Chronicle Editor
Raisedon Baya
THE logical thing this week after another edition of Bulawayo Arts Awards would have been to dedicate this space to a proper review of the event.
I would have loved to talk about the backstage, how it’s never as glamorous as what the cameras see when the artistes went on stage.
I would have loved to talk about the nerves backstage, the last minute rehearsal, I would have loved to talk about the beautiful dresses I saw and the excitement the awards brought but I cannot and will not.
I know other capable people will do that. On the awards I will restrict myself to the few tweets I will throw on Twitter.
But after the awards life goes on. Our next stop now is Intwasa Arts Festival koBulawayo, now a few months away.
Today let me focus on one specific event that will take place during the festival.
This is a unique event meant to empower young girls. The event is called 100 Girls/100 Voices/100 Umbrellas. This is the festival’s poetry for girls by girls’ initiative.
Poetry for Girls by Girls is about using art as a tool for civic engagement and social change.
It involves 100 girls taken from 20 different schools in and around Bulawayo, working on pieces of poetry that speak to the issues of child marriages, alignment of marriage laws, child sexual offences, the scourge called vuzu parties and the general empowerment of the girl child.
The project takes the girls through a thematic training and poetry skills sharing journey.
The girls also receive personal grooming. They are then expected to use knowledge and skills learnt to advocate for the upliftment of the girl child.
The 100 girls, with their diverse voices and stories, all speak to issues of participation, inclusion, diversity and engagement which the festival continues to be about.
These girls are mentored by renowned award-winning poets Lady Tshawe, Tinashe Tafirenyika, Sithandazile Dube, Sibonokuhle Netha and Thandokuhle Sibanda.
The ultimate goal is having young girls who are confident and assertive enough to use their talents to speak and advocate for betterment of their situation and others.
As part of the project the girls compete among themselves in poetry performances, they also engage communities, critical stakeholders and policymakers as part of their advocacy efforts.
As part of the event at the National Art Gallery in Bulawayo the girls will be installing 100 umbrellas at the venue.
The umbrellas will act as a shed of comfort and protection for the girls and anyone coming in for the event.
The shed, from the umbrellas, shall represent the information and consistent training and mentoring of the girls.
It shall symbolise a wall of protection and comfort for the girls in their lives as they focus on reaching their full potential.
After the Arts Festival all the participants will walk away with an umbrella as a token and symbol of their participation and as a statement they will try and protect others girls wherever they go.
The initiative is by Intwasa Arts Festival koBulawayo and is being supported by Plan Zimbabwe and Justice for Children under a grant from Norad and EU.
The event in September is a culmination of many small events that have been taking place in communities around Bulawayo.
The big finale will be curated in collaboration with the National Art Gallery in Bulawayo during the main festival in September.
All the 100 girls will be at the main event.
To support the event members of the public can donate an umbrella or two towards the event.
These umbrellas form part of the event, they play a very crucial role. Members of the public who want to donate can do so at Intwasa offices, Studio 10, National Art Gallery in Bulawayo.
Online Reporter