Get ready for grand spectacle

Some extravaganza is expected on a grand scale as the Telecel Main Stage graces massed talent from home and further afield, leading always to a soul-stirring climax when fireworks light the skies of the capital to the much-anticipated and long-awaited opening of the week-long festival.
But other interesting things will also be happening on the BancABC Global Stage where various musical — both local and foreign — will be performing.
According to HIFA organisers, the opening night of the About Face themed arts and cultural showcase “will celebrate creative collaboration, innovation and invention in a most spectacular manner . . . featuring a mesmerising performance by Carl Orff’s famous choral work Carmina Burana”.
This enduringly popular work based on the medieval collection of poems by the same name, telling of the Wheel of Fortune as we move through the turbulent times of our lives, will be delivered by the accumulated talent of nearly 100 Zimbabwean voices drawn from the vibrant choral communities. Choristers are now rehearsing for this exciting, hugely popular performance!
In the days to follow, the line-up is just as interesting with African legends that include Salif Keita, probably the ultimate drawcard for the closing night (May 2).
On April 28, the London Festival Opera returns, to bring you a Moonlit Night at the Opera at HIFA. This will feature arias and ensembles as well as some lesser-known repertoire. With picnic baskets and wine at the ready, there is no magic quite like a Night at The Opera.
Senegalese and African legend Xalam is the main attraction on April 29. Taking its name from a Senegalese lute-like instrument, Xalam perform contemporary jazz tunes and African originals, using sax, drums, African percussion, bass, electric guitar and more.
Then there is Moto, a multi-media, multi-disciplinary performance experience the following day, which features a powerful line up of Southern Africa’s new artistic voices including leading Zambian-born South African-based rapper Zubz, Zimbabwe’s trailblazing protest band Comrade Fatso and Chabvondoka, Harare’s premier hip hop artist Outspoken and Botswana’s stunning poet TJ Dema.
On April 30, Haiti’s reigning Queen of Song, Emeline Michel, skilfully blends Haitian compas and rara with jazz, pop, bossa nova and samba, to create a unique sound that has won her international acclaim.
Irish sensation, the Hothouse Flowers, will be the next item on the same day. The Hothouse Flowers won a street performance award, and renamed themselves the “Hothouse Flowers”. Soon, they were performing throughout Ireland.
Zimbabwe’s enthusiastic audiences will without doubt flock to see the hugely popular rising local mega-star Sulumani Chimbetu on May 1. Sulu, as he is popularly known, is not new to the local music scene as he made his name immediately after the passing on of his father, the Master of Song, Simon “Chopper” Chimbetu, in August 2005. The Magnets, a unique acappella group from the UK will be next on the menu. Calling themselves a V and B (vocals and beats) group, the London-based Magnets fuse glorious vocal harmonies with jaw dropping vocal percussions and beat boxing, producing a sound as rich as any instrumental band.
Fabulous Spanish fusion, Los Aslándticos, would be the closing act for the night. Los Aslándticos is one of the very best exponents of the genre “mestizaje” (fusion), which brings together rhythms and styles ranging from salsa, reggae, ragga, reggaetón, funk and hip hop, to contemporary flamenco.
This musical genre rose to huge popularity in Spain with the emergence of such well-known bands as Mano Negra, Manu Chao and Macaco.
An explosive collaboration between Mokoomba (Zimbabwe) with Manou Gallo of Cote d’Ivoire will open the finale day of the festival on May 2.
The unique collaboration will see two diverse musical personalities co-habit in a concert pushing boundaries and marrying voices, melody and rhythms. This should be quite exciting!
Argentinean Swede José González is destined to capture many hearts later that afternoon. This multi-award winning songster has gone Platinum in Sweden and Great Britain, Double Platinum in Ireland and Gold in Australia and New Zealand. In the past four years, he has toured the world and “Veneer’, his debut album, sold 700 000 copies.
Salif Keita closes the festival in the evening.
However, African Destiny, a high-energy seven-piece band with a vivid mix of genres, bringing together traditional Zimbabwean poly-rhythms with modern southern African flavours will be on the BancABC Global Stage on the opening day. Some of the notable performances will include Niiles-Jouni, one of Finland’s most respected joik artists.
The Bira Ceremony will certainly be one of the major attractions. The Bira Ceremony brings traditional spirituality to HIFA through an evening of chidzimba, mhemberwa and makwiringwindo.
HIFA enthusiasts should also expect other high-flying artistes such as Transit Crew with Yasus Afari, a Jamaican dub poet; Portuguese fado singer Mafalda Arnauth; Sandra Nkake from Cameroon; including our very own Douglas Vambe, who is a part of our lives, being the drummer who played the ZBC News Bulletin drum piece.
The Recital Room will be happening with classical recitals from Ian Bradford (flute) and Christopher Gould (piano).
Some of the acts to watch out for are Norwegian all-female acapella group Røyst, who make their African debut at the HIFA; and Coady Green and Leigh Harrold (piano duet), among others.
Reps Theatre and the Standard Theatre will be hosting various local and foreign theatre productions. The 7 Arts Theatre will host dance performances.
This year sees HIFA bringing its trademark vision to the applied arts and design, through its new                programme REDRESS in which five young Zimbabwean designers are charged with creating new, re-imagined outfits from second-hand clothing bought in Harare.
To this end the designers were taken to Mupedzanhamo Market in Mbare and given a budget of US$15 to create three unique ensembles and any accessories and additional materials had to be cannibalised from second-hand clothing too — all the designers can provide are scissors, thread and a hefty dose of inspiration!