SARAH MACDONALD
Vancouver, B.C. - Felice News
Published Sunday, September 25, 2011 at 7:41PM EST
Last Updated Monday, September 26, 2011 at 2:51AM EST

VANCOUVER -- With all her documents in place, twelve year old Nyasha is ready to begin her long journey from Zimbabwe to Vancouver, Canada, where she will be reunited with her father for the first time since she was three years old. A trip otherwise too costly for her family’s humble means has been arranged through the dedication and generosity of a fundraiser lead by the Vancouver artist community.

When her mother passed away in 2008, Nyamukapa Kurai began the long and expensive legal process required to bring his daughter to Canada after an unsuccessful attempt in 2003.

Kurai is a much loved and respected Zimbabwean musician in the Vancouver music community who has lived here as a landed immigrant for eight years. You can see him playing music freely on the busy streets of Commercial drive, or leading large gatherings in ceremonial song at innovative music festivals such as ‘Towards Eden’.

 In a letter to his community, Kurai informs that “Nyasha got her passport, as well as the Canadian permanent residency Visa and it is being shipped back to Harare Zimbabwe from the Canadian high commission in Pretoria South Africa”.   After a lengthy process to organize all the right documents, this is wonderful news. 

Past fundraisers have helped him cover costly lawyer fees, courier fees and arranging all the necessary requirements. Now, as the final step on his journey to reunion is taking shape, which involves flying to Zimbabwe himself to collect her, he asked for help from his friends in the community once again.

Tzvi Tal and his son Jordan, both friends of Kurai, were inspired to answer his call for help and organized a fundraiser on ChipIn.com and a celebration in their home, entitled “Tomorrow is Today - From Africa to East Van”. Their home, humbly entitled ‘Tzvi’s Place’, is a hub for community gatherings and performances in Vancouver. You’ll often see musicians and performers, fledgling or long established, donating their energy to put on a lively celebration of music, art, food and stories.  Not only do proceeds go towards supporting good causes like saving the old growth forest, rivers and oceans, and stopping the trophy hunt of bears in British Columbia, but it facilitates the weaving of strong community ties.

Tzvi’s community knows intimately how the power of a few dedicated people can effect change. In 2009, Tzvi’s vision for his place and the community it supports was almost dashed when city officials found that his house did not comply with certain zoning restrictions.  The love he put into his house through renovations and updates were not up to code. He was issued an order to cease all construction and four tenants were facing eviction.  In the face of this trial, hundreds of friends and neighbors came to his aid and created the ‘Save Tzvi’s Place’ campaign. Thousands of signatures were acquired and their voices were heard in regards to shifting outdated and irrelevant housing by-laws.

“I know the feeling of not seeing your child for a long time” Tzvi wrote in a letter to Kurai. “From one father to another, I want to let you know that you are not alone! We will do everything we can to help you bring Nyasha, to be here with you, with your family, with us - your extended family”. Thus, the concept of family is broadened and we see a beautiful instance of neighbors coming together to help each other out.

 Although it may not directly address macrocosmic issues, these small actions that effect change on the scale of one family are meaningful.  Tzvi reflects: “We ask ourselves what can we possibly do for all the starving children in Africa but as a small community, we can do this, we can bring this family together. It’s such a nice thing for our community to do”.

In an interview, Jordan expresses his happiness of being a part of this mission. “Knowing from my father (Tzvi) that sometimes it takes rolling up the sleeves for one another when a hard time has come, I think that’s what we’re prepared to do for Kurai and that’s what he’s prepared to do for his daughter.  I think that’s beautiful and more than worth supporting”.

In the end, fundraising efforts were a huge success, reaching 104% of their initial goal with the generosity of 204 contributors.  Now Kurai will be able to purchase a return trip for himself to Zimbabwe and his daughter’s one way ticket to Canada. The extra money and any further donations will go towards a ‘Nyasha’ fund to sponsor her education and integration into the community.

“I look forward to teaching her to play music as I do”, says Kurai when asked what he most anticipates of her return, “and how to adapt to this society since it’s so different”. One can imagine how different Vancouver will be from Zimbabwe.  Hopefully being surrounded by family and a welcoming community will assuage the discomfort of adapting that awaits Nyasha.

In this highly globalized world, families are often separated by the movements of immigration, refugee resettlement and now even climate-mediated environmental displacement. Nyasha, however, will soon be reunited with her father, siblings and step mother thanks to the mobilized efforts of her father’s community, their extended family here in Vancouver.