CIRCUIT street parties are set to take over town, keeping the streets of Harare and its venues alive when the Harare International Carnival explodes to life on Friday.
Simbarashe Manhango
There will certainly be so much happening every night as multitudes of carnival followers will jostle to catch the fun in the streets and perhaps unusually have the freedom to drink and make merry within designated points.
One of the street parties to look out for on May 24 is one being hosted by fashionable reggae sound, Startime Supa Power in conjunction with the Zimbabwe Tourism Authority.
Dubbed the Street Carnival Passa Passa, the gig is set for George Silundika Avenue between First and Angwa Street.
Starting mid-day, the passa passa will attract some of the best Zim-dancehall artistes, bands, sound selectors and dancers converge to put on the best parade extravaganza possible.
For the first time in the city centre, Mighty Ducks will square up with New Generation sound, while Digital sound will battle it out with Small Axe in a highly-anticipated dup-plat sound clash.
One of the longest serving outfits on the dancehall music scene, Silverstone Sound will level up the vibes with Legendary Sound, Last Generation, Black Spider and Startime Supa Power also on the decks.
- Chamisa under fire over US$120K donation
- Mavhunga puts DeMbare into Chibuku quarterfinals
- Pension funds bet on Cabora Bassa oilfields
- Councils defy govt fire tender directive
Keep Reading
Hotta Fyah band will also be presenting some live music for some of the biggest local Zim-dancehall artistes expected to make surprise appearances during the passa passa.
Speaking to NewsDay, organisers of the street party Mathias Bangure and Eddie Muffin said: “Street parties are a true reflection of a carnival spirit and hype. Trace it back from the Caribbeans and even from Brazil, it just shows you a difference.
“Supposedly, this will be one of the major highlights of the festival, considering the hype and attention that Zimbabwean dancehall is commanding at the moment. We will also be giving a platform to other artists in various disciplines to come and showcase our diverse culture.” One of the latest features on the carnival calendar this year will be the carnival comedy night slated for Book Café on May 22.
This carnival comedy night out will feature National Arts Merit Awards (Nama) award–winning comedian Simbarashe “Comic King” Kakora on stage alongside the likes of Doc Vikela, Q and Gift the Cracker.
Famed Jazz sensation Tina Watyoka is also billed to make a special guest appearance during the comedy night, presenting a shift from her usual artistry as singer and songwriter.
In an interview with NewsDay, Watyoka said: “Performing at a comedy night is tricky and challenging to a singer, but I guess I need this role to also show my hilarious side through music and I am working on that at the moment.”
Meanwhile, it will be an interesting nine days of fun, extraordinary showcases of culture and tradition through dance, music, and comedy. Above all, this will be an opportunity for Zimbabwe to market its resources and boost the tourism sector.
