CHIMANIMANI - The annual Chimanimani Arts Festival will take place during the weekend May 21-23. (Pictured: Pa lo QSeas famous street performance)
This free entry festival regularly features Zimbabwe’s best known artists and performers. This years festival welcomes Barcelona-based Spanish street performers, Pa lo Q’Sea, who will use mythology, tradition, ritual elements and legends to realize a contemporary ‘Fiesta” featuring recyclable large puppets, stilt-walkers, unicyclists, jugglers, drummers and acrobats on both Saturday and Sunday mornings. Pa lo Q’Sea (‘For whatever it’s needed) was founded in 1989. Their most popular production “Rompe Candela” has been presented at more than 300 venues worldwide including Canada, Colombia, Australia, New Caledonia, and throughout Europe.
The three member group will spend two weeks working with Harare acrobatic troupe, ZimZam, Mutare- based tumblers Aqua, and local Chimanimani talents to present a new version of ‘Rompe Candela’ (Break the Fire) at the Chimanimani Festival for this fiesta spectacular. Pa lo Q’Sea are supported by the Embassy of Spain and Espana Cooperacion Cultural Exterior who were also responsible for bringing musical trio Demachena to last years festival. The festival opens on Friday May 21 with a cultural exposition in celebration of International Day for Cultural Diversity and Development during which Zimbabwean culture will be on prominent display. It continues throughout the weekend with a programme of music, theatre, film, poetry, comedy, dance and workshops.
Feature acts include Suluman Chimbetu, Andy Brown, Outspoken, Makoomba, Junior Bantan and Edgar Langevelt plus groups from the Flame, Bocapa and Music Crossroads talent networks and Mutare and Chimanimani based groups. There will be a special guest appearance by ‘Tuku’ alongside the Ay Band in tribute to his son Sam Mtukudzi; who’s recent loss has deprived everyone of a sparkling gem of a talent. Arts and craft stalls and local foodstuffs will be available at outlets in and around the main-stage venue which is located on the village green. Chimanimani is a tourist attraction, and surrounding places of interest include Tessa’s Pools and Bridal Veil Falls , whilst Chimanimani also offers some of the best one-day and overnight mountain walking anywhere in the world.
The full program, as well as information on previous festivals and more general info about Chimanimani can be found on the website www.chimanimani.com – with ongoing updates as the festival approaches.
Post published in: News