BY PRECIOUS CHIDA
HIGHLY-ACCLAIMED Children’s Performing Arts Workshop (Chipawo) celebrated three decades since inception by the late celebrated playwright-cum-cultural icon Stephen “Uncle Steve” Chifunyise on Saturday at Theatre in the Park in the Harare Gardens.
As part of the celebrations, Chipawo officially launched the Southern African Festival for Children and Young People (SAFE) that featured performances by groups from Malawi, Botswana and Zambia.
In an interview with NewsDay Life & Style, Chipawo manager, Chipo Basopo said the festival will be an annual event in honour of Chifunyise’s contribution to Chipawo children and young people.
“The festival was meant for children and young people in performing arts to give them space and opportunity to share and explore their talents. The festival creates a platform for the future southern African leaders to appreciate their own origins as well as the diversity of the dynamic world,” she said.
“The festival also demonstrated the initiatives of the creative civil society in contributing to the creation of a viable and sustainable platform for intercultural dialogue.”
Basopo said during their 30-year journey in showbiz, Chipawo managed to unify young people with different statures, despite the challenges they have faced.
“The journey has been amazing. It has been a tough road, but despite the challenges, Chipawo never gives up, it has taught us that it is all about passion and vision for better arts and culture for our children,” she said.
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“As Chipawo we have managed to bring in a strong family from different worlds and a generation that can never be separated.”
Some of the plays that were staged at the festival include Wasted Adjectives by Malawi, We made it @30 years by the Bulawayo ensemble and Zambezi Arts link.
Apart from the theatre fiesta, songstress, Edith “WeUtonga” Katiji, Music Cross Roads and Mabhukundwana from Bulawayo added the sparkle at the festival held under the theme We Made It.
