January 12, 2025
Embracing cultural contradictions
Featuring pennywhistle old timers, Thompson Banda and Method Khumalo, along with guitarists Stanley Mathe and Japhet Tshuma and Imbongi musicians and dancers, we were taken on a nostalgic journey to the City of Kings, back to a golden age when the grass was sweeter, the cattle fatter and the girls more beautiful. It was a total delight.
But as in Zimbabwe, contradictions also abound in HIFA.
One friend came all the way from New York especially for the festival. When I bumped into her she was glowing at being home, at the joy of feeling part of a familiar community and meeting familiar faces. Another friend, a stalwart of the local Arts scene didn’t manage to see a single show but felt no pain.
It poured — unseasonably — on two days, drenching the crafts people in the global quarter, some of whom were completely unprotected without even a tarpaulin overhead, and turning pathways into mud. Sunday saw loads of sand brought in to keep the worst of the mud from being further churned up.
Reports of HIFA organisers being arrested over the opening night spectacle were rapidly quelled by an official release from Festival Artistic director, Manuel Bagorro, who called the meeting at Police HQ involving HIFA’s top brass a regular liaison for check box reviewing to satisfy the various types of paperwork involved in an event of this size.
Many shows, especially the theatre were sold out. It’s interesting how HIFA draws out a public who hardly attend a cultural event the rest of the year. But on the whole, the Harare Gardens felt quieter. Too pricey? As usual the festival generates excitement and rumour and provides opportunities for cross-cultural engagements on and off the stage.
One of my festival highlights was Don Pasta — billed as a feast of food and sound — presented by self-styled gastro-philosopher Daniele de Michele. We were warned to eat beforehand so checked out the offerings on the Coca Cola Green. A colleague – personning a stall in the Global Village had opportunity to try out most outlets and her favourite was the shawarma — advertised as the ultimate food to go. I chose a chicken one and it was tasty and good value for US$3. The Jaipur won the speed test though — with my husband getting his very ordinary mutton curry (US$5) ahead of me. Perhaps the queue for the shwarma was longer. The coleslaw accompanying his curry and filling out my shwarma looked identical. Perhaps there was engagement behind the scenes too in line with the HIFA theme.
Genuine Belgian Chips were doing a good trade at US$2 for a cone. Apparently the twice frying qualifies them as Belgian as does the addition of mayonnaise to the accompanying dollop of tomato sauce. Mine were cold though they tasted good and apparently mayonnaise without the tomato sauce is authentic.
Not sure where all these outlets are the rest of the year but we were glad that we didn’t attend Don Pasta’s mouth watering show on an empty stomach. It was utterly charming — like spending an afternoon in a friend’s warm and welcoming kitchen. Daniele prepared a delicious meal on stage — including making effortless pasta — as he chatted about music, food and life, accompanied by Raffaele Casarano giving us blasts of John Coltrane on the saxophone. I left the theatre wishing I had a rich Italian parmigiana baking in the oven and looking forward to a glass of red wine.
