Bruce Ndlovu, Sunday Life Reporter
ORGANISERS of Bulawayo’s biggest arts jamboree, the Intwasa Arts Festival koBulawayo have said that the annual fest will go ahead this year, despite the challenges they have faced in what has been a difficult year for the sector.
This year’s edition of the festival is set to take place between 26 September and 1 October at various venues around the city. In an interview, festival director Raisedon Baya said despite that it had been hard to secure sponsorship for arts related activities, this year’s edition will still go ahead as planned.
“We have been running around as usual, you know it’s not easy, more so now because we are coming out of the Covid-19 lockdowns and corporates and people that usually support us have shifted their priorities. We are running around and looking for partnerships here and there,” he said.
Raisedon Baya
While other festivals around the country had folded due to ongoing economic challenges, Baya said that Intwasa prided itself in the fact that each year it managed to put together a spectacle against the odds.
“Like we have always said, one of the things that we pride ourselves in for the past 16, 17 years is that we made sure that the festival happens whatever the challenges we might face. It has to happen. This year it is happening again next month and although it might not be as big as we want, it will definitely happen. It will be the normal arts fete, from theatre to film here and there and of course our women, wine and words. Hopefully something might come up that be bigger but the usual Intwasa business will happen,” he said.
As the start of the festival neared, Baya said they would be increasing Intwasa’s visibility, especially on social media platforms.
“From next up week we will be doing weekly updates so that we tell people what’s there for them, what to look forward to and how the preparations are going.
“So, from next week people can look forward for more from us because we are on. It hasn’t been easy but the idea is to keep grinding and keep moving forward,” he said.