adminBruce Ndlovu Showbiz Correspondent
THIS year’s Beitbridge International Festival of Arts lived up to its billing, with sungura star Peter Moyo giving a five-star performance as the festival drew to a close on Saturday night at Beitbridge Inn.Themed ‘Big Art, Small Town’ the festival ran for three days.
The Young Igwe gave a performance to remember as the border town reverberated until the wee hours of the morning with songs from his latest album, Mabasa aMwari. The billing of Young Igwe as the last act of the festival was a masterstroke by the festival organisers, as he managed to pull the biggest crowd in all three days of the arts fete.
The sungura star had the crowd on its feet for most of the night, as he dazzled alongside his band and back-up dancers who kept the energy up throughout a performance that wrapped up at four in the morning.
While the Young Igwe’s performance on Saturday night was the perfect way to bring down the curtain on the extravaganza, arts lovers were provided with top notch entertainment throughout the festival’s duration.
The opening ceremony of the ceremony gave fans a chance to witness the best of both worlds, as Zimdancehall sensation Winky D vied with Iyasa for honours on the first night. Despite a below par crowd, the Ninja President and Bulawayo’s famed globetrotting dance troupe gave those that had come to see the festival officially open its doors value for their money.
The second day turned up the heat, with comedians Babongile Sikhonjwa and Nomsa D leaving the crowd in stitches on what was stand-up comedy’s first ever appearance at the fest. Sikhonjwa was a hit on the night, as he kept the crowd on its toes with his unique blend of humour and lighthearted music.
The comedian broke into song on a few occasions, as he transformed from a singer in one moment and then to a dancehall chanter and rapper the next. The comedians laid the foundation for Siyaya who also did not disappoint, proving again their well polished act is not a preserve of foreign festival stages. Judgement Yard had been billed as the night’s main act and they proved again why they are highly rated, as they gave another top class showing.
The fest also gave a chance to local up-and-coming stars, with chanter iNapkin coming out tops in the Beitbridge Has Got Talent competition. The Miss Africa Beitbridge auditions also ran during the festival while Zambian group Africa Direction also dropped in to give a surprise performance on the last day of the festival. Festival director Nkululeko Nkala said that he was happy with the event, as he believed that it had lived up to its theme.
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