HIFA back with ‘attitude’

The six day annual festival and workshop programme that showcases the very best of local, regional and international arts and culture in a comprehensive festival programme of theatre, dance, music, circus, street performance, spoken word and visual arts kicks off on April 27.
Best described as an artistic happening, it features a mesmerising performance of Carl Orff’s famous choral work Carmina Burana.
This popular work will be delivered by the accumulated talent of nearly 100 Zimbabwean voices drawn from our vibrant choral communities.
One of the main attractions will be the legendary African mega-star and Malian musician, Salif Keita, who will perform on the HIFA main stage on the festival’s grand finale of a day (May 2).
For those of us who love a bit of sungura, Suluman Chimbetu and the Orchestra Dendera Kings, who is billed to perform on the Telecel main stage will make your day.
The opening night is probably the greatest highlight of the HIFA theme. It has been dubbed The Bira Ceremony which is to bring the traditional spirituality to HIFA through an evening of chidzimba, mhemberwa and makwiringwindo.
Led by the National Arts Merit Award winning, internationally acclaimed mbira phenomenon, Mawungira eNharira, the ritual is a powerful and captivating taste of traditional African culture. Wear traditional garb for this special festival commemoration.
According to the HIFA organises, the festival brings a message of hope, perseverance and determination through its bold theme About Face. The theme is all about changing attitudes
It “signifies moving forward, it signifies positive change and growth, developing new attitudes, changing our minds and changing our lives”.
From the recently devastated land of Haiti with the reigning queen of Haitian song, Emeline Michel, to Europe with sensational Irish group The Hothouse Flowers; pioneering Austrian bass clarinet and hang duo, Living Room;The Magnets, a unique cappella group from the UK; celebrated Portuguese fado singer; to North Africa with Senegalese group Xalam and Malian music guru Salif Keita; and Southern Africa with the likes of Johannesburg-based artist Ndabaningi Mabuye aka Zubz, to mention just but a few.
This year’s HIFA theme is embedded with promises of life-changing performances. Come opening night, HIFA will celebrate creative collaboration, innovation and invention in a most spectacular manner.
The unique and well known fact about HIFA is that it caters for all and sundry. If you are not the dancing type l HIFA makes sure you enjoy just as much as everyone.
This year also 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.