The Harare International Carnival (HIC) 2017 has come and gone. It would be a travesty of justice just to push it to the cadavers of past events without bringing to fore some salient issues around this successful national event.
by Dr KARIKOGA Kaseke
On Behalf of the Zimbabwe Tourism Authority (ZTA) and indeed on my own behalf, I would like to thank the Head of State and Government and Commander in Chief of the Zimbabwe Defence Forces His Excellency President Robert Gabriel Mugabe, First Lady Dr Grace Mugabe, the government and people of Zimbabwe for showing unity of purpose and courteousness to our visitors and civilly to each other, in the just ended Harare International Carnival.
Under the inimitable and stable leadership of His Excellency, we have managed to hold a showcase that speaks to the beauty, stability and warmth of Zimbabwe as a peaceful tourist destination and a marvel to tourists. The carnival concept was consummated out of the need to create and diversify events that enormously impact on the gross national happiness of our people at the same time creatively marketing the destination.
True to that purpose our people have proven beyond any iota of doubt that they are a happy lot. The event continues to grow, attracting and thrilling thousands of people from all walks of life because of its sensational entertainment line-up that has been guaranteed in the 10 day jamboree culminating in the biggest street party in Africa.
That about one million five hundred thousand people converged in Harare for the carnival street party and the carnival concert and no single incident was recorded, speaks volumes of the nature of Zimbabweans who are peace loving people as well as the competency of our security agents in maintaining peace. In this ambit I want to pay homage to the Zimbabwe Republic Police particularly the Commissioner General Dr Augustine Chihuri for ensuring a peaceful and tranquil environment without which the Carnival would not have sailed smoothly as witnessed.
Zimbabwe has always insisted at the highest international levels that we are a peaceful, tolerant, tranquil and warm destination for visitors. So 26 countries along with thousands of visitors who graced our nation during the carnival are now ambassadors who bear testament to that assertion, after having experienced our hospitality first hand.
Our unity, warmth, hard work, energy and tireless dedication to what we commit ourselves to as a nation is what makes Zimbabwe arguably the best destination on the globe, endowed with a beauty that is often indescribable and can only be understood after having visited our country.
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It takes a united effort of the Zimbabwean people to make such an event a success and the thousands that graced the event are evidence that together we can scale to dizzy heights if we put our minds and hands together in the true patriotic spirit of our nation.
The carnival concept is modelled in line with our traditional customs and values at the same time it takes cognisance of our contemporary culture. This explains why since its inception we have worked in collaboration with our traditional chiefs who are the bastion of our nationhood. We work with them as they ensure that the tenets of Ubuntu/Hunhu that bind us together are upheld. It is these tenets that enabled us to warmly welcome and accommodate our visitors as they came to party with us as well as share our cultural diversities in the Carnival, which is in itself meant to bind us together.
Special thanks to the media, who as the Fourth estate, they brought the nation together with reportage that celebrated the Zimbabwean dream and made Harare the international capital of cultural diversity in the week of the carnival. It is through their invaluable positive coverage that has seen our people appreciating and embracing the carnival concept.
I salute Team Tourism comprising the Ministry, the ZTA and the players in the tourism industry who tirelessly laboured to ensure a successful hosting of the carnival, which in itself takes painstaking effort to put together.
Finally, we shall remain indebted to Big Time Strategic Group our headline partner for their logistical support, without which the event would not have been a resounding a success that it was. To all our other partners and sponsors, too many to mention by names, we look forward to growing our relationship in leaps and bounds and strengthening our ties for the betterment of the Harare International Carnival and our country at large. One love, Our unity Our Pride.
• Dr Karikoga Kaseke is the Chief Executive Officer of the Zimbabwe Tourism Authority (ZTA) He can be contacted on [email protected]
