is a very fair song that recognises the worth of all human kind.

The song ‘Taurai Amai’ (Speak Out) encourages women to report child rape by anyone especially by their partner, husband, stepfather, and boyfriend, to the police. This comes amid many experiences where some women decide to protect the Mrs titles instead of protecting sexually abused children, both girls and boys. Viomak questions why women keep quiet in a troubled, teary voice as the emotionally charged song motivates women to feel for their children and speak out.

The song ‘Mukadzi Simuka’ (Stand Up) is Viomak’s most favourite and a vivacious peace that beautifes women and applauds their intelligence, wisdom, strength, love and energy. The song motivates women to stand up and encourages women to stand up and speak out about the challenges they face and demand what is right, justice and respect. The messages in the song encourage women to rise up and be masters of their own problems and stop being sex objects. The song’s theme is underlined within human rights Article 19 which states that, “Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression, this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.”

The song, ‘Pfambirume’ bemoans the name calling that women endure at the hands of society. Such bad names given to single women, infertile women and women of the night are not used to refer to men in the same situation. Viomak acknowledges the need to mend the damaged reputation of such women through uncalled for name calling which is only applied to women and degrading them yet men get away with such name calling. In the song, Viomak highlights that for example, there is no name for a male prostitute (Pfambirume) in Zimbabwe yet there are male prostitutes. Being a single woman is unacceptable and sort of taboo and wrong but being a single man is an acceptable and normal choice for the men. On the other hand the song questions and disrupts the impression society has when it comes to fertility issues. The first impression is the woman is the one who is barren and not the man. Such misconceptions and misplaced impressions degrade and disempower women. Viomak bears her souls out and takes an in-depth look into the judgemental names. Judging by her singing voice, which echoes as a choir, the song evokes emotions such that the credibility of those obsessed with street lingo calling woman bad names suddenly evaporates.

The song ‘Ramba Mwanasikana’ (Refuse Girlchild) encourages women to demand what is right, refuse to be treated like rags, question and seek answers in all unjust settings. Viomak takes an active stance in the song, placing challenging questions to men in the center of the song and advising men to look at themselves in the mirror, and start tearing themselves up and reflect on their selfish reasoning. Viomak still acknowledges the need to be morally upright for both parties but for men not to get away with it. While the sound itself remains in the laid-back territory, Viomak’s desire to explore the struggles of woman through music continues to inspire the inquisitive mind through this question and answer tune. The song cruises in two exchange modes, the question and answer technique and advisory stance married by layers of explosive beats giving a powerful rhythm that gets one to think if women will ever know peace and the respect they deserve. Viomak’s advisory voice flattens in low and high tones like a confident woman asking a man the tough questions and demanding that the man accords her the fairness she deserves.

The song ‘Kupomerwa Mhosva’ (Accused) is a touching tear dropping song, a definite empire of emotions where a woman is reporting to her mother the shocking experiences of giving birth to a physically challenged child. The woman is treated like a criminal, blamed and accused by her husband and the husband’s family for giving birth to what they call an abnormal child and a misfortune. Apart from the heartbreaking lyrics the song chronicles the pain women go through as they are blamed for faults that are not of their making in a beehive of brilliant velvety creamy melodies. The song was composed in light of Article 5 which states that, “No one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.

In the same vein with the song Pfambirume, the song ‘Chigezamurwizi’ highlights the pain women endure through bad name calling. In the song, a woman narrates how her life is crippled with name calling and cries to her mother tears of sorrow and narrates to her mother that she is labelled with so many bad names and wishes she was never born. The song captures the feelings of all women living a life of bad name calling and captivates their imagination of a life without this name calling. The sorrowful instruments accompany the woman’s sad voice in a continuous complaining manner, suggesting that this is not a tune marking the celebration of womanhood but an exceptional cause for concern marking some of the struggles that women go through. The atmosphere of the song is of a tormented hopeless woman who has reached the end and desperately needs empowerment. I can safely call this song a piece of guilty awareness intended to make all those who name call women to revist their thoughts. Inarguably, this song is a powerful example that protest music is not only appropriate for political change but is also a vehicle for addressing social issues faced by women.

The song ‘Equal Rights’ is a celebratory tune that raises inequality issues while advising women that men and women are different and equal rights don’t mean women and men are the same but respect is mutual as male and female are different. The song highlights that men and women were created physically different and it is important for both parties to understand that both are valuable and play important roles and no one is above the other. Viomak encourages women to use brains to progress themselves and not legs. The song raises issues about dependency and for women to stop thinking that it is the responsibility of men to empower women and thus women should not look up to men for everything. The empowering song advocates for women to use their brains to develop and progress in order to achieve their dreams and be part of the solution to the social and political problems ravaging themselves and our nation.