All set for Intwasa Festival

Entertainment
INTWASA Arts Festival KoBulawayo officialIy kicks off today with four shows lined up at the Bulawayo Theatre and the National Art Gallery respectively.

INTWASA Arts Festival KoBulawayo officialIy kicks off today with four shows lined up at the Bulawayo Theatre and the National Art Gallery respectively. SHARON SIBINDI/NONHLANHLA SIBANDA

The first show, slated for 10am at the Bulawayo Theatre, is The Lion and the Jewel which is supported by Plan Zimbabwe. The group will have their second show at the same venue at 2pm.

Women, Words and Wine show will take up the second session at 5pm at the National Art Gallery, an event supported by the British Council and Hivos.

Rounding off the events of the day at 7pm would be the UMbiko KaMadlenya show which is supported by the Bulawayo City Council and Bulawayo Progressive Residents’ Association.

Meanwhile, Intwasa will this year feature a creative flea market which offers a platform for local creators and designers to display and sell their products to the general public dubbed The CoFFashion Pop Up on September 27.

The CoFFashion Pop Up will feature local creatives, live entertainment, children’s corner, make overs and food stalls.

The initiative by Hunnar Management Agency, in collaboration with Fifra Concepts, National Gallery of Zimbabwe in Bulawayo, deck Magazine and Coca-Cola, will see local creators and designers such as Litso Clothing Label, Shadow By Sidumiso, Annie G Couture, KoMaseko Arts & Ceramics, Isobel Couture, Brand Room and AM Model Management, participate.

Hunnar Management Agency director Gilmore Moyo who doubles up as an organiser of the event said the Pop Up would be happening during Intwasa as part of celebrating 10 years of the festival.

“The initiative aims at giving the public an opportunity to consume locally-produced commodities and allowing the creatives to earn a source of income through the sales” he said.

“Through collaborating with local creators, the initiative has given an opportunity for the Zimbabwean market and streets to be flooded with local products and allow sustainable growth to those in the Zimbabwean creative industries.

“As a people, we need to support our own creative individuals in seeing the business side of what they do. It is not only about their talents, but it is about improving their skills through making their products available to the public and allowing them to give constructive criticism so as to enable growth,” Moyo said.

More than 30 exhibitors are expected at the third CoFFashion Pop Up.

Moyo added: “It is with this in mind that we received the support of the National Gallery of Zimbabwe in Bulawayo, Fifra Concepts, Coca-Cola, deck Magazine and Intwasa in having the event being part of the 10th anniversary of the festival.

“As our city celebrates 120 years, we also ought to celebrate creative individuals that have contributed immensely to the growth of our city in all spheres of influence.”

The CoFFashion Pop Up has been running once every last Saturday of the month in Bulawayo at the National Gallery.