AFTER the closure of Harare’s leading arts hub, Book Café, early this year due to financial challenges, New Ambassador Hotel will now be the new home for artiste performances cutting across drama, poetry, art and music operating under the name Pop-Up Book Café.
BY ARTS REPORTER
New Ambassador Hotel, which falls under the Rainbow Tourism Group, has partnered with the founders of Book Café to resurrect live shows at the hotel’s once disused second floor rooftop.
The rooftop, which has a seating capacity of 300, has since been converted into a venue which caters for different events.
A performance by local outfit Jam Signal and poet Chirikure Chirikure last Saturday marked the official opening of the Roof Top.
Hotel manager Hugh Mandizha said they are positioning New Ambassador Hotel as the ultimate place for entertainment and relaxation.
“The concept is built around the reactivation of Book Café at different venues across the city with the usual exhilarating live music and poetry performances,” Mandizha said.
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“We are opening an additional bar in December. What makes it unique is the exclusive private lounge which will have specialised waiter service, making it ideal for the mature executives who want to unwind after a long working week.”
Mandizha said the launch of the Roof Top was strategically timed for the Christmas season, making it the perfect venue for end-of-year cocktails.
Stakeholders in the arts industry described the closure of Book Café as a serious blow to the arts and culture sector in Zimbabwe and the nation at large.
Book Café — which can be credited for the rise of many entertainers among them poets, musicians and comedians — was closed amid a ballooning debt amassed over the past several years.
