SAVANNAH TRUST, a Harare theatre outfit, is expected to lift the Zimbabwe flag high when it features at the National Arts Festival of South Africa hosted by Grahamstown city.
BY OWN CORRESPONDENT
The six-piece group left the country by road yesterday after a couple of shows at the Charles Austin Theatre and Mucheke Hall in Masvingo on Wednesday night and yesterday morning respectively.
“We are leaving for South Africa after these two shows at Charles Austin and one in Mucheke basically to showcase to the community,” crew leader Joe Mafana told NewsDay Life & Style yesterday.
Savannah Trust will then join hundreds of other world-class artistes in the internationally-acclaimed festival. “We are doing our award-winning piece called Liberation and it is the one we will also cast in South Africa,” Mafana said.
Set in a post liberation scenario, Liberation, written by Leonard Matsa and directed by Bongani Masango from South Africa is a candid and daring artistic meditation on the meaning of liberation in post-colonial Africa.
The multi-award-winning play, the vanguards of liberation − those in the spiritual realm are angry at the betrayal of the promises of independence.
But they are not the only disappointed ones.
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Beneath the deceased heroes, the country lies in turmoil and the ideals for which they fought for are in tatters. Liberation casts Tonde, a young activist who tells the story of Zimbabwe and Africa.
It navigates on peoples’ revolutions that have derailed shattering the dreams of many through the leaders corruption or misrule.
Mafana said the crew including Nyaradzo Nhongonhema, Daniel Maposa. Dereck Nziyakwi, Rumbi Karize Hungwe, Charles Matare and Francis Nyakohwa was looking forward to the South African safari, where they will rub shoulders with global famous artists.
The 11-day festival explodes across 90 venues to become Africa’s largest multi-arts festival, attracting more than 200 000 visitors, for more than 2 000 performances on a programme of more than 700 events.
The South African event dates back to 1974 and has continued to grow with support from the government.
“Our arts sector will not grow because at the moment we compete with NAC for sponsorship from non-governmental organisations because they have no budget.”
Mafana asked the department handling cultural affairs of the country to consider art as a form of employment and not just entertainment.
