BY SINDISO DUBE IN movie style, police in Bulawayo besieged and stopped the Loziba Festival, a music and poetry event at Chigumira shopping complex in Luveve suburb on Sunday.
The festival, hosted by Youth for Innovation Trust run by Thando Gwinji, was being held under the theme Gender Equality Today for a Sustainable Tomorrow.
Celebrated comedian Ntando Van Moyo and Tariro Gurere were the hosts.
Armed police besieged the venue and demanded the stoppage of the show as they arrested Moyo for public nuisance.
In the process, police impounded the hosts’ public address system.
Gwinji yesterday told NewsDay Life & Style that the festival, which will run for a week is still going on despite the disturbances that happened on the opening day.
“Lozoba Festival is still going on. We encourage people to attend other shows that will be happening at the Bulawayo Art Gallery, in Gwanda. Carne Carsa Steak House and the Jazz Café,” she said.
“We had a great start to the festival despite these disturbances. We had excellent performances before the police came. The only artists who did not perform were Qeqeshiwe and Pamellah as the show was forced to stop.”
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As part of the festival’s programme yesterday, there was a film screening session at the Art Gallery, titled The Story Tellers and Day Three.
Today there will be a workshop at Mhlahlandlela boardroom running under the theme Where is the Money?
On Wednesday part of the programming include a spoken word show titled A Few Words at the Carne Carsa.
Other artists who graced the festival’s opening show include Rachel Voko, Chichi E, Lady P, Nobuhle, Luchi Shiki, Pamellah, Qeqeshiwe and Noluntu J.
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