The real Engagement Party in town this year

 By mid-April, tickets will be on sale for this long-anticipated festival of music, theatre, fine art, dance and spoken word, a global event that annually attracts and enthrals scores of visitors and artistes. 
Contrastingly in other parts of the world, culture funding cuts presage a twilight of the arts in Britain, and Californians are feeling the heat as the city of Los Angeles slashes jobs and puts the brakes on art and culture funding. But thanks to generous corporate investment and support from the international community, Zimbabwe’s favourite arts festival is poised for take-off. Themed this year as The Engagement Party, the programme promises to be as varied and exciting as ever.
Brett Bailey, South Africa’s edgiest arts director, has been commissioned to design and present the main stage opening concert, entitled this year as Treasure$. There will be much speculation about this event, as Bailey never fails to impress with his artistic skill and extraordinary creativity.
Lovers of theatre and drama will welcome the return of Patrice Naiambana and The Man Who Committed Thought.
Playing an African lawyer who admires the Queen and Shakespeare, he develops a social conscience when he reluctantly agrees to defend a peasant whose cow has been eaten by a greedy dictator.
If you enjoyed Loupe when it premiered at HIFA in 2008, you will probably want to see John Pfumojena in Gogol’s Diary of a Madman, a classic tale re-told with a Zimbabwean twist.
Not to be missed is the Familie Floz, a German comedy troupe that delights audiences worldwide. Although performances are mute, and the players wear masks, we understand them perfectly and when not laughing at their antics, we can be moved to tears.
Hotel Paradiso, a play about a small family business, is described as “an Alpine nightmare full of black humour”. The HIVOS Spoken Word Programme, curated by Zimbabwe’s own Chirikure Chirikure, provides a platform for engagement in different languages in the form of poetry, prose, chants and soulful music and offers free expression to artistes from the length and breadth of Africa. The performance on Saturday April 30 will be a tribute to the late Zimbabwean poet, Julius Chingono.
The London Festival Opera, the darling of HIFA audiences over the years, will be performing at the CABS Opera Gala. In contrast, the exotic Hamburg-based Nneka will sing of love, hope and optimism as she responds to the Nigeria of her birth and to her life in Hamburg. She has performed at clubs and festivals throughout Europe.
Music lovers of all ages will flock to the grassy area in front of the main stage, where they can set up their chairs and picnic blankets before each performance. Acoustic guitarist Tcheka, who hails from Cape Verde, promises an exciting performance of ethnic jazz, overlaid with the passion and melancholia of the collective identity of his fellow islanders.
Winky D and the Transit Crew will provide entertainment for reggae lovers, while Moke, the Brit-Pop Indie Rock Band from the Netherlands will take the stage on Sunday, May 1.
If the loves of your life are food, music and poetry, don’t miss the performance of musical gastronomy with DJ Chef Daniele de Michele, aka Don Pasta. Forget about burgers and wraps as this champion of the Slow Food Movement combines his passion for Italian cuisine with music, folk tales, poetry and film. As the aromas of olive oil, zucchini and aubergines float into the air, peruse DJ’s cookery book, Food Sound System, a blend of Mediterranean recipes seasoned with wine, music and philosophy.
Weary culture vultures can make their way to the Green Room to meet up with friends and to fortify themselves with drinks and delicious meals provided by Kerry Wallace of The Shop Café.
There will always be more performances and events that one can hope to attend, so buy your programme early and choose the very best of the delights on offer.