The Sunday News
Thembinkosi Khumalo, Sunday Life Reporter
LOZIBA Festival, a movement that seeks to empower the girl child hosted an event to celebrate the International Women’s Day at a local leisure spot last week under the theme, Gender Equality Today for a Sustainable Tomorrow.
To appreciate and showcase the wide range of art in Bulawayo, the event was graced by women who entertained the audience through their diverse genres of art. Performances were given by Chichie the Poetic Queen, Nonduduzo Ncube, Faith Baya, Sharon Bliss, Poet Lethu, Stewie Le Svage and Rachel Voko, among others.
In an interview with Sunday Life, the communications director of Loziba Festival Seneleni Ndlovu said; “The response and turn up from Bulawayo was amazing. The event really went well as expected and we got a chance to mingle as ladies and talk about some of the issues that torment us in our day to day lives. I would love to say, it was an event and a half.
“To me celebrating women’s day shows that we are important as well just like men. It shows that the society really appreciates us and also accepts that we can also do what men can do. It also means that women should be given opportunities to partake in the decision processes at all levels.”
The author of the novel Buchitheka bugayiwe, Nonduduzo Ncube said, “Personally, I feel like I am appreciated because the support that I have been receiving is not what I anticipated, it is more than what I expected. Off course, there are hiccups here and there but I really feel celebrated everyday even if it’s not women’s month. I also think lately, awareness is being raised in terms of the support that the girl child is receiving from the society although we still need to push harder as a society in terms of supporting and honouring the girl child.”
The Loziba Festival is an annual event that happens on March. However, in its two years of existence, the movement has always strived to advocate for gender equality as well as promote women in art and also the girl child through a number of programmes like Catch them Whilst they are young, Digital Skills for rural girls, among others.
As a partner of the movement, Ntando Van Moyo from Umahlekisana Comedy Club said, “The movement started as an initiative to promote young women in art and to advocate for them to have an equal playing field in the arts industry. Most of the festivals always have male headliners but females are always the supporting acts. So, the idea was to have females hosting their own function from DJ, MC, organising and everything as well as building their own audiences.”
