BY TENDAI SAUTA NHIMBE Trust has announced that it will launch a new arts festival dubbed Nyanga Arts Festival in October.
The festival organisers have set October 26 to 29 as dates for the inaugural edition of the fete to be held at several venues in the picturesque mountainous Eastern Highlands.
In the wake of declining COVID-19 cases, the creative sector has been slowly waking up.
Nhimbe Trust director, Josh Nyapimbi told NewsDay Life & Style that fireworks are expected at the four-day festival that seeks to promote and showcase Nyanga as a touritst destination of choice.
“Nyanga Arts Festival is highly inclusive to uplift Zimbabwean cultural and arts practices while promoting and showcasing Nyanga as a tourist destination of choice,” he said.
“The festival, whose patron is Chief Saunyama, will be staged at (seven venues) Montclair Hotel, Rhodes Nyanga Hotel, Rhodes Nyanga Museum, National Parks Camping site cottages, Nyamhuka and Nyatate Township Centres as well as Chief Saunyama’s homestead.”
Nyapimbi said people should expect new arts in the form of poetry, dance, photography, crafts and the very best in local and international music that appeals to local communities at the festival.
“As Nhimbe Trust, we seek to rekindle the lost glory of Shona traditions such as ubuntu/hunhu and togetherness through the highly inclusive festival,” he said.
The organisers’ name nhimbe refers to an old Shona tradition in which members of a community get together and take turns to cultivate or harvest each other’s fields. And lots of beer would be served at the get-togethers.
“Nyanga is traditionally a tourist town and tourists can enjoy swimming at the natural pool, trout fish meal, mountain climbing, horse riding and many more exciting offers from the Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority,” Nyapimbi added.
The event follows in the footsteps of other prominent arts festivals in Manicaland such as the Chimanimani Arts Festival, Mifa and Manisa.
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