Phillip Kusasa, the director of the Ndau Festival of the Arts, has said this year’s edition will celebrate storytelling and old-age wisdom.
As a forerunner to the festival at Bangira Village on September 8, a symposium will be held at Chikore High School the day before.
In an interview with NewsDay Life & Style, Kusasa promised a weekend of cultural exchanges, entertainment and empowerment through creative productions such as traditional Ndau dance and music, poetry and theatre, visual art exhibitions and storytelling, cultural food displays, workshops and a symposium.
Artists featured in the past included community members like Edwin Hlatywayo who exhibits Ndau-inspired paintings and mbira music and works with the Paiyapo Mbira Group.
“This interdisciplinary one-day symposium aims to explore the role of creative arts in fostering inter-generational connections and promoting understanding between the elderly and young people. We invite researchers, artists and cultural practitioners to submit abstracts that showcase innovative approaches to inter-generational collaboration, creative expression and social inclusion. The symposium's theme is Mainstreaming the elderly through the young in creative arts: Promoting inter-generational understanding and co-operation,” Kusasa said.
In Africa, where traditions, heritage and communal values are deeply rooted, the elderly occupy a significant place as custodians of culture and wisdom. Several studies highlight creative arts as a tool for social and inter-generational engagement.
For instance, the World Health Organisation’s 2019 report underscores the transformative power of artistic activities on the role of arts in improving health and well-being.
Procedurally, the young people are educated through stories, proverbs, songs as well as by their lived and felt experiences. They learn from the elders by listening, living and doing.
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As the Akan proverb says: “You can only tap wine from a mature palm tree”. In Africa, notable initiatives like the Grandmothers’ Storytelling Project in Tanzania have demonstrated how elder-led artistic efforts preserve cultural heritage while enhancing societal unity.
Likewise, storytelling by the elderly among the Ndau people is not alien with the figure of Sarungano coming to mind. Through the symposium, there is a desire to stimulate discussion on how elder-led artistic endeavours can promote inter-generational collaboration for community development.
The symposium will welcome researchers, artists and cultural practitioners to present innovative ideas and projects that explore how creativity can act as a bridge between generations. Sub-themes include inter-generational storytelling, creative co-production, digital inclusion, and community engagement, each a thread in the rich fabric of communal identity.
Kusasa launched the Ndau Festival of the Arts (also referred to as Paiyapo Arts Festival) in 2013 as a platform to halt the erosion of traditional Ndau values under colonial legacy and modern cultural influence. The festival has grown from a local gathering to an internationally-recognised event.
Kusasa’s participation in global forums such as the 2025 Atelier for Young Festival Managers in San Sebastián, Spain, has introduced new practices, networking and funding opportunities like the SSADZA Fund to support original artistic works .
In the rhythm of drums, in the whisper of folktales and in the steps of traditional dance, the past walks with us, and through the Ndau Festival, it shall speak once more next month at Chikore High School and Bangira Village.
