Bongani Ndlovu Showbiz Correspondent
The curtain comes down today on Intwasa Arts Festival koBulawayo with festival people expressing mixed feelings over their experiences during the week. Some revellers said they enjoyed the festival while others said more could be done to improve the festival. The week long event which started on Monday, saw visitors from different parts of the country as well as others from neighbouring countries converging in Bulawayo to celebrate arts and culture.
This year, the festival organisers themed it “My Intwasa, Your Intwasa, Our Intwasa” in a bid to show that the fete was for the people and Saturday Leisure asked those who attended the festival to share their experiences with the rest of the nation. Samantha Sithole who attended some of the shows said that she had a great time at the festival.
“I enjoyed the shows that I attended as I’m an avid follower of theatre. The productions were good especially Without a Name, which is a must see for anyone who loves theatre. The Acoustic Night All Stars Night and the Women Wine and Words were also exciting,” said Sithole. Another festival goer Helen Bhango encouraged organisers to bring more international acts to add more flavour to the festival.
“The festival should have more international acts to feature at their shows. I think the purpose of a festival is to celebrate other cultures besides your own. “That means there should be a balance in terms of our artistes and international ones. Too much of our own makes the festival monotonous,” said Bhango.
An artiste who preferred anonymity said people were tired of seeing the same acts at the festival. “Intwasa in my opinion isn’t for everyone because every year they select the same people. Some of us have been submitting our concepts for a long time but you see the same acts every year.
“The city has many artistes that can bring about variety,” said the artiste. While others complained of the same acts, it seems Jeff Masuku of Pumula South was very happy that his favourite musicians Jeys Marabini and Clement Magwaza, who performed on Thursday evening at the Ingwebu Stage at the Large City Hall, were back at the festival.
“As long as Clement Magwaza and Jeys Marabini are at the festival I’m happy because they know what they’re doing. My friend texted me informing me that Jeys and Magwaza were performing at the City Hall and I rushed to the venue,” said Masuku. The festival organisers have appealed to members of the public and the corporate world to support the artistes.
The festival kicked off on a high note with the showing of Without a Name an adaptation of the late Yvonne Vera’s book at the Bulawayo theatre. This set the tone for high quality theatre productions at the venue throughout the week. Plays such as Today it’s Me and My Hands are Clean continued the trend.
Bulawayo’s much-travelled arts group Inkululeko Yabatsha School of Arts (Iyasa) lit up the Intwasa Arts Festival koBulawayo stage on Tuesday evening at Bulawayo Theatre with an electric performance on Tuesday, proving their pedigree as one of the country’s best dance groups. The 24-member group which performed their Celebrate Africa piece left the audience asking for more.
Their one hour performance was preceded by Harare based group Afrikera Arts Trust which presented Raramo, a performance comprised of a mixture of traditional and contemporary dances. The Ingwebu Stage at the City Hall car park was a hive of activity as different entertainment groups performed each day.
Missing at this year’s festival was the Spring Jazz Festival which over the years featured Selmour Mtukudzi, Dudu Manhenga, Tariro neGitare and Three Generations. The festival winds up with an Intwasa Fashion Show, Comedy Night featuring Clive Chigubu and Doc Vikela and Intwasa Poetry Slam.