News / National
Carnivals express happy Zimbabweans - Mzembi
13 Oct 2015 at 06:39hrs | Views
Tourism minister Walter Mzembi has said two million people who flocked to the Harare International Carnival last week was an expression that Zimbabweans are happy.
The curtain came down on the Harare International Carnival on Sunday.
Said Mzembi : "The people funded their happiness. The carnival is financed through participation fees by the floats themselves and it's a marketing opportunity for anyone who is an entrepreneur who is in business who seeks out of the box marketing tools or ways to mass markets.
"What we saw on the day was a two million people mass market and anyone who deals with mass markets would seek to position his product.
"The spontaneity is an endorsement of our mandate as tourism. It means we designed products that connected instantly and spontaneity with the people's aspirations and when you do that you don't even need to carry them on a bus or frog march them.
" They can't stop living because of the challenges and we are saying there is a brighter future to look ahead to and those carnivals are a manifestation of tat expression of happiness" he said.
Meanwhile, government is considering the decentralisation of the Harare International Carnival to the country's nine other provinces as a way of sustaining the carnival concept, he said.
"I envisage, in the future, each province through its capital for starters, hosting a carnival at least once a year to the extent that our 10 provinces can all be accommodated," said Vice president Ememrson Mnangagwa.
He said this would give each province an opportunity to showcase itself.
Mnangagwa dispelled the notion that Carnival's were a Western concept out of sync with traditional African practices.
"Carnivals are not foreign concept to Africa, where they are performed the most. In Brazil and other Latin American countries they assume an Afro-centric dimension typical of African ancestry derived from slavery," Mnangagwa said.
Jah Prayzah, left fans clamouring for more following a thrilling performance at the Parliament Building.
The curtain came down on the Harare International Carnival on Sunday.
Said Mzembi : "The people funded their happiness. The carnival is financed through participation fees by the floats themselves and it's a marketing opportunity for anyone who is an entrepreneur who is in business who seeks out of the box marketing tools or ways to mass markets.
"What we saw on the day was a two million people mass market and anyone who deals with mass markets would seek to position his product.
"The spontaneity is an endorsement of our mandate as tourism. It means we designed products that connected instantly and spontaneity with the people's aspirations and when you do that you don't even need to carry them on a bus or frog march them.
" They can't stop living because of the challenges and we are saying there is a brighter future to look ahead to and those carnivals are a manifestation of tat expression of happiness" he said.
"I envisage, in the future, each province through its capital for starters, hosting a carnival at least once a year to the extent that our 10 provinces can all be accommodated," said Vice president Ememrson Mnangagwa.
He said this would give each province an opportunity to showcase itself.
Mnangagwa dispelled the notion that Carnival's were a Western concept out of sync with traditional African practices.
"Carnivals are not foreign concept to Africa, where they are performed the most. In Brazil and other Latin American countries they assume an Afro-centric dimension typical of African ancestry derived from slavery," Mnangagwa said.
Jah Prayzah, left fans clamouring for more following a thrilling performance at the Parliament Building.
Source - H-Metro additional reporting by Bulawayo24
