HIFA VOID BEING FELT IN VERY A BIG WAY: MUSASIWA
CULTURAL icon and artistic manager, Chido Musasiwa, reckons the void left, after the cancellation of the Harare International Festival of Arts Hifa, is strongly being felt.
Musasiwa believes the multicultural fete was a conveyor belt of talent where local artists used to showcase their stuff.
Hifa catered for all arts genres - literary arts, spoken word, theatre, contemporary dance, visual artists and music.
Following the cancellation of Hifa, Musasiwa, in partnership with Sherwood Sports Club’s management, will introduce a new three-day fete promoting various arts genres.
Dubbed “Jazz & Soul of Zim Musical Festival,” the event gets underway today at the spacious venue nestled in the heart of Mabelreign. A culture display, poetry slam, music and dance will dominate the entire festival.
Consistent jazz crooner, Victor Kunonga, is set to serenade fans this evening at the venue.
He shares the stage with Afro fusion star Ashton “Mbeu” Nyahora and contemporary dance group Xtra Mile.
Tomorrow, Jeys Marabini will exchange notes with Selmor Mtukudzi, IYF Koreans and Benari Note under one roof. On Sunday, all the attention would be on Louis Mhlanga.
The iconic jazz crooner, arranger and producer is billed to share the stage with Diana Samkange, Black Site and WaChari from Mutare. He is expected in Zimbabwe on Sunday afternoon ahead of his performance, which he dedicated to the late guitarist, Kelly Rusike. Speaking ahead of the festival, Musasiwa believes they will revive the culture of festivals.
“We dearly miss festivals in Zimbabwe which used to churn out stars.
“One of the festivals, which was popular back in the day, was the Harare International Festival of the Arts.
“We are trying to fill the gap even though we started small, without a lot of sponsorship.”
She added:
“We will allow people to come and erect their stalls here where they will be selling their stuff.
“We are not charging them for erecting their stalls but we want them to be part of the event and maximise.
“We do expect a lot of people during the festival,” she said. Fellow coordinator, Yasin Dhala, reckons they have put everything in place to ensure the event lives to expectations.
“As you can see everything has been set here and we are just waiting for the day to come.
“Our main act Louis Mhlanga is coming and he will be backed by locals.
“Unfortunately, one of the artists - Kelly Rusike - is no more. “Kelly Rusike was set to back him at this particular event,” he said. Judging by the line-up, fans will be treated to three days of mature music from jazz to Afro fusion and soul.
Meanwhile, the venue held a free Africa Day celebration last night. Hope Masike, Nutty O, Dhadza D and Hwinza are set to grace the event. The quartet’s performance paved the way for the Jazz & Soul of Zim Music Festival to be launched today.
It will be a weekend of jazz and soul at the venue.