Winds of change at HIFA

Winds of change are blowing at the country’s biggest arts festival, the Harare International Festival of the Arts (Hifa).

The arts fete, which is rated among the top seven festivals in Africa and is appreciated worldwide, is reportedly grooming black Zimbabweans for eventual takeover of the dominantly white festival.

After several rumours linking leading black arts managers to the festival’s hot seat, that of artistic director, the festival eventually confirmed some strategic promotions last week.

Mind Chamisa, who was the festival’s administration manager, and Tafadzwa Simba, who was the communications and media liaison, have been promoted to general manager and associate executive director, respectively.

The two talented managers have joined Maria Wilson and Manuel Bagorro, the founders of the festival, in the top echelons of the organisation’s power structure.

In 2013, Bagorro tried handing over the responsibility of artistic director to Gavin Peter, but the chubby Peter failed to last beyond one year, forcing Bagorro, who is based in the United States of America, to make a return to the festival this year.

Wilson, who is the executive director of the festival, is said to be in poor health, which has also forced the board of directors to bring in Simba as an associate executive director and take over the workload.

In an exclusive interview with The Sunday Mail Leisure last week, Simba confirmed the promotions, saying the organisation was preparing for its longevity.

“This is part of the system of progress of staff and organisational self-propagation that organisations that want an organised progression into the future and longevity undertake,” said Simba.

“This is also a natural progression of programmes of giving growth opportunities to members of the Hifa team in a systematic and guided manner so as to look after the longevity of the organisation in an orderly manner. Both my colleague Mind and I have gone step by step over many years on this orderly path until this stage of the current set-up.”

Simba refuted claims of Maria’s poor health and dismissed reports of being groomed for the top post of artistic director.

“Maria is fine,” quipped Simba. “Some people can distort things they do not understand. I am not the artistic director. I am the associate executive director. There have just been two new appointments to the structures of Hifa, mine and that of Mind Chamisa. His role is that of general manager. Maria Wilson is the executive director and Manuel Bagorro is the artistic director for Hifa 2015,” he said.

Simba also explained the difference between his job and Maria’s.

“My role is to look after the day-to-day executive function of the organisation. Maria oversees the overall executive function. The difference is that she is in charge and I am second in charge as her associate. My position has a more hands-on role in the day-to-day function of the organisation,” explained Simba. The new associate executive director was also quick to share his vision for the organisation.

“From where I stand, there are so many benefits to the country that accrue from Hifa and one of my main objectives is to let the people see them and also participate therein. There are far too many to mention here — we might take up all your broadsheet space if we tried!

“I can pick one as an example. Art and culture are critical components of education, for instance. This is not something new. As you know, something as simple as singing was an important means by which to give numeric literacy to children long before the advent of book-based education in this country,” he said.

Simba wants to advocate, through his new role, for Government to take seriously the arts and culture, especially with regards to education.

“Our forbears learnt to count as children through song — that is an intersection between ‘art’ and science. Hifa has been working with schools for many years. I would want the role of art and culture in education to be better appreciated by all stakeholders and to have it properly supported by parents, educationalists and all other relevant stakeholders as well,” said Simba.

The 32-year-old former Hifa spokesperson was educated at Gateway High School.

He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Zimbabwe. He is currently on the roster of the Oxford High Performance Leadership Programme at Oxford University’s Said Business School.

Tafadzwa’s first full-time engagement with Hifa was in 2003 when he was administration manager. Subsequently he headed various sections within the festival, through which he has gained an intimate knowledge of the operations of the festival.

A keener appreciation of general festival operations has also accrued to him through attendance and observation of other festivals not only in Zimbabwe but also in such diverse places as South Africa, Malawi, Serbia and Zanzibar.