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Mbulelo Mpofu, [email protected] 

OCTOBER brings a double delight for lighting design enthusiasts, as Phenomenal Lighting and Power Solutions, led by the renowned Bulawayo-born lighting expert, Mildred ‘Lighting Bae’ Moyo, presents a thrilling duo of events. The first is the inaugural Phenomenal International Lighting Masterclasses, followed by the highly-anticipated second edition of the Phenomenal Festival of Lights.

The three-day extravaganzas take place at the Bulawayo Theatre from October 11 to 13 and then at Gordon Park in Matopos from October 27 to 29. These events promise to arm professionals in the Cultural and Creative Industries (CCIs) with the essential skills to harness the power of light in their creative pursuits.

Moyo, who recently returned from the UK after pursuing her Masters in Light in Performance studies at Rose Bruford College, shared her insights in an interview. 

“From the genesis, these programmes have been designed to provide knowledge to Zimbabwean aspiring creative, that is, lighting designers, technicians directors, and lighting enthusiasts by providing them with a platform to learn from and interact with industry experts from the region and internationally. 

“The main objective has always been on different aspects of lighting from lighting design for dance, theatre and concert lighting and how lighting is an important tool which can make a production if used wisely and creatively and how the exact opposite of this is true and many other important skills,” she said.

European Union

For the Phenomenal International Lighting Masterclasses, Moyo will partner with Goethe Zentrum Harare/Zimbabwe German Society and Wisconsin-based manufacturer of rigging and lighting technology, Electronic Theatre Controls (ETC) while the Phenomenal Festival of Lights will be funded by the Culture Fund, supported by the European Union (EU) under CreativeACTIONs2 grants.

A host of diverse and experienced lighting design experts will virtually help Moyo share knowledge on lighting design. These include Henry Rehberg (Germany), Johanna Town, Bamanye Yeko, Tamykha Patterson, Patrick Woodroffe, Sofia Schmidt, Rob Marsh, Laurie Loads, Declan Randall (all UK), and Erich Bertti (Brazil).

At the Phenomenal Festival of Lights, Ghanaian lighting technician Kafui Amega and South Africa’s Bamanye Yeko will touch base and facilitate the programme together with the Lighting Bae.

Moyo’s journey to being one of the revered female lighting design experts in Zimbabwe has seen her self-taught career spanning nearly two decades, where she has worked closely with the Shoko Festival, the Harare International Festival of Arts (HIFA), and the European Film Festival.

In recent years, she has curated virtual lighting design master classes, inviting international lighting designers including Michael Curry (USA), Patrick Woodroffe and Paul Constable (both UK) as well as Hansjorg Schmidt (Germany). — @MbuleloMpofu