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Auxilia Katongomara
THE Inxusa Theatre Festival and World Theatre Day Colloquium promise to be bigger and better this year with a renowned arts professor from the University of Botswana expected to grace the event.The festivities will run from March 25 to 29 at Amakhosi Cultural Centre running under the theme “Merging Cultures”.

Professor David Kerr, the founding Head of the Department of Visual and Performing Arts at the University of Botswana is expected to give a keynote address at the colloquium.

“Professor Kerr has been lecturing in Theatre  and Media Studies since 1969 in Universities in Malawi, Zambia, United Kingdom and Botswana.

In addition he has done considerable work with Government and NGO agencies using theatre, radio and video for development communication, particularly in the fields of health and human rights,” said Cont Mhlanga, director of Amakhosi.

This is the first time the University of Botswana is participating at the theatre colloquium. Kerr’s publications include African Popular Theatre from Pre-colonial Times to the Present Day, which was awarded the Academic Book of the Year award by Choice Magazine in 1996, Dance, Media Entertainment and Popular Theatre in South East Africa and a poetry book, Tangled Tongues.

World Theatre Day will this year be celebrated on March 27 and as part of the celebrations Amakhosi would run its traditional annual theatre colloquium keynote presentation from 9AM to 1pm on the day.

Bambelela Theatre Ensemble is expected to headline the theatre programme as they will also premiere their new play The Civil Servant written and directed by Thabani Hillary Moyo.

More theatre productions are expected at the event as registration is still in progress.

The past two editions have seen students   from the Faculty of Arts at Midlands, Lupane and      Great Zimbabwe State Universities being part of the festival.