Where is family entertainment at ZITF?

20 Apr, 2014 - 00:04 0 Views
Where is family entertainment at ZITF? Zimbabwe International Trade Fair

The Sunday News

The Trade Fair is also one of the rare moments when the usually sleepy city stays awake for a full week.

The Trade Fair is also one of the rare moments when the usually sleepy city stays awake for a full week.

Arts Focus Raisedon Baya
April is the birth month of our country. Infact Zimbabwe turned 34 years last Friday and a few party animals are still nursing the hangover from the celebrations. Lucky horses! In Bulawayo April is also synonymus with the annual Zimbabwe International Trade Fair (ZITF), the biggest business gathering in Zimbabwe. The Trade Fair is also one of the rare moments when the usually sleepy city stays awake for a full week.

This is the time that those with the energy and some resources, especially our brothers from Harare, will be trying to show locals how to prowl the night looking for entertainment and some fun.Fun is good, which is why the wise warned us about all work and no play making Jack a dull boy. Everyone is encouraged to have fun occasionally. Unfortunately during the Trade Fair period fun seem to favour the brave and the wild, those that want to prowl the under belly of the city.

This is the conclusion we came to after browsing through all entertainment pages and walking the streets reading the countless posters fighting for attention on street walls. It seems all the entertainment will be in nightclubs. So nightclubs will be the places to be. All action will be there. But what about those that do not imbibe? What about those that want some intelligent and laid back fun? What about those that want to take their respected ones out for fun after work or Trade Fair hours? Where do these go?

It is quite sad that the type of entertainment on offer during the exciting week of the Trade Fair does not allow families to go out. Most of the entertainment is in dingy nightclubs. What about those that love clean fun, brain food or just to treat their loved ones to some arty experience? Where do they go? Clearly there is no diversity in the programming of entertainment during this period. It seems we all have to go clubbing or go home and sleep.

Our disappointment is worsened by the fact that last year Butshilo Nleya and friends, realising this gap, tried programming the Bulawayo Cultural Festival to run on the fringes of the Fair but like most city projects there was no support for the initiative from locals and businesses that operate in the city.

Without local support no project in this city is going to be viable. That is a fact we must live with. It is no surprise that this year there is no Bulawayo Cultural Festival on the sidelines of the Bulawayo International Trade Fair.

Worse there is nothing arty and brainy to look forward to during the Trade Fair period. This makes one to wonder whether Bulawayo should still be called the cultural capital of the country.

For many Bulawayans the Trade Fair has and continues to be the highlight of the year. For children and young people the Fair brings with it the Lunar Park with its crazy and exciting rides, the drum majorettes displays, and some other exciting activities associated with the Fair. For most adults the it reminds them of how important families are and encourages family outings. Trade Fair is family time and by its very nature demands that there should be more options for family entertainment. Unfortunately this is not. Our options are very limited. It’s either clubbing and beer guzzling or nothing at all.

The only option left is for many serious art lovers to join the annual arts pilgrimage to the Harare International Festival of the Arts (HIFA) that takes place immediately after the Trade Fair. HIFA starts next week and for serious art lovers that will be the place to be.

Share This:

Survey


We value your opinion! Take a moment to complete our survey

This will close in 20 seconds