THE Almasi Collaborative Arts’ inaugural festival, Africa Voices Now! which was recently held in Harare, marked a historic moment in Zimbabwe’s arts scene.
NewsDay Life & Style (ND) spoke to Zaza Muchemwa (ZM), Almasi’s deputy director, about the festival’s conception, its impact and what lies ahead for this ground-breaking initiative.
With a deep passion for nurturing African talent, Muchemwa sheds light on how the festival is paving the way for a new era of artistic expression in Zimbabwe and beyond.
She confirmed that the Almasi Collaborative Arts Festival will be an annual tradition, adding that she believed that the festival represented Almasi’s strategic transformation.
After 13 years dedicated to private intensive training, this event serves as the organisation’s“public coming out party” to showcase the developed, world-class African talent.
The experience aims to combine intensive training with public exhibition.
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The core narrative emphasises “Bringing the African narrative to the global stage” and operating under the founding principle of Learning never ends.
“These plays have been in development for over a year and are a testament to how much talent we have in Zimbabwe that just needs to be nurtured and developed,” Muchemwa said.
“We hope to demonstrate that the arts have the potential to offer legitimate, sustainable career pathways for talented, committed Zimbabweans.”
She added that the core mission of Almasi is, “Bringing the African narrative to the global stage” and the objectives for the inaugural festival included generating significant public awareness about the talent in the Zimbabwean arts scene, highlighting the work Almasi is doing to elevate the arts sector and giving practical examples of how art is a viable career path for creatives.
The inaugural Almasi Festival was made possible through the generous funding and support of the executive artistic director, Danai Gurira, the Almasi board, the Philadelphia Foundation and The Public Theatre, NY, ZiFM Stereo, Zimbabwe German Society, National Gallery of Zimbabwe, Alliance Française de Harare, Mutasa Family, National Ballet, M & M Dance Factory, Adult Rape Clinic, Eden Events and Croctech Technologies, among others.
ND: Almasi Collaborative Arts is known for fostering creative collaboration between local and international artists. How was this global connection reflected in the festival’s programming and performances?
ZM: The global connection was primarily established through the foundational training intensives held immediately preceding the festival.
These intensives featured world-renowned American theatre professionals, The Acting Intensive (September 2-20, 2025) was led by Yale School of Drama professor and actor Peter Francis James.
The Directing Intensive (September 3-13, 2025) was led by Tony award-winning director and playwright Emily Mann.
The Stage Management Intensive (September 15-27, 2025) was led by Miranda Mikolaizik.
The involvement of such decorated international artistes lends significant weight and global credibility to the festival and its participants.
ND: Many Harare residents have described the festival as a breath of fresh air in the arts scene. What specific moments or highlights best capture this community spirit?
ZM: These moments of community are visible every night as we see our diverse audiences interacting at the plays — particularly at our Chill Zone, which features performances and music before and after the show.
We have also been blessed by several incredible sponsors who have given us equipment, radio airtime, food, beverages, a tent, lighting and so much more.
To see people giving at a time when our economy makes it difficult is incredibly humbling.
ND: Looking back, what lessons have you and the Almasi team learned from hosting this first edition, both in terms of logistics and audience engagement?
ZM: We have learned that Zimbabwe is truly in its golden age of theatre and we are incredibly excited to see how the space continues to develop.
There is so much potential in this country and audiences in Zimbabwe are eager to support the arts.