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Mthabisi Tshuma, Showbiz Correspondent

THE recently held Bulawayo Child Festival managed to reach a wider audience as it was streamed online and saw artistes from around the world take to the stage to entertain a virtual audience, a first for the fete.

Held on December 19, the annual performing arts festival saw artistes showcase artistic works created for young audiences.

The idea of the festival was mooted after realising that the city of Bulawayo has no festival that caters for young audiences.

A brainchild of the Umkhathi Theatre group, the second edition saw organisers hold a full festival this year presenting a variety of art forms for children that included theatre, dance, poetry and music.

Turning to performances, Umkhathi Theatre group presented a play titled Zaza and Zozo while Zimbabwe and the world at large met Norwegian Georgiana Keable through a storytelling act titled The Farmer and the Potato.

Five-year-old Inaki Blanco Saenz from Mexico left the comments section in awe over his cartoon show titled The adventures of the penguin.

2019 Geraldine Drama competition winners Langelitsha Arts from Bulawayo gave the much needed theatre feel through a play titled We Are all Equals. Marimba Manglar Esmeraldas from Ecuador staged music and dance shows.

Zoelife Trevor Mawaka also known as The Kid Poet gave a well-orchestrated poetry presentation filled with rhythmical elements about the issues people come across daily in their different endeavours with Gift Chakuvinga solemnising storytelling acts and he lavished people with Chikwangura story.

Umkhathi Theatre group director Matesu Dube said the festival, just like any other, was faced by pandemic constraints.

“Due to the effects of the Covid-19 which brought the whole world to a standstill, our preparations were affected like any other project in the arts sector. Since the national lockdown in late March, there hasn’t been any favorably response from sponsors as they have also been affected by Covid-19. Some funders have changed focus to Covid-19.

“However, we are happy that we successfully held the Bulawayo Child Festival virtually so that we reach out to a wider audience for children to enjoy the arts,” said Dube. – @mthabisi_mthire.