The inaugural Mitambo Festival will run from the 8th to the 12th of
October 2019 in Harare, the capital city of Zimbabwe. The theme is ‘Emerge’ and the organizers are
aiming for an annual international theatre festival that will showcase local
and international. Planned events include performances, master classes and
presentations of papers. According to information released by the organizers:
‘Zimbabwe TheatreAcademy in partnership with the Network of emerging Arts professional, Zimbabwe
Centre of the International Theatre Institute, Reps Theatre and Africalia
presents – Mitambo International Theatre Festival.
MiTambo, a Shona
word for plays, truly encapsulates what the festival is about; a platform
through which local communities can access and celebrate the diversity of cultural
identity and artistic expression. Mitambo Fest, aims to uncover and support
what theatre can be and, what it can enable communities to do. It seeks to
harness the unique energy and power of theatre as an immediate engagement tool
for transformation of ordinary people. As a way of enhancing the visibility of
theatre the festival will also have a cultural exchange component. This
potential cross-pollination of ideas, aesthetics and professional artistic
potential between local and international artistic initiatives will enhance the
Zimbabwean theatre landscape towards performing arts taking on an active role
in the socio-economic growth of our society.
At MiTambo Fest.,
we believe in the sharing of stories which foster a culture of dialogue and the
upholding of the right to free expression. As a priority the festival will
ensure that everyone in our community is given access to fresh, thought
provoking and high standard theatre performances.’
There has been a revival of theatre and arts in general following the
bloodless ouster of long-time president Robert Mugabe. One of the first
indications of the change in political temperatures was the production of the
hilarious stage play Operation Restore
Legacy which re-imagines the military takeover in Harare that ended one of
Africa’s longest and most controversial presidential tenures. Operation Restore Legacy was written and
directed by Charles Mungangasa, and produced Mashingo Theatre.
A
scene from Operation Restore Legacy
(Photo: africanews.)
Zimbabwe is also the home of the Harare International Festival of Arts,
a six-day performing arts extravaganza that for years was one of the premier
theatre events on the continent. The event will, however, not take place this
year. According to a statement posted on the official HIFA website on 15 Feb
2019:
‘The HARARE INTERNATIONAL
FESTIVAL OF THE ARTS (HIFA) will not stage the event in 2019 and will focus on
new projects leading up to a major Festival in 2020. The decision has been
taken after much thought, soul-searching and discussion. Zimbabwe is dealing
with many important issues, both social and economic. In this context, the
Festival cannot responsibly commit to presenting a feasible and viable event
this year of the same quality and impact that HIFA is known for. The Festival
will use this time to work on other projects, particularly in schools, to
broaden and deepen the organisation’s contribution to arts and cultural
development. Showcasing the artistic outcomes of our planned new school
programmes will be one facet of the next Festival, 28 April to 3 May 2020.’
Years of economic hardship (exemplified by hyper-inflation) and a
political crisis revolving the ageing President Mugabe led to a downturn in the
fortunes of the southern African nation that the citizens are still recovering
from.
