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Bongani Ndlovu, Showbiz Correspondent
The Bulawayo Arts Festival to celebrate Bulawayo’s 126 years as a city, will be held online through pop up events as from tomorrow.
The local authority last year declared June 1 as Bulawayo Day. The day was set aside to commemorate the declaration of the city as a town in 1894 and was supposed to be marked by arts and cultural activities this year.
But, due to the ongoing lockdown, the Bulawayo City Council (BCC) announced that the inaugural Bulawayo Day and Bulawayo Arts Festival scheduled for June 1 to 6 has been postponed to June 2021.
However, they said this did not mean that this year’s celebrations had been cancelled as the Bulawayo Arts Festival is going on, but will just be taking a different form.
Instead of being held in a public space, it is now being held online according to BCC senior public relations officer Nesisa Mpofu.
“We will however still recognise June 1 as Bulawayo Day. We will also hold a digital launch and three special virtual/ online pop-up events from Wednesday 3rd June to Friday 5th June on the Byo Arts Festival and City of Bulawayo Facebook pages.
“The same programmes will also be posted on the BAF TV Channel on YouTube as delayed content,” said Mpofu.
She said the celebration of Bulawayo Day and the hosting of the Bulawayo Arts Festival was aimed at showcasing the heritage and rich history of the cosmopolitan city to the world.
“The celebration of Bulawayo Day and the hosting of the Bulawayo Arts Festival aims to provide a stage for new and established artistes and enable local people and our global visitors to participate meaningfully in the cultural life of the city.
“It also provides an opportunity for Bulawayo to showcase its proud heritage, rich diversity, creative nature, resilience and majesty. This explosion of arts and culture will put Bulawayo on the global spotlight and encourage its tourism and business,” said Mpofu.
Bulawayo was declared a town by Dr Leander Starr Jameson on June 1, 1894 and subsequently attained city status in 1943. The city also had its first advisory board in 1894. Last year, the local authority passed a resolution to have June 1 declared as Bulawayo Day following the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding with a local arts and culture organisation, Nhimbe Trust.
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