Africa Fashion Show celebrating culture and raising funds for Parkinson's Central Plateau

A show celebrating the indigenous arts of Africa will be full of fashion, music and entertainment, while also raising funds for a local cause.

An Africa Fashion Show is being held on Saturday, August 8, and will be raising funds for Parkinson's Central Plateau.

As well as raising funds for this cause, the show is a way to still celebrate despite this year's Africa Day celebration having to be cancelled due to Covid.

The event will showcase music, art and fashion of industry professionals from the African continent, and also locally in Rotorua.

Organiser Faustinah Ndlovu says the show will feature fashion designer from Africa Eubertina Chisaka, alongside Rotorua fashion designers Kharl Wi Repa and Deborah De Loree who have designed African-inspired collections for the event.

There will be African music and 250 African outfits.

Entertainment will also include professional dancer Hemvati Shah performing a classical Indian dance - Kuchipudi, Zimbabwean Takunda Muzondiwa who was a finalist at the 2019 annual national Race Unity Speech Competition, the Rotorua African Drumming Group, and a head balancing demonstration by Faustinah.

"I think it's something different. Now we've got designers involved, whereas for Africa Day celebrations it was a collection from myself, my son and some of the African community.

"It's really exciting."

Faustinah is a contestant in this year's Miss Rotorua pageant, and as part of that journey she is raising funds for Parkinson's Central Plateau.

She says it is great to support the work Parkinson's New Zealand does and to contribute to keeping the services going which they provide for people living with Parkinson's and their families.

Rotorua Multicultural Council is the main sponsor for the event.

Rotorua Multicultural Council president Margriet Theron says this event is part of a project the council calls CATCH - Cultural awareness to create harmony.

"We have got funding for this CATCH programme from the Office of Ethnic Communities and we are running a wide range of programmes, all related to bringing different ethnicities together, and creating an understanding of how prevalent the migrant community is in Rotorua."

She says this event will feature many different home countries in Africa, from which people are now living in Rotorua.

Designer and Miss Rotorua Foundation chairman Kharl WiRepa says this is a great opportunity for Te Arwa to learn about other iwi.

"Faustinah, our contestant, is from the iwi of Shona in Zimbabwe.

"I'm very proud to share our culture in our community with the manuhiri that call this place their whenua as well."

He says Parkinson's Central Plateau is a great group here in Rotorua because it provides support to those with the condition.

Kharl says he knows several people with Parkinson's, and it is great to be able to contribute to trying to make people's lives a little bit easier.

Leanne Havill, Parkinson's New Zealand community engagement advisor – central, says they are humbled and feel extremely grateful to be the recipients of much-needed funds raised from the Africa Fashion Show organised by Faustinah.

"These funds will be used towards providing a wide range of services, both clinical and social, for people living with Parkinson's in the Central Plateau region.

"We can't thank Faustinah and the Miss Rotorua team enough for all of their hard work and dedication in raising funds for local charities such as ours."

The details
- What: Africa Fashion Show, fundraiser for Parkinson's Central Plateau
- When: Saturday, August 8, 7pm to 9.30pm
- Where: Apumoana Marae
- Tickets: www.eventbrite.co.nz or Envy Fashions 1265 Tutanekai St, general admission $25, VIP $35