By Sophie Chese Msowa
The Harare International Festival of the Arts is back to its six-day festival programme after a year’s sabbatical.
Running under the theme ‘Hifa 2017 Staging an Intervention’, the six-day festival will take place from May 2 to 7.
Addressing a press conference in the capital recently, Hifa Executive Director Maria Wilson said they are happy to be back this year saying they are committed to make this edition a memorable one.
“We are back and we are committed to make the festival a memorable one. We are going to have the usual music, dance theatre craft, applied art among other things,” she said.
She said superstar Oliver ‘Tuku’ Mtukudzi together with Mahube will open the festival with a show titled ‘Let our song be sung’.
There will different dance groups to perform at this year’s festival and one of the flagship companies performing is Tim Casson and Friends from UK, an interactive dance piece that sources movements and dance ideas from people in the street and re-imagines them on stage.
In terms of theatre, Hifa associate executive director Tafadzwa Simba said there will be a wide variety of local actors and also productions from Kenya and UK who will combine with local actors to create an unprecedented opportunity for Hifa audiences.
“Theatre lovers must also watch out for the Handlebards,” an acclaimed production of Shakespeare’s ‘Midsummer Night’s Dream’,” he said.
He said this year’s Youth Zone, is going to be an urban jungle, a place where children of any age can explore their environment.
“The children will be able to explore their cultural heritage and its influence on others through music, art, theatre, singing and dance.
“Interaction and exploration are the themes running through the daily workshops and competitions,” he said. The Herald
