Zim Festivals get thumbs up

Lifestyle Editor
As the build up to the annual Harare International Festival of the Arts gains momentum, Cable News Network has just paid the country’s arts and culture fiesta a big compliment. HIFA and the Vic Falls Carnival are listed as among the seven must see African festivals alongside continental giants like the Cape Town International Jazz Festival of South Africa and the Marrakesh Popular Festival of the Arts in Morocco.

Others are Lake Of Stars in Malawi, Sauti Za Busara in Tanzania and Bushfire Festival of Swaziland

The article published on CNN reads:

“The Harare International Festival of the Arts (HIFA) is touted as the “Glastonbury of African festivals.”

“Established in 1999, the festival takes place each year in late April or early May in Harare, the capital of Zimbabwe.

“The week-long festival encompasses five principal disciplines: theatre, music, dance, fine art, and poetry. Attendees can take djembe drumming lessons, take in a poetry session, fashion show or catch their favourite artists performing.

“HIFA is probably the most innovative in terms of social media use; last year, the festival had a screen that showed attendees’ tweets.

“Another great thing about HIFA is that you pay per event, according to your interest, unlike other festivals where a standard price is paid for all events.”

Since its inception HIFA has brought Harare to a bustling peak of excitement each year as thousands of locals and foreigners throng the venues in search of Zimbabwean and foreign talent in numerous art genres.

Last year HIFA successfully produced Zimbabwe’s first musical which was a love story based on Shimmer Chinodya’s novel “Harvest of Thorns”.

This year sees the return of founder Emmanuel Bagorro as the artistic director and expectations are high that the 2014 edition will once again be explosive, exhausting, exciting and exhilarating.

The festival will run under the theme “Switch On’.

The Vic Falls Carnival comes in for its own laurels as it is touted as the youngest festival on the list since it launched in 2011:

“Performances take place during the evening so that guests can take advantage of the tourist capital by day by indulging in activities like white water rafting, paying a visit to the Victoria Falls, bungee jumping or visiting the museum.

“Although held at the very end of December, southern Africa’s rainy season, this three-day festival is the perfect way to welcome the New Year.

“Expect a mostly alternative/rock line-up with some local Zimbabwean acts and one or two artists from neighbouring Zambia.

“One of the unique aspects of the Vic Falls festival is the journey there. A steam train picks up attendees in South Africa, while Namibians, Tswana’s and Zambians can catch buses in their respective countries.

On one night of the festival, guests are packed into the steam train which stops in the middle of a national park and hosts a DJ-fuelled dance party.”