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Bongani Ndlovu Showbiz Correspondent
INTWASA Arts Festival KoBulawayo roars into life today with veteran arts guru Cont Mhlanga expected to officially open the festival tomorrow at the City Hall Car Park as it celebrates 10 years of existence. The festival, running under the theme “Unforgettable”, had its first edition in 2005 and has become one of the biggest and best festivals in the country. Raisdon Baya, the festival director, said they chose Cont Mhlanga to officially open because he was a pioneer in organising festivals.

“We saw it befitting that Cont be the one who opens the festival because he was the one who started the Inxusa Festival in 1990. Apart from that he has contributed immensely to the arts industry in Bulawayo and in Zimbabwe,” he said.

As the theme suggests, the festival reflects on where it all began. From having no office and meeting in local hotels to a small office in 2005 at the studios of the National Gallery of Zimbabwe in Bulawayo to moving to a five-roomed office at LAPF House in 2010, the festival has grown from strength to strength. It at one time had offices at the National Arts Council of Zimbabwe.

Speaking on Intwasa Arts Festival KoBulawayo’s 10 year journey Baya said playwright Nelson Mapako was first director of the festival in 2005 followed by National Arts Council deputy director Nicholas Moyo in 2006 and Judith Maphosa in 2007.
“In 2008 Thoko Zulu was at the helm until 2009 when Moyo took over again until 2010 when I took over the reins,” he said.

In terms of number of events, level of organisation, amount of sponsorship and crowds it pulls Intwasa Arts Festival has shown a steady growth in its 10 years of existence.
Baya said at its inception the Intwasa Arts Festival KoBulawayo had only four venues, seven events that stretched for three days.

“The disciplines that were there in the beginning were literary arts, music, and theatre. Now it has over 10 venues, 40 events and stretches for five days with art disciplines such as fashion, sculpture, spoken word which has poetry, comedy, dance and a DJs Battle having been added to the festival,” he said.

As the festival grew it also had to change with the times as there was a rise in urban culture and the diversity of art forms such as music where the festival has incorporated genres such as hip hop and Kwaito over the years.

The Chibuku stage and the Spring Jazz Show draw the most crowds at the festival. The Chibuku stage has seen over 1,000 people attending the opening ceremony for the past four years.
The Spring Jazz Show that has always been headlined by a female jazz musician has been sold out as musicians such as the late Chowoniso Maraire graced the first show in 2011, Dudu Manhenga in 2012, Four Generations in 2013 and Tariro Negitare this year.

Selmor Mtukudzi, Willis Wataffi, Cool Crooners and Alexio Kawara have also performed as supporting acts.
Normally a festival has objectives of which for Intwasa its purpose is linked to marketing Bulawayo as a preferred tourist destination for business and art.

Festivals are supposed to bring business to the host city, but even though Intwasa Arts Festival KoBulawayo has been with us for the past 10 years there has been little benefit in terms of business in the city. This is the time that domestic and international tourists are supposed to be flocking to the city, hotels are supposed to be fully booked.

In 2005 at the beginning of the festival there was no such thing as a Hot Ticket, which is a ticket that is sold by festival organisers that gives one access to eight events and costs less than half the price.
Although the sales of tickets are slow according to festival director Baya, the idea was good and one that was long overdue.

However in order to promote cultural tourism the festival has to offer a single ticket sold at a reasonable price that can be bought months before the actual festival and bookings for accommodation made in advance.

This helps the tourist to plan for the event and also mark it on their calendar. The dates for the festival are released a year before and the programme is released three weeks before the festival.

Questioned on why there was no such a package festival director Baya bemoaned the lack of support and enthusiasm from some local businesses to partner organisers to offer this type of package that could attract tourists to the city.

“We have approached a lot of businesses and we have tried to convince them on how we could have a partnership in promoting domestic and international tourism. Maybe it is because of the lack of money they are not forthcoming,” he said.

Festival memorabilia is also a scarce commodity and festival T-shirts, wrist bands and the like are difficult to find. This is free advertising for the festival as organisers do not know where the T-shirt will go and who will see it and whether or not the person wearing the T-shirt will be asked about the festival by interested people.
Baya said there would be people selling T-shirts for $10 each during the festival.

The memorabilia could also be thrown in with the reasonably priced single ticket that covers the whole festival. Information booths to dispense free information on the festival in the form of maps, pamphlets and other literature or to sell tickets should be dotted around the city prior to the festival maybe from the same day the festival programme is out.
These could be situated ideally at the city’s points of entry such as the Joshua Mqabuko Nkomo International Airport or at busy places such as bus termini or the City Hall area.
Baya said the festival will have an information booth which will be located at the City Hall car park.

He said it was their wish to have information booths weeks before the festival but funds were not permitting for such a set up.
Otherwise the festival has grown and although people seem not to be in a festival mood, they have a notion in the back of their minds that there is a festival around the corner and come the first day until the last there will be a lot of activity at the City Hall car park and various other venues.