Blessing’s HIFA Diary - Day 3, ambiguity, finding God & poverty
29 April, Thursday
Stanbic Bank day
“A country that’s going through some ambiguous moments.” - Maria Wilson – HIFA Executive Director, talking about Zimbabwe.
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Day two without electricity – I think this qualifies as one of those ambiguous moments. I am not home all day so I haven’t really felt it too badly yet except for the unfairness of driving past lit suburbs all the way home after midnight only to reach ours that is in complete darkness. Thank God for the full moon otherwise it would be an untenable situation.
After leaving the press room way past the time of the first show I was supposed to see, I picked up an artist friend who is performing tonight. She wanted to go shopping for a shiny, purple, body hugging, short jacket with long sleeves. In Harare! I thought the flea market in Avondale would be the best place and also convenient as it was also the location for my next show. We didn’t find the jacket, of course – in Harare! – BUT I was very surprised at the wide selection on clothes available there and if there was a purple jacket of that particular description to be found anywhere in Harare, it would be here I think. We went on to the show. Read more
Blessing’s HIFA Diary- Day 2, Magic
28 April, Wednesday
CABS DAY
Some memorable soundbites of the day:
“Absence is a mass noun …”
“The tonnage of years …” - Richard Brown - poet
“You are a friend of my conscience…” Yasus Afari - poet, Reggae artist
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I have discovered that I have the magical ability to close my eyes, turn over in my bed and turn night into morning. It happened for real. I guess it’s a feat made easier by the kind of evening I had. After the opening show we went to the Coca-Cola Green ( known as the Green from now on). Had several drinks at Laiza’s Restaurant with assorted friends and family, watched a bit of Liyana ( with Prudence, of the Music by Prudence fame) and finally made it home just after midnight, at which point I set out to write my diary for the day. At about 3 am I quit battling with my modem and that’s when the magic happened.
Somehow by the time I climbed the stairs to the press room this morning I felt human again and ready to do repeat the internet/modem battle. I eventually won the battle but at the cost of missing the Shanghai dance and acrobatic show. Oh internet, they name is plod! I then made it to another dance show, just barely though, and this is the trouble with things that start dead on time. Probably the most interesting piece in this show, was one that involved the putting on of sweaters and then taking them off again almost before they were on and I couldn’t help thinking that I could do that, in fact I do do it when I can’t decide what to wear or when I discover I’ve put my sweater on backwards and try to right the wrong without taking it off completely again. I just don’t put as much symmetry into the movements. Read more
Blessing’s HIFA Diary- Day 1, A giddy beginning
27 April, Tuesday
BancABC day
It’s finally begun and everyone is giddy with excitement. It’s the opening tonight and that’s always a sure winner. At the press conference this morning there are representatives from BancABC, HIFA and some of the musical personnel from tonight’s performance – details later. Also reps from the play Jutro coming from South Africa and strangely enough I have watched this very actress sitting in front of me before – quite recently too, in a play in Sandton (Joburg) and here I am seeing her again in Harare before the year is through. Her name is Keren Tahor. It seems that once you see or meet a person , you are destined to see them again and sometimes more than just once again.
I have been holding mini-press conferences with myself for the past couple of weeks just to see what it’s like on the other side and I have fielded my own questions with deep and philosophical answers that make me something of a visionary in the eyes of my own little press corps. I would have done better to spend the time reading the programme once more before venturing into the grounds of the Telecel Main stage for the opening performance. Perhaps I would have understood the unfolding dramatics better. Read more
Blessing’s HIFA Diary- Day 0- ZESA, journos, partying
26 April, Monday Press Accreditation
I don’t want to begin my note with a gripe but seriously ZESA WTF!? Despite paying an overpriced electric bill we have had electricity less than 50% of the time this month. I almost can’t bear it.
Anyway, the light at the end of this week’s tunnel is that with HIFA on I will be too busy to care about not having power. So, off I went to get accredited with a press pass for the week and if anything has changed since I was last a member of the press for HIFA, it the rules. I think it was 2005 and there weren’t too many of us covering the events and there just as few rules. Today however, the room was PACKED and the rules were plenty. Regardless, one of the things that I had forgotten about us Zimbos i our complete inability to appreciate personal space. Oh no such thing in this place, your sweat is my sweat, your breath is my breath. It should be something I’m used to by now but I am not.
To continue, the press accreditation started on time - Kudos media liaison officer and continued smoothly until there was a sudden change in the perception of the journos who hadn’t yet been called up to get their tags. It seemed that there was a marked lack of trust in the proceedings for no apparent reason: I cannot count on one hand the number of times the beleagured press officer had to tell journalists to sit down and wait until their names were called. No, quite a few people believed that this was not going to happen and as a result they continually stood up to go and mill around the front tables, ask questions and generally stop things from actually moving forward. It was kinda funny and so typical.
After milling around myself for a bit, I moved on to go and mill around elsewhere until the British Council-hosted HIFA party. There are a number of theatre poductions featuring at HIFA this year that were sponsored by the HIFA Direct programme in partnership with the British Coucil. If I had some decent light I would be able to look at my programme and tell you how many and what they are but I did meet quite a few of the young directors and actors and actresses, one of whom is Chipo Chung whom I last saw on an episode of some UK drama series - The Bill comes to mind but it could just as well have been Holby City - Chipo I know this won’t impress you but I do suffer from vague moments like this from time to time ( also I am under pressure to finish writing before my battery runs out so I can’t really take the time to look it up but if I had to pt money on it I would say Holby City). Anyway, Chipo - rising star, was my junior at school so it was lovely to see her again.
I wonder though, where everyone has gone that I used to know. It used to be that I would go to these receptions and know 80% of the people there as more than just acquaintances but now, I am everyone elses’ acquaintance and a new face to many. Should I have moved on to some other place by now - I think I miss many boats in life - I don’t know why nobody ever tells me when things are changing. But hey, I’m here for HIFA, once again and that’s definitely a good thing. Now all I need is to find a secret spot that will be free and safe from miscreants anytime I need to park my car and life will be makeke. Opening night tomorrow - Yay!
