The Sunday News
Thobekisiwe Gumede
THE Victoria Falls Festival and Tourism Expo (VIC Fest) that faced a still birth last year is this time around expected to be bigger, bolder and better as it will see a host of local and international artistes performing and exchanging notes at the cultural fiesta whose objective is to market the tourist destination.
The festival which will run under the theme ‘Cultural confluence, the world as one’, will stretch from 6-11 August, with remarkable activities taking place in venues in and around the two towns of Victoria Falls and Livingstone in Zambia.
Tomeki Dube, the artistic director of this year’s edition of the festival who is also the Black Umfolosi front man praised the organisers of the VIC Fest for joining artistes from the two neighbouring countries.
He said the festival would help reposition Victoria Falls as the heritage and cultural tourism hub of Africa and beyond.
“The festival is going to put Vic Falls on the spotlight when it comes to heritage centres because it is through such cultural exchange programmes that people from different cultures are brought together. I believe that art is a reflection of our culture as a country and so the festival will help in communicating our life as Zimbabweans,” he said.
Dube said it was worth noting that Victoria Falls as a tourist destination did not have any cultural festivals of interest such as the Hifa in Harare and Intwasa in Bulawayo and therefore it was not only logical but necessary that a festival of that kind be launched in the resort town.
“The town is an ideal place to hold the festivals so that we market the place. Other cities have their own cultural festivals like Hifa in Harare and Intwasa here in Bulawayo. It is therefore logical that the town has one such event that will attract tourists,” he said.
This year’s festival will see people showcasing their culture through food, clothes and dance.
“Last year we faced some challenges in successfully launching the festival due to financial constraints. However, this time it comes with a new face. There is going to be a food and fashion fair where both countries will be able to showcase their cultures. We are also going to hold a Zim- Zambia music gala which will see artistes like Winky D, Ndolwane and many others performing on stage,” he said.
More than 30 artistes are expected to perform in this year’s edition of the expo with one of Zimbabwe’s renowned female mbira artiste, Busi Ncube, who is based in Austria being one of the people set to perform at the opening ceremony of the festival.
Some of the groups expected to take part in the festival are Black Umfolosi, Cool Crooners, Hloseni Arts, Kwesekwa and Rainbow Blaze.
