The Sunday News
Bruce Ndlovu
THE Intwasa Arts Festival koBulawayo which ended yesterday was again a master class on how to make the most with little, with the event organisers defying the odds as they hosted high class, well attended shows despite operating on a shoestring budget.
Well written plays brought to life by superb casts were the highlight of this week’s festivities, with plays like Bloom Bloom, Blood Tongue and Liberation attracting sizeable crowds.
While they might have been complaints about the organisation or lack thereof during last year’s extravaganza, this year signaled a return to form for the 14 year- old festival’s directors.
Despite the overwhelming support that some events got, there seemed to be something missing in this year’s Intwasa right until the penultimate day. Whenever Intwasa rolls into town, Bulawayo is not expected to sleep. Although it has always been lauded for its interesting and engaging arts pieces in various fields, Intwasa has also always come with the promise of a party.
For those people who perhaps do not have an appreciation of higher art, snubbing plays and poetry readings, Intwasa has always been a place to have honest, hard fun more than anything else.
For the first three days of the festival this year, Intwasa might have been happening this year. The festival has after all, prided itself in bringing together the diverse people of Bulawayo through the arts.
In previous years the main stage has been the pride and joy of the festival, giving the city a party atmosphere for almost a full week. Without it, buzz generated by this year’s fest, seemed to have also diminished somewhat.
According to festival director Raisedon Baya, the stage was availed for only the last two days because of financial constraints.
“This was a move that was directed by the sponsorship that we got,” Baya said.
He added that despite the fact that it was a major attraction at the festival, the stage was costly for Intwasa, even more so because everyone attended events for free.
“The Intwasa stage is one of the most expensive stages because we are charged upwards of $5 000 when it’s up there. It becomes particularly costly for the festival because it does not bring any monetary value back to the festival because it’s always a free event,” he said.
In the past, the festival had managed to have the stage up and running from the start to the end. However, this has not been the case over the last few years, with Intwasa forced to have its official opening with a play rather than the traditional big bash.
This, Baya said, was due to sponsors pulling out.
“We used to have Delta sponsoring all five days that the stage would be up but that hasn’t happened in a few years. So now Ingwebu stepped in this year hence we would have the stage for the last two days.”
Baya said that the late appearance of the stage was part of the festival’s evolution, as it began cutting off some features that might seem essential but are costly in the large picture.
“It’s part of the evolution of Intwasa. So events that you would like to hold for the benefit of the community you end up cutting off if they don’t make financial sense,” said Baya.
