Creative industry ready to shine at Independence celebrations

Robin Muchetu, Senior Reporter

CREATIVE industries in Bulawayo say the 40th Independence Day celebrations are a time and chance to showcase all things cultural that the city has to offer and prove that it is the cultural hub of the country.

President Mnangagwa has announced that for the first time since the country attained independence in 1980, the main Independence Day celebrations would be held outside the capital Harare, in Bulawayo, a move that was welcomed by the city and its residents. The celebrations would take a cultural flair since Bulawayo is considered rich in culture. National Arts Council of Zimbabwe (NACZ) director Mr Nicholas Moyo said the celebrations were an opportunity to show the world what the city can offer culturally.

“Let us make Bulawayo great, let us bring out the uniqueness of the City of Bulawayo. It is a challenge; it is not only about celebrations only. We need to take it up and show what we can do to the world because these celebrations are not for Zimbabwe alone but everyone will be watching,” he said.

Mr Moyo said various events had been lined up before the main day and will incorporate various genres in the arts sector.

“We have ensured that all disciplines be represented. There will be a visual arts exhibition, floats will be paraded around Bulawayo and visual artists will be involved in these creations of floats. At specific places in Bulawayo we will have various dance entertainment on show. We will have a musical gala too. On 17 April there will be other events lined up for the day and of course on the main day there will be more celebrations,” he said.

Mr Moyo said as a sector, they were happy that the Government was putting arts in the centre of the celebrations which is in line with what President Mnangagwa said when he attended the arts indaba in Bulawayo last year.

“It shows the commitment to the interface the President had with artistes,” he said.

National Art Gallery of Zimbabwe Bulawayo regional director Mr Butho Nyathi said this was a unique opportunity for creative minds in the country’s second largest city.

“We have been presented as Bulawayo with a unique opportunity in light of the indaba we had with the President where the city vouched for formal recognition as the cultural hub of Zimbabwe. So, when Zimbabwe congregates in Bulawayo in April for the Independence Day celebrations, all stakeholders should come together and exhibit that which Bulawayo excels in, in terms of culture,” he said.

“Kuyini esiziqhenya ngakho njengoBulawayo (What is it that we boast of as Bulawayo?), that others must recognise? This will be showcased during that period. We will see these displays at Independence and this will not be a one-day affair. We seek to see how we can sell Bulawayo’s cultural narratives on that day. That is my challenge to all cultural operators in the city.”

Moving to the gallery, Mr Nyathi said an art exhibition was being put together.

“We are conceptualising an exhibition that spotlights the liberation heritage of Zimbabwe from the perspectives of the liberation front that was dominant in the region. I support the new idea of rotating these important celebrations because it then allows each province to profile its distinct services and products.

“Now when we talk about independence, we look at the specific role of the armed struggle throughout the liberation struggle in this region. I think that is what another person would want to see in the showcase. It cannot be any other exhibition but it has to have that Bulawayo and Matabeleland narrative which is what will separate it from the usual celebrations that have been done in Harare. This is our challenge to say how best can we profile the liberation struggle.”

He said schools must continue to visit the gallery in order for pupils to appreciate their heritage in light of the new curriculum which now includes visual arts as a distinct subject area.

“It is also our hope that when we do our liberation heritage exhibition in April, we will have more schools coming through to see the contribution of this region towards attainment of Independence in Zimbabwe,” he said.

Small and Medium Enterprises that are in the arts and crafts sector said they will also take advantage of the celebrations and exhibit their various cultural artefacts, dress and food.