Blessing’s HIFA Diary - Day 6, Easy like a Sunday
Filed under: Entertainment, Arts & Culture, Zimbabwean diaries
2 May, Sunday
AON Zimbabwe
“What we teach, we will reap, from men. What we deny, we will see, from men.” - Lebo Mashile, poet.
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A good day. Slow and easy-going just like Sunday should be. I’m sure none of us were expecting Salif Keita to attend the morning press conference, freshly arrived in Zimbabwe and experiencing luggage issues but he was there and it was wonderful to have him in our midst. He has a presence that is real and awe-inspiring. He appears to be one of those people who has no doubts about his reason for being on this good earth.
It was kind of bitter-sweet, being the last day. On one hand I am glad to be getting back to the slower pace of my everyday life and on the other I shall miss the bustle and activities and spending whole days wandering around discovering friends old and new. Back to the other hand though, I shall not miss the passive smoking I did all week. My room in the mornings always smelt as if I had been chain-smoking from sun-up to sun-down. Read more
Blessing’s HIFA Diary - Day 5, Messing with my mojo
1 May, Saturday
Coca-Cola day
“Open happiness.”
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I left HIFA early today because being a Saturday, it was so crowded that it had become stressful to be there, the vibe had changed completely and the bouncers at the main stage gates had messed with my mojo.
The day started off great: press conference was colourful, with a wide range of guests and we were treated to a lovely serenade by The Magnets (an a cappella group from the UK). From there I rushed to my first show of the day, which was Musicolour, featuring Outspoken (spoken word artist) and his band The Essence, in collaboration with Trio Broz (string trio courtesy of the Embassy of Italy and the European Union), and Upmost – My Brother’s Keeper (spoken word artist). Out of the featured repertoire, my absolute favourite was one I’d never heard before; a satirical number about two domestic servants fighting over who was the best servant to baas and medem. The gardener ( Outspoken) and the cook (Upmost) do not like each other, but each one of them loves his medem and loves his baas. I laughed uproariously. These two guys have mad skills and Trio Broz were superb.
Now, Outspoken tackles issues of global politics and personal freedom. What was ironic is that at the end of a particular track, a member of the audience walked up to the stage and made a comment about the song. First of all, should audience members even be allowed to approach performers during a set? I wondered why this was allowed because none of the many festival staff at hand made a move to ask the lady to return to her seat. Read more
Blessing’s HIFA Diary - Day 4, Bedridden spirit, poetry & ZESA
30 April Friday
Lion Lager day
“Life is just a shelter for the soul.” – Phillippa Yaa de Villiers - poet (HIFA 2010)
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Today my body came to HIFA but my spirit stayed in bed. It caught up with me much later on, just before the Hot House Flowers show in the evening but by that time I could only persuade my body to stay only a little bit longer.
My day started off with Only Hope, a play at the Standard Theatre, which ironically enough began with a funeral scene, just like Hamlet did, in the same theatre two days ago. The dirge they sang was exactly the same as in Hamlet, but without the searing quality of the delivery, however, it fitted the scene. Deja-vu? I sat too close to the front and felt far too involved in the whole enterprise. I always prefer to be a little further away so as not to feel too captive an audience. However, there was some really good acting here. Read more
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
On The Zimbo Jam- Zambezi Express Wins Edinburgh Fringe AwardIn June last year, commenting about their now famous show, The Zambezi Express, on their Facebook profile, Bulawayo production company Siyaya said, "We aim to be the best original arts company producing original work of art that is unique to Zimbabwe, Africa and the world at large." They got one step closer to that dream at the end of last month when they were recognised for their outstanding performance at the Edinburgh Fringe in the UK.
- Akon Arrives in Harare Amid Hysterical ScenesThere was chaos at the Harare International Airport earlier this afternoon as hundreds of Akon fans waited for their icon to land. When he finally appeared from the terminal- not through the normal exit- just after 1400hrs, there were scenes of hysteria as people screamed his name, reached out to touch his hand and some burst into tears.
- The Akon Countdown...It is now just a matter of hours before Hip Hop icon, Akon, lands in Zimbabwe for what is already one of the most widely talked about shows in Zimbabwe’s entertainment history. You can feel the excitement in everyone you talk to; they want to be there when history is made. Even people who have never been to a live concert in their lives are talking of buying tickets. If you think that’s something, wait till Akon lands this afternoon. We’re expecting a show of fanaticism the likes of which we have never seen before…
- Zambezi Express Wins Edinburgh Fringe Award