Shot in the arm for artistes

Stephen Chifunyise Theatre Corridors
MANY post-theatre performance discussions that have been held at various theatre venues in Harare have been dominated by questions about the causes of the short performance lives of most plays. It has been observed that one of the major characteristics of the Zimbabwean theatre industry has been the tendency by production houses and theatre companies to kill very successful theatre productions after very few performances to very few audiences mainly in Harare and Bulawayo.

In the last five years, most well-received theatre performances have not undertaken performance tours to other parts of the country outside of Harare and Bulawayo. Only those with support from the donor community and commissioned public campaign plays have been enabled to undertake national performance tours and to appear in programmes of local festivals.

Production houses and theatre companies have always pointed to the absence of financial resources necessary for viable performance tours of plays .
At the Zimbabwe Theatre Association meeting in Mutare in March, leaders of theatre groups from Midlands, Masvingo and Manicaland provinces indicated that because they cannot take their plays to Harare and Bulawayo, they are not recognised as being in existence.

They indicated that because of this state of affairs, an impression has been made that it is only in Harare and Bulawayo where active theatre is taking place and where professional theatre companies exist.

It was clear, therefore, that in the absence of mobile theatre productions, it is difficult to envisage a viable theatre industry in Zimbabwe and that it is a waste of resources, time and talent to produce excellent theatre performances that are seen by very few people in very few venues.

The recent unveiling of a very generous Arts Mobility Fund for Zimbabwean artistes by the Culture Fund of Zimbabwe Trust in partnership with the Hivos Foundation is a most welcome response to the mobility challenges theatre companies and other arts creators have been facing.

The Arts Mobility Fund, which is supported by the Royal Norwegian Embassy and the Swedish Embassy will “assist artistes to travel to fairs, festivals, exhibitions, workshops and other arts sector-related activities around the country, facilitating the exchange of Zimbabwe’s diverse culture and Heritage.

“The Arts Mobility Fund will stimulate artistic movement through the generation of new exchange opportunities, thereby enabling as many artists as possible access to new markets, audiences and freedom of expression platforms. The Culture Fund and Hivos Foundation see the availability of this mobility fund, as means of assuring the feasible movement of not only products, but cultural heritage and traditions of different communities from one part of the country to another allowing access and exposure.”

The mobility funds being made available will be used between June 2013 and December 2013.
The following are the mobility fund access conditions:

• The funds are only available for Zimbabwean citizens working within the arts and culture sector.

• Minimum amount to be requested is pegged at US$500 and maximum at US$2 000

• The fund will be used to fund accommodation, a per diem of not more than US$50 a day(covering all means)10 percent of transport costs for goods, equipment and human transport costs that include, air and road travel within Zimbabwe

• Funds are available for individuals, groups, associations and organisations.

• Application for fund is limited to once every year except in exceptional cases.

Application forms for the fund can obtained from the websites of Culture Fund of Zimbabwe (www.culturefund.org.zw).
Culture Fund and Hivos Foundation representatives meet monthly to decide on the applications for the travel grants.

Applicants are also encouraged to visit the Culture Fund of Zimbabwe Trust offices at 51 Harvey Brown Road, Milton Park, Harare, for information on how to apply to the Arts Mobility Fund.

According the Culture Fund, one of the most frequent requests from artistes to the Fund’s grants programme is support for moving not only their products and ideas but themselves to places of business and trade. Therefore if “mobility is one of the main priority areas for the Zimbabwean arts and culture sector” and if artists consider “mobility as a fundamental part of the creative process and the distribution of work”, Culture Fund of Zimbabwe and Hivos Foundation should be flooded with applications from artistes from all over the country to carry out their mobility projects in the remaining five months.

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