Your heart will be warmed by attending Yazewpalooza at Clancy’s on Friday night

The first ever YAZEWPALOOZA at Clancy’s Pub will be held this Friday, Jan. 22. When I first saw that headline I was curious as to what exactly a Yazewpalooza entails as I am sure you are now. Yazew is, in fact, the name of a man living in Brandon and Yazewpalooza is a festival fundraiser created by Sean Mitchell in his honour. To find out more information I sat down with Mitchell to get the scoop on the event.

Who is Yazew and how did you meet??

I met Yazew in September of 2009. I ended up getting a job at Sobey’s and we were working in the same department. Yazew is officially a landed immigrant. He came to Canada in June 2009 from a refugee camp in Ethiopia after having to leave Kenya for the sake of his own safety. He had previously arranged for his wife to leave Kenya three years ago in 2007 to ensure her safety and knowing that there was a risk that he may never see her or his unborn son (at the time) again. His son is now two and Yazew just recently saw a picture of him.?

That is an amazing story, but Yazew must have a special personality to have motivated you to organize this event.

?Yazew is a truly passionate human being with a huge heart and possesses an inhuman amount of faith. When I say Yazew is constantly smiling, I am not exaggerating. Even with of some of the hardships Yazew currently faces in his life (ones that a person shouldn’t have to deal with) Yazew remains cheerful and upbeat on a daily basis. ??Here is a guy who just found out in September of 2009 that his wife and now two-year-old son are still alive, and he is working a 50 – 72 hour work week to bring them here. He is working every day to master the English language, so he can do what he truly loves, which is to own a photographic studio. He has never seen snow and cannot understand why it is so cold here. Yet every day he tells me that life is great and how happy he is here. I don’t think I know how to live that way, nor does 98 per cent of the world’s population. So in Yazew I feel really lucky to have found a friend and a teacher.?

?I find myself already feeling the magic that Yazew creates just by hearing his story. I am truly motivated to attend the event at Clancy’s. Who will be playing??

My band Jimmy Legs and The Funk will be on the bill; lots of Motown, funk, R&B, rock, as well as a few other Brandon bands and local musicians. Yazew loves music and dance so the entertainment lineup was dictated by his personality. I just told him today (Jan. 10) that we are doing this party for him and he is very excited.?

?Why did you approach Clancy’s???Not sure why, other than I asked and they said yes. It seemed like an appropriate venue.

I couldn’t agree more; Clancy’s often donates their venue for fundraising events and always opens its doors to Brandon musicians. ??What is the price of admission to the event??

It is $5 to get in and Clancy’s is donating the night’s cover charge to Yazew. As well we are having a 50/50 draw with the proceeds going to Yazew. And of course all our bands and musicians are donating their talent and time.?

?How can people who are unable to attend donate to help Yazew's family???I have set up an email (yazewpalooze@gmail.com)

for anyone who wants to know where they can drop off money or donations.

?How much money is needed to get his family to Canada??

?The official figure is about $2,000.

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