The KwaNtuthu Comedy Festival has turned to the community to help fund its next chapter as it prepares to celebrate its fifth edition in Bulawayo from October 29 to 31.
The festival has launched the Friends of KwaNtuthu initiative, which allows members of the public to contribute towards its growth from as little as US$5 or R100.
Founder Dumisani Ndlovu, popularly known as Maforty, said the initiative aimed at creating a community around the festival and ensuring its growth beyond its founders.
“KwaNtuthu may have started as an idea, but for that idea to grow, find its feet and eventually outlive its founders, it needs a village around it,” Ndlovu said.
“For us, Friends of KwaNtuthu is about building that village.”
The initiative comes as the festival prepares for its fifth edition, having over the years provided a platform for comedians as well as young actors, filmmakers, performers and other creatives.
Ndlovu said the festival’s contribution went beyond providing entertainment, as it also brought audiences, families and communities together through comedy, storytelling and performance.
He said the new initiative was designed to give members of the public an opportunity to directly participate in building the festival.
- KwaNtuthu Festival on the cards
- KwaNtuthu Comedy sets festival dates
- KwaNtuthu Comedy takes shape
- Kwantuthu festival, Mrs Sinkwa intensify breast cancer awareness
Keep Reading
“A person can become a Friend of KwaNtuthu by contributing from as little as US$5 or R100, or whatever amount they are comfortable giving,” he said.
Ndlovu said the campaign was not about the size of individual contributions, but about what could be achieved when communities collectively supported a cultural project.
The festival’s fifth anniversary campaign is running under the slogan “Give Me 5 — High 5!”, linking the fifth edition with the minimum US$5 contribution.
Ndlovu, however, said becoming a Friend of KwaNtuthu was not restricted to financial contributions.
He said buying a ticket, attending a show, sharing the festival programme, introducing someone to the festival or supporting its work could also help sustain the initiative.
The founder said the long-term ambition was to build KwaNtuthu into a cultural platform that Bulawayo and Zimbabwe could increasingly regard as their own.
“Our ambition is to develop a festival that Bulawayo and Zimbabwe can increasingly regard as their own - a platform that creates opportunities for today’s creatives while helping open doors for the next generation,” he said.
Ndlovu said the initiative was ultimately about creating a sense of collective ownership around the festival.
