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Arts Reporter
AN international arts festival in honour of the late Oliver “Tuku” Mutukudzi will be held in September at Pakare Paye Arts Centre, Norton.
Dubbed “Oliver Mtukudzi International Festival of Arts” (OMIFA), the two-day event will take place on September 21 and 22 respectively.
Tuku would have been celebrating his 72nd birthday on September 22 this year.
He died on January 23, 2019 aged 66 after losing his battle against diabetes.
Tuku was declared a national hero and was buried at his rural home in Madziva, Mashonaland Central.
Five years after his death, Tuku’s family has decided to organise a festival in memory of the late crooner.
In a statement, festival director, Samantha Mtukudzi said: “Tuku Music (Pvt) Ltd presents the first edition of the annual Oliver Mtukudzi International Festival of the Arts (OMIFA) to be held at the Pakare Paye Arts Centre in Norton from the 21st to the 22nd of September 2024.
“The festival aims to honour the life and work of the legendary musician and national hero affectionately known to his millions of fans as Tuku.
“The inaugural edition of the festival will run under the theme ‘Dairai, Sabelani, Answer!’ which is a call to celebrate the late Oliver Dairai Mtukudzi’s illustrious achievements and a call for communities to come together and build the future they desire,” said Samantha.
A commemorative dinner and a series of workshops will market the event.
To fulfil Tuku’s wish, event organisers said there will be performances in music, dance, arts and crafts, fashion, theatre and film.
Online Reporter