Pupils shine at Let Them

HARARE Exhibition Park came alive as pupils from 35 institutions converged on July 7-8 for the fifth Let Them Trust Schools Arts Festival.

Drawn from all over Zimbabwe, the school-going artistes proved that arts education is on the rise and being taken seriously in the country.

Under the theme “No Limits”, the pupils showed they were reaching for the stars as they went all out to showcase their best.

Bold and buoyant, the performances were full of life and left audiences in awe.

Not that it was all perfect. Where the pupils misfired, a heavy silence would descend but the next performace would wash away any sense of embarassment.

“I believe the theatre side of the festival has improved from year-to-year. The schools are following the theme that has been given to them and there has been a huge shift in time management, which was a big problem before,” said Chido Musasiwa, the brains behind the festival.

“We have seen more effort with costumes and incorporation of music into the storylines.

The fact that it is a competition where a trophy goes back to the school ensures that our students take the theatre side of the festival very seriously because they want to win.

“We have some schools working with theatre practitioners from their areas, which we really encourage – students from the theatre side of the University of Zimbabwe have been phoning to be placed at schools to assist them.

This is the direction we want to continue going. Such synergies can only improve the sector

“Most theatre hubs are not frequented by huge audiences other than on the opening day. It is our hope that if we instill this culture of theatre from a young age it will resonate well with these students and make them want to continue going to watch drama as adults.”

The overall winners in the theatre section were Mufakose 2 High, Warren Park 2 High and Mabelreign Girls High schools.

Other genres showcased included fashion, dance, poetry, music and visual art.