THE Harare International Festival of the Arts (HIFA) is back for its 16th edition and will be held from April 28 to May 3 2015.
Every year, for a week, since 1999, the festival has been holding various arts activities in the beautiful and picturesque Harare Gardens.
Although becoming an annual event for more than a decade, the festival has received its fair share of criticism, especially its operations.
Labelled as a ‘haven for lesbians and gays’, HIFA became unpopular to some Zimbabweans.
For local artistes, HIFA was at one time a platform they could not perform as they watched international artistes from the terraces.
It is against this background that the organisers of the event eventually began to involve more local artistes.
Last year the festival featured a significant number of upcoming local artistes. The likes of Eve Kawadza, Cythia Mare and Amarra Brown got the opportunity to perform at the closing ceremony.
South African ensemble Freshly Ground who were the festival’s major highlight were deported just after landing at the Harare International Airport.
The controversial group is known for releasing a music video and song ‘Chicken to Change’ ridiculing President Robert Mugabe.
This year, it seems HIFA’s organisers are continuing with efforts to get much closer to home.
Addressing journalists at a press briefing on Wednesday, HIFA’s executive director Maria Wilson said the 2015 edition would focus more on celebrating being Zimbabwean.
“HIFA is not only about celebrating arts, we are celebrating what it is to be Zimbabwean,” she said.
“Last year about 1 006 Zimbabwean artistes participated at HIFA and we are expecting more than that.”
The festival will run under the theme ‘Articulate’, which is an invitation to every Zimbabwean to have something to say about the festival.
For founder and artistic director, Manuel Bagorro, the theme is about ‘articulating who we are as Zimbabweans.’
“We are our words, so we speak, we are our ideas, so we think, we are our communal commitment to being expressive, so we all articulate,” said Bagorro.
Hinting on this year’s programme, Bagorro said there is going to be more of collaborations between local and international artistes.
Some of the local artistes that will grace the festival include, Victoria Falls-based Mokoomba, Victor Kunonga, local dancehall musicians and Hope Masike.