adminMbongeni Msimanga/Ngqwele Dube Sunday Leisure Correspondents
IYASA is one of the most travelled music outfits in the country and in their travel routines they have raised the country’s artistic prowess by showcasing Zimbabwean culture. Austria remains one of the destinations not only for Iyasa but for many other Zimbabwean artistes, more so because they have managed to cultivate good rapport with artistes and promoters in that country and somehow developed a ready market.
But that our artistes have been going to Austria is not enough if there are no Austrian artistes coming to the country as well, for it creates an impression that artistes in the country are the ones that visit Austria to try and make money while Austrians are reluctant to come into the country.
This notion was debunked after Iyasa invited its Austrian partners on an exchange programme that will see them working together to produce a play which they hope will bridge the cultural differences between the two countries.
Flo Staffelmayr and Natalie Fend arrived in the country a fortnight ago and have been busy with Iyasa at Amakhosi Cultural Centre where they are working on a play, Do you Jodel.
Staffelmayr, who is the director of the play, said they were aiming at fusing Zimbabwean art with Austrian art to come up with a play that would explore the cultures of the two nations as well as deflate some of the widely held cultural and artistic misconceptions and stereotypes.
Although racial stereotypes continue to manifest and be passed on to younger generations, Staffelmayr believes tackling them through engaging a young audience can aid in their elimination and bridge the cultural gaps that exist.
Do you Jodel however is mainly targeted at young people as it will articulate issues such as culture and race stereotyping and is set to premiere by April this year in Austria.
“We are working on a performance that will be showcased by Iyasa in summer in Austria. We are basically exploring the differences and similarities between the cultures of Austria and Zimbabwe through art,” said director and writer Staffelmayr.
After having been nominated for the National Arts Merits Awards (Nama) this year for their outstanding performance, Iyasa’s success has not been limited to Zimbabwe as the group has managed to globetrot and successfully performed in many other countries where they have been a favourite of fans.
Staffelmayr said the fusion of cultures was important as it created youths who would face issues without a racial perception and described Iyasa as a group that came up with innovative ideas that challenge these issues.
“Iyasa is very popular among the youths in Austria because of the theatre venues they perform at and the type of plays they have produced over the years.
“We decided to come up with the idea that will address issues of race and stereotyping targeted especially to the youths,” he said.
Austrian choreographer, Natalie Fend, who is creating dance for the play with Iyasa said they had discovered some similarities in dances between Zimbabwe and Europe with the gumboot dance having been practised in Austria and Zimbabwe although there were minor differences.
She said they aimed at bridging cultures where they would fuse both dances to come up with unique performances identical and appealing to both countries.
“We also have an Austrian gumboot dance called schuhplattler, although it is a bit different from the Zimbabwean one. Our aim is to fuse both and come up with a unique dance that will appeal to both countries,” she said.
After identifying the group on social media, Natalie said she believed in Iyasa’s talent as it could be used to tackle social issues that were faced by the country.
“I identified the group on social media and I believed that their talent could help us exchange cultures and tackle social issues,” she said.
Staffelmayr said he was impressed with Iyasa’s creativity as he had found it easy working with them and singled out Iyasa director, Nkululeko Innocent Dube as being deft in the arts.
“I am sure we going to come up with a good play because creativity is very high within Iyasa. We had Austrian folk songs we wanted to fuse and within minutes Dube had come up with the right fusing,” he said.
Dube said they would be leaving for Austria in April where they would showcase the play, adding that he hoped to bring the performances locally.
“I believe this is a good platform as we had an opportunity to converge our cultures. We also want to bring the act to Bulawayo so that people can appreciate cultural exchange,” he said.
Iyasa has cemented its place in Austrian art circles and has been touring the European country for more than a decade.
Online Reporter