Bulawayo Day commemorations preparations gather momentum Mrs Nesisa Mpofu

Peter Matika@

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PREPARATIONS for this year’s Bulawayo Day commemorations slated for early next month are at an advanced stage with the Bulawayo City Council partnering with several stakeholders to ensure the successful hosting of the event.

This year’s celebrations will be held from 1-5 June under the theme: “Our culture, our heritage, our creativity” with a focus on promoting arts, culture, and heritage by providing incubation support for the creative industries.

Bulawayo City Council’s corporate communications manager, Mrs Nesisa Mpofu, said the celebrations will start off with a tourism and heritage trail tour, which will start from the City Hall to Makokoba township where guests and residents will gather for the festivities at the Stanley Hall National Monument.

“The Stanley Hall has been identified as the venue as it is a Heritage Site, which is key in the history of Bulawayo and Zimbabwe,” she said.

“The convergence at the Stanley Hall will also promote community development through heritage tourism and showcase the talent in Bulawayo through performing arts.

“Our focus in 2023 is on promoting township tourism, which involves visiting places, events, and activities that reflect the history and culture of Bulawayo’s historic communities.”

Mrs Mpofu said the city was keen to drive community-based tourism and educational township by partnering with the Bulawayo Makokoba Township Tourism Trail, Zimbabwe Tourism Authority and National Museums and Monuments of Zimbabwe and the Makokoba community as a whole.

She said community-based tourism promotes environmental protection, cultural conservation, social responsibility, and the enhancement of livelihoods.

Bulawayo is also readying to host the Bulawayo Arts Festival week, which is penciled for 2 – 5 June and will be marked by several activities within the city such as culture craft fair that will run on the 2nd to the 3rd of June 2023 at the City Hall Car Park.

“The city is inviting all craft creatives who wish to participate to book space where they will showcase their innovative creativity works and sell their wares,” said Mrs Mpofu.

She said BCC will also be embarking on a clean-up campaign, which coincides with the country’s monthly clean-up initiative set up by President Mnangagwa.

She said the recreation section of the city in partnership with stakeholders is setting up a youth sports gala scheduled for 3 June and will be held at White City Stadium.

The Bulawayo Day festivities are commemorations of historical importance and commemorate the declaration of Bulawayo as a Town on 1 June 1894. The City of Bulawayo on 2 October 2019 resolved that an annual celebration be held on the day and subsequently hold Bulawayo Arts Festival from 2 to 5 June marking city-wide celebrations.

ations come in the form of music, theatre, dance, food and craft fairs, cultural tourism, and sporting activities to showcase the cultural creative prowess of the City of Bulawayo,” said Mrs Mpofu.

“It further enables citizens to participate meaningfully in the cultural life of Bulawayo, creating participatory, resilient, and inclusive communities who are committed to amplifying their competencies and innovative creative capacities in their role as co-creators of the city.”

Mrs Mpofu said the festivities were also a celebration of Bulawayo’s resilience and strength, which comes from its identity, experiences and culture.

“As a city, we are not only a cultural hub but also a creative engine that has the ability to shift and define mindsets towards a united front in the development of Bulawayo and its people,” she said.

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