Shoko vs Intwasa

. Bruce Ndlovu
AS the two major festivals on the Zimbabwean arts calendar this year, the ongoing Intwasa Arts Festival koBulawayo and the Shoko Festival held last week are ripe for comparison.

With the Harare International Festival of the Arts (HIFA) in hibernation, the question has been how the two festivals will be able to walk in the shoes left vacant by the feet of the countrya��s biggest arts fete.

Intwasa being an all encompassing arts extravaganza seemed to be the logical successor to HIFA, as it houses a lot of arts disciplines and not just music as is the case with Shoko.

This is where Intwasa claims its first advantage. Classifying itself as a hip-hop festival narrowed Shokoa��s effectiveness as it began to be only identified with a certain demographic. Ita��s a box that the organisers have tried to break out of this year by rebranding the festival as an urban music festival.

For a lover of arts in all its various forms however, Intwasa satisfies simply by carrying assorted arts genres under one umbrella.

From the Edinburgh Festival in Scotland to South Africaa��s Macufe, the first thing that catches the eye about a festival is the calibre of artistes that grace its roster.

Star power makes a festival an attractive proposition for any art lovers, and although festivals are meant to celebrate artistic excellence there is no denying the magnetic effect that big names have.

Ita��s in this aspect that Shoko comes out tops. Having managed to announce AKA and comedian David Goliath as its trump cards, the festival also managed to snag Jah Prayzah, Winky D andA� Ammara Brown once and for all proving that they had shed the hip-hop tag.

Ita��s a line-up that the organisers rightly made a song and dance about.

In contrast Intwasa this year was not packing such firepower. Prudence Katomeni and Jah Prayzah duplicate Andy Muridzo are the biggest names to grace this yeara��s festival, which pales in comparison to the Shokoa��s arsenal of artistes all of whom have been firing on all cylinders this year.

The Intwasa organisers have been candid about the problems faced by the festival. According to the festivala��s spokesperson Nkululeko Nkala, this yeara��s extravaganza took them six steps back and it is hard to argue against that point when one compares the last few editions to the ongoing one.

Shoko rebranded as they felt that they had outgrown the countrya��s hip-hop artistes, who could not pull the crowds that they wanted during the fest.

The calibre of artistes that performed at this yeara��s fest suggests that it has grown, but the same cannot be said for Bulawayoa��s premiere arts event.

While popularity is not a measure of artistsa�� skillA� the noise that accompanies every Intwasa Festival has been notched down a few decibels this year, as its growth is seemingly retarded by its financial woes.

This may also contribute to the low level of excitement witnessed this year. Festivals by their nature are supposed to shake up a city and inject the people in a host city with a high level of excitement for the arts. This party mood is what has been missing from this yeara��s festivities.

The local and international headlines that followed last weeka��s Shoko Festival however, suggests that the opposite mood prevailed in the capital.