Bruce Ndlovu, Sunday Life Reporter
BULAWAYO will this year not be able to welcome the arrival of spring with an explosion of art after the organisers of the Intwasa Festival of the Arts koBulawayo announced that the annual extravaganza had been moved from its usual September slot to December.
This year’s edition of the festival was set to take place between 26 September and 1 October but has now been moved to between 29 December 1 January. Some events that form part of the fest, which this year was set to run under the theme “Re-Connect”, are still scheduled to take place despite the postponement.
The postponement of Intwasa is a first for the city, where the festival was now regarded as sure a herald of the arrival of spring as blooming jacaranda trees on the streets of Bulawayo.
At a time when major festivals around the country are limping, Intwasa was now a rare bright spot during the spring period. While the fest has held programmes in December, through Intwasa Extra, it remains to be seen whether Intwasa will recapture its exuberant spring during a period that is renowned for congestion, as promoters and other entertainment providers seek to cash in on the festive season rush.
In a statement, the organisers said that the postponement was necessitated by factors beyond their control. Last month, festival director Raisedon Baya told Sunday Life that this year’s event might not be as spectacular as past fetes due to various constraints.
Raisedon Baya
“The 18th edition of the festival which was scheduled to take place from the 26th of September to the 1st of October 2022 under the theme: Re-connect has been postponed due to the need to host a quality festival and other circumstances beyond our control. The new dates for the festival will now be 29 December to 31 December 2022, a full program of events will be released in due course. However, some activities which had been scheduled to take place in September such as Umkhathi Theatre’s new production “Bayethe Nkosi”, Act of Man, the Amplifying Girls Voices through Digital Arts Film Festival and others will go ahead as planned. The festival attracts artists and arts lovers from all over the country and some parts of the world and has been part a significant part of the city’s arts calendar. Any inconvenience(s) caused is sincerely regretted,” Baya said in a statement.