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Mbulelo Mpofu, [email protected]
Last week, the Zimbabwe International Trade Fair (ZITF) was held at the Zimbabwe International Exhibition Centre (ZIEC), featuring participation from various countries and fostering relations with Zimbabwe.
Among the participating nations was South Africa, represented by officials from the Polokwane Municipality. Their visit signalled promising developments for members of the Creative and Cultural Industries (CCIs) in Bulawayo.
In 2012, the Bulawayo City Council (BCC) and Polokwane Municipality signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) anchored on, among other things, collaborating for tourism, artistic and cultural endeavours.
Speaking on the sidelines of the Bulawayo Creative Showcase at the National Gallery of Zimbabwe in Bulawayo last Friday, Councillor Tebele Jerry Mamabolo, the Acting Executive Mayor of Polokwane and head of Sport, Arts, Culture and Special Programmes, expressed Polokwane’s readiness to collaborate with Bulawayo’s creative community.
“As the City of Polokwane, we’re ready to have cultural and artistic exchanges with Bulawayo as per our MoU. We want to see Bulawayo artistes performing in Polokwane and vice versa.
“I think together, we can transform the lives of those involved in the creative space for posterity’s sake. Our stay here has been an eye-opener as I think Bulawayo creatives face the same challenges as their Polokwane counterparts and it’s up to us to change that,” he shared.
The Bulawayo Creative Showcase, organised by the British Council in Zimbabwe and the US Embassy in Zimbabwe, featured a diverse line-up of performers that included rappers Meet Luminous and Indigo Saint, spoken word artists Sonkomose and Thaluso The Poet, along with singers Msiz’Kay, Thandy Dhlana-Jele, Zarae and Vuyo Brown, who entertained the crowd with their talents.
British Council in Zimbabwe director, Roland Davies praised the talent displayed by artistes who performed.
“I wasn’t surprised by what I saw. Bulawayo has always been the country’s cultural hub and that was shown here tonight (Friday night). We are glad that we curated this programme, especially after a hectic week with the Trade Fair. We will continue supporting the local arts fraternity,” he said.
Larry Socha, the public affairs officer at the US Embassy in Zimbabwe, stated that the Embassy will continue to support local talent.
“It is part of our mandate to work closely with those involved in arts and as we have done before, we shall continue supporting them through various programmes that we have lined up,” he said.
Zimbabwe and South Africa have enjoyed a robust creative partnership, as evidenced by the frequent exchange of talent, with South African acts regularly performing in Zimbabwe and Zimbabwean artists taking the stage in South Africa. — Follow on X @MbuleloMpofu
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