The Sunday News
Rumbidzai Mbewe Business Correspondent
THE Kariba Tourism and Business Indaba in partnership with the Zimbabwe Tourism Authority will hold Nyaminyami Festival in the resort town meant to showcase among other things the Tonga culture.The festival will be held from 9-13 July under the theme ‘‘The legend rises again’’.
The event which was previously held in 2012 as the tourism and business expo, will continue this year under a new name — The Nyaminyami Festival.
The festival which has been set to run annually beginning this year, will showcase all aspects of business and tourism in Kariba, in particular the Tonga culture.
In an interview, the festival’s co-ordinator, Mr Cephas Shoniwa, said the purpose of the festival was to showcase Kariba as one of the best tourist destinations in Zimbabwe.
He said a tourism and business expo will be held during the festival and interested parties in the business and tourism sector are invited to take part.
“Exhibitors from both the tourism and business industries are invited to showcase their products and services at the festival and the opening ceremony will be done at the dam wall to honour and appease the Tonga River god, Nyaminyami,” he said.
Mr Shoniwa said if things go according to plan, one or two flood gates would be opened during this ceremony.
“There is a possibility that the Zambezi River Authority may allow one or two floodgates to be briefly opened during this ceremony although the time of the year may make this environmentally and ecologically prohibitive,” he said.
He said one day of the festival would be set aside for a full day business forum that would discuss issues that were relevant to Kariba.
Some of the issues to be discussed include the investment opportunities and business in Kariba, the state of tourism in and around the town, tourism and business licensing as well as the state of fish in Lake Kariba.
“This forum will help all delegates and participants have a greater understanding of this destination. The business forum will be held on the lake in Zambezi Trader House Boat,” said Mr Shoniwa.
As part of the celebrations, Mr Shoniwa said there would be musical and cultural performances as Kariba was more like a home to artistes in the country.
“Emerging young artistes will also be given the opportunity to shine alongside some of the celebrated artistes and musicians in the country at a moonlit music festival. Local cultural and traditional groups will also perform at one of the local stadiums during the day,” he said.
He said besides the musical showcase other activities would include cooking competitions, a water carnival with speed boat races, kapenta rig races as well as canoeing.
For the cooking competition, interested chefs from hotels, lodges and house boats around Kariba would be asked to prepare dishes using the fruits of the lake such as tiger fish, bream, kapenta, crocodile meat and or the newly discovered red claw crayfish.
He said exhibitors with the best stands would be honoured at the prize giving and awards that would be held at the festival.
“The best stands at the expo will be presented with prizes. Categories will be varied and will even include a best houseboat on exhibit award,” said Mr Shoniwa.
The Kariba Tourism and Business Indaba (KTBI) is a registered community initiative organisation representing tourism, businesses and the community of Kariba both rural and urban.
Kariba, which is situated on the largest water body in Southern Africa, Kariba Dam, has an enormous wealth of natural resources and has the potential to become one of the most sought after tourist destinations in the region.
