Harare’s six-week jamboree
ORGANISERS of the Harare International Carnival (HIC) unveiled the event’s programme last week, putting to rest reports that the festival was in doubt.
Repeated changes of the dates had led many people to conclude that the organisers were struggling to bring the event together due to financial constraints.
But the release of the six-week programme pleasantly surprised the few who had remained confident that the carnival would take place over a few days.
Critics however argue that the sixweek programme, which was officially launched last weekend and begins this week, is an indication that the Zimbabwe Tourism Authority (ZTA) hijacked other programmes and presented them as their own under the carnival banner.
Events like Tuku and Friends Concert and the Harare Jazz Music Festival are permanent fixtures on the country’s major arts and events calendar yet they are on the carnival programme.
The ZTA chief executive, Karikoga Kaseke has come out guns blazing, rubbishing the “prophets of doom”. He said “all the events that have been listed on
the carnival events programme were long negotiated and agreed on”. He added that Government had honoured its commitment by unveiling funds, thus automatically setting the ball in motion. Below are the ZTA chief executive’s
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