The Sunday News
Ngqwele Dube, Sunday Life Correspondent
FESTIVALS in Zimbabwe have over the years faced a myriad of challenges with most going under, while others had to scale down.
Even the country’s most celebrated arts fiesta, Harare International Festival of the Arts also had a hiatus in 2016 with financial challenges being cited as one of the reasons but it made a return.
Ibumba International Festival has been one of the prolific festivals in Bulawayo and has also had its fair share of ups and downs, with the festival not being held last year. The festival has played host to Oliver “Tuku” Mtukudzi, South Africa’s Black Motion, among a plethora of acts that have passed through their stages but they have also had to scale down in some years while in other years they would be no activity.
Festival director, Saimon Mambazo Phiri believes refocusing the event will breathe a new lease of life and bring new zeal to the festival. He said after expanding the festival nine years ago they feel it is time to wean it off the Siyaya brand and make it a standalone entity to set the tone for a strong and permanent festival on the arts calendar.
This year the festival began on Thursday and ended yesterday evening running for three days, serving varied dishes of comedy, theatre and music at the traditional venue, Stanley Square. Mbazo, as Phiri is popularly known, revealed while the festival has been reliant on and driven by Siyaya, they are weaning it off to make it a standalone entity that will have life of its own.
He said the festival has faced challenges because of its symbiotic relationship with Siyaya.
“The festival started off showcasing Siyaya acts before we opened it up nine years ago to incorporate other acts but the administration, organisation and funding remained reliant on what Siyaya would have done throughout the year particularly in terms of raising funds. Lean years for Siyaya have had an impact on Ibumba because we use proceeds from the former’s activities to fund the latter. We now want to make it an independent festival with a different secretariat from Siyaya and its own focus,” said Mbazo.
He revealed they have put the plan in motion for this year’s festival and while he retained the festival director tag, it is Lady Tshawe, who took the lead role in the organising team. Mbazo said they take leaps of faith with Ibumba as they engage partners they work with throughout the year to come on board to assist them host Ibumba.
He said most partners provide non-financial support such as equipment and Siyaya has to chip in where dues have to be settled financially.
With a new organisational structure being adopted, new ways of funding the festival have to be adopted and Mbazo said they are looking at commercialising the festival.
“We have to raise money from the festival itself, whether we are selling food and drinks, entrance fees or we are looking at corporate seeking marketing partnerships. Festivals need to go commercial if they are to survive going into the future. I think it is critical that we stop being sentimental about festivals and admit the owners are fans and not us organisers so we should put the audiences first.
“There is an outcry because the Kalawa (Homecoming) is not there this year and it shows fans are hungry for that product. We need to take festivals as businesses and see where we can extract the value and monetary benefits,” he said.
This year the festival presented comedy, theatre and music with comics such as MaForty and Ckanyiso dat guy, groups that include Victory Siyanqoba, Ezimnyama and Khaya Arts presenting on the theatre front while on the music front there was Madlela, Zinjaziyamluma, Band Fusion, Afro Soul, Deluke and Hwabaraty serenading music lovers.
Stage “battles” between Mzo7 and Msiz’kay on Friday and Asaph against Cal_Vin were the highlights of the music stage. Mambazo-Phiri said Makokoba will remain the centre of the festival adding worldwide, venues have never been in central metropolis.
“We can take it (Ibumba) to various places but Makokoba will always remain the backdrop of the festival. Look at the biggest music festival, Glastonbury, it is not in Glastonbury but at some farm kilometres away. I think it’s the norm with most festivals and we intend keeping it that way,” he said.
