“You can cut all the flowers, but you cannot keep spring from coming,” Pablo Neruda wrote.
Intwasa Arts Festival KoBulawayo is finally here and comes right at the time Bulawayo is celebrating 120 years of existence.
Spring is time for new beginnings, new leaves, new pages and blossoming flowers. We ought to be excited that the festival is in town and with its various attractive events ranging from music shows, dance and theatre.
For so long, over time, people of Bulawayo complain about lack of entertainment and lack of family events.
Truth be told, Intwasa is the opportune moment to overcome the old habits the city has been blamed for.
People have been accused of not supporting local acts, artistes have been accused of not doing enough to match arts activity in other parts of the country. I believe now is the time to shed that skin and grow new trends.
This year what gets me in festive mood is the fact that Intwasa has never been this visible. They have painted the city yellow with posters and showered social sites with lots and lots of adverts. I would argue that it’s clearly visible, audible and obvious the festival is in town!
While the line-up of acts may be of importance at Intwasa, a festival is as big as it’s people. It is as popular and as exciting as the people make it.
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All other festivals world wide have become a huge phenomenon simply because the people come out, go out and create the festive mood, which is the essence of any festival.
All year round we hear comparisons of the festival to other festivals. People write a lot of analysis on local artistes in comparison to artistes from other regions and countries too.
Local artistes have a lot to say about their exclusion from events held countrywide. Intwasa is the answer and I challenge everybody to respond in a big way.
May those artistes who have yearned for opportunity use Intwasa to rise. May those who have accused our local audiences of not supporting homegrown arts prove that they are worth the salt and do indeed deserve the support of people.
As far as people are concerned I think we need a new era and legacy. They are the consumers of creative work.
They are the customers and all Intwasa has done is to lay the products on the shelves. Let’s us call on the people to come out and be the judges, let alone enjoy the creativity of our own and those invited from other regions and other countries. After Intwasa let us give reviews of what we saw, not what we perceive.
Hearsay should go. Let us chat and post performances we saw. Let us walk our support out from Facebook pages and take it to the real venues, events and activities.
Judging by social media, there is evidence that people support Intwasa. Now is the time to walk the talk! For a long time we have used history to judge the failure of our city, our festivals and artistes. We need to create fresh platforms for new arguments.
We expect that after Intwasa people will review the festival based on events and performances they saw.
I expect people to comment and give feedback based on their own experiences rather than media reports, as has been the norm.
Our city will host the 2014 Region V Youth Games in December and Intwasa ought to be the appetiser, the dry run, dressed rehearsal and a shining example that Bulawayo can make Zimbabwe proud.
I am overwhelmed by the support the festival has received from the press and media with the Southern Eye dedicating lots of space to the festival every week.
Surely the excuses of lack of publicity have been brought to a limit. Let the festival sparkle and let it live up to its theme this year, “unforgettable”.
The Intwasa menu is appetizing to say the least. Ranging from the comedy show that will feature Babongile Skhonjwa, Doc Vikela and Ntando, among others, to the theatre and musical UMbiko KaMadlenya and visiting shows like For Generations from South Africa to Jason Mphepo’s A Thousand Miles.
There is something for everyone and for music and dance lovers what a better way to celebrate the city’s coming of age at the Bayethe Bulawayo Concert to feature the city’s iconic arts ambassadors Albert Nyathi, Iyasa, Sandra Ndebele, Martin and Ndolwane, Amawala, all supported by visiting musician Sulumani Chimbetu and many more.
I believe this is one of Intwasa’s shows that will set records right, confirm clichés or defy them.
The show will be as good as all those people who will throng the venue to watch or not to. All that is left is to let the festival live up to the billing.
May the artistes the organisers and the people of Bulawayo come out in their numbers to take Intwasa to a higher level, that of an international festival born out of Zimbabwe’s proud cultural capital city. Let the festival be indeed unforgettable . . . Keep walking.
Follow me on Twitter @NkueInnoeDube or e-mail [email protected]
