Raisedon Baya
SOMETIME last week the Zimbabwe Tourism Authority (ZTA) held a briefing with members of the public and media about the 2017 edition of Sanganai/ Hlanganani World Tourism Expo. The Expo will take place in September during the same time Intwasa Arts Festival takes place. In this meeting the ZTA chief executive officer, announced two interesting developments. The first of these developments was ZTA’s decision to bring back Sanganai/Hlanganani to the place of its birth, which is Bulawayo. According to ZTA the Ministry of Tourism has already funded the Sanganai/Hlanganani expo.
The second interesting development was the announcement that the expo would be partnering Intwasa Arts Festival koBulawayo. This partnership will obviously boost Intwasa. The two events happening at the same time will definitely make the city of Bulawayo come alive. So as I write there is already something to look forward to in September 2017 — for both citizens of Bulawayo and those thinking of visiting the city in September.
Let me hasten to say that this partnership — between Intwasa and Sanganai/Hlanganani is not at all strange nor is it a coincidence. In fact, it is the ideal partnership, especially for Intwasa, as festivals, the world over, are known as drivers of tourism. The biggest festival in the world, Edinburgh Arts Festival in Scotland, is heavily supported by the country’s tourism authority and facts on the ground show that the festival is actually the biggest driver of tourism in that country.
The majority of visitors to Scotland go there because of the festival. So it is not by accident that Sanganai/Hlangani and Intwasa have decided to partner — this could be a game changer for the festival as it is likely to be the biggest beneficiary of the partnership.
In the partnership Zimbabwe Tourism Authority has promised to support the Intwasa’s main stage situated at the Large City Hall Car Park — in the past this has been the part of the festival that consumes most resources. According to the ZTA Chief Executive Officer, Karikoga Kaseke, the Intwasa main stage will be there for four days — automatically changing the dates and duration of the festival to 27-30 September 2017. This main stage is the umbilical cord of the festival — its very nerve centre. To show how important this stage is last year’s activities at the main stage were cut short because of funding challenges and this led to a public outcry as many felt robbed while the media felt the standards of the festival had fallen. All this because the main stage’s days had been cut short. It is hoped that with the main stage available for four days the festival will be back to its normal pulse again. ZTA has also promised to help Intwasa bring one or two international acts to flavour up the festival. However, the coming in of Zimbabwe Tourism Authority does not mean the festival’s funding challenges are over. Far from it. The festival still faces serious challenges in terms of resources and is trying, by all means, to find alternative funding sources as its traditional sources seem to have dried up.
The excitement around the partnership between ZTA and Intwasa is because according to the 2010 UNDP and UNCTAD Creative Economy Report cultural festivals are one of the main drivers of cultural tourism. Festivals have become important creative activities for developing countries, particularly when associated with tourism and the promotion and celebration of cultural diversity. Festivals are now perfect platforms to appreciate, acknowledge and celebrate a nation’s tangible and intangible heritage. Also, festivals have become a popular mechanism to reorganise cultural products in the context of economic challenges and to make artistic works accessible to the general public. Most importantly festivals promote intercultural exchanges and are critical cultural spaces for citizen participation.
To support this point the Harare International Festival of the Arts (Hifa) is one of the biggest festivals in Africa and also among the best seven festivals in the world. This is proof enough of how festivals can impact on a people, a particular place and country both in terms of arts and culture and the economic contribution to the country’s coffers — a reason we believe has drawn ZTA to Intwasa. Grown and supported properly Intwasa could become a serious driver of tourism in Bulawayo.