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 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
