Mosi-oa-Tunya Business Festival in false start

THE Mosi-oa-Tunya Business Festival got off to a false start in Victoria Falls as by Saturday end of day organisers were still setting up while there was no crowd that attended the event in the evening.

The inaugural event was organised as a celebration of diverse businesses and cultures under the theme: “Zimbabwe’s biggest multinational chill” at Baobab Primary School.

The event was supposed to start on Friday and end Monday 14 August.

Expected to entertain the crowd were Anita Jackson, DJ Langton, King98, Samimi, Meaku, Shaneen Angeles, Madehere Believe and Ijekimora, with no local on the line-up.

This had raised concerns from a cross section of locals over sidelining of local artists, business, industry, and service providers.

There were also concerns that the event may have been rushed before all requisite requirements including clearances had been done.

The local community around Baobab school was also concerned that it was not engaged about the event as the noise from the speakers affects residents.

Organisers started setting the stage on Thursday and on Friday there was no activity.

Saturday disco music could be heard from a distance coming from the venue but with no activity taking place.

Late afternoon some service providers who are meant to provide food started setting up.

The big tent had been set with neatly arranged chairs for the discussions and also outside the tent was set, cocktail style.

The evening turned to be a music night from the speakers without any crowd as locals snubbed the event.

According to organisers, Mosi-oa-Tunya, an organisation dedicated to making a positive impact on the lives of all communities in Zimbabwe, the event seeks to bring together a diverse mix of companies, entertainers, business owners and investors.

Each will showcase their services while exhibiting Zimbabwe’s potential, as well as showcasing Zimbabwe’s diverse cultures and hospitality.

The organisation’s operations manager Ms Shamiso Chitima acknowledged some mistakes had been made but had been rectified.

She said all was set for the event despite the teething challenges.

“This is the Mosi-oa-Tunya business festival where we have business seminars, workshops and panel discussions during the day and different DJs and artists in the evening. This is the first time hosting such an event as this one.

“We have foreign artists and DJs that will be coming to perform. We had a bit of a delay unfortunately as some of our trucks broke down but they are here now and we are ready to start. We did make a bit of an error on that part but we have corrected, we have engaged local artists and local service providers in Victoria Falls. We have done our best in trying to involve locals more into the festival. The council is aware, we have all our clearances,” she said.

Ms Chitima said the event was aimed at giving back to the community.

“The reason we are having this is to raise funds for the school. There are a lot of things that they don’t have like books, computers and some learners are not able to pay school; fees so the whole purpose of this is help children, the school and the community,” she said.

Various local and foreign speakers were invited and these include Dr Faith Nyamukapa, Zandile Ndlovu, Arvind Nayer, Angel Mansah, Nasha Muchochomi, Freddy Mukz, Annabelle MacKenzie, Karen Nyenga and Allan Mujuru.

Carol Antonio Samuel and her co-founding business partner are behind the festival.