Bulawayo Culture Festival a success

The team leader of Bulawayo Culture Festival, Butshilo Nleya and his team can say WE DID IT confidently. The team pulled off what many pundits did not think they would: Staging the first ever Bulawayo Culture Festival and with a star-studded lineup too.

And the hard work is not done yet; there is the agonizing over books that refuse to balance: Whoever achieved a perfect balance sheet anyway? Strong, black coffee and the satisfaction of a job well done keeps the team going. There were a few teething hiccups, but everyone is agreed on one thing: We will be back and in a bigger and better way.
    
The festival kicked off on the 26th of April at 9am with a drumming circle led by the highly talented Bruce Ncube. About thirty people who came early to witness the opening of the freshest and youngest festival in Southern Africa were each given a drum and Bruce taught the basics of drumming and they drummed their worries and problems away. An exhilarating moment! Hip Hop and Pantsula workshops followed and in the afternoon, Umkhathi Theater Works, who will soon embark on a tour of the United States of America, entertained the crowd with their production Ja Hlako. And in the evening Family Voices, Raibow Blaze, Tanga Pasi, Black Umfolosi and Victor Kunonga mesmerised the crowd with amazing music.


Tanga Pasi

The all-female group Nobuntu opened the evening program on the 27th of April and they were the revelation of the festival. Raisedon Baya, the Director Intwasa Festival koBulawayo had this to say about them, "Nobuntu - that's the name to look for in the music industry - fresh, sizzling, sexy and definitely vocally gifted. Was completely taken".


Victor

Bongo Love, Ramsey, The Cool Crooners, Jeys Marabini, Black Umfolosi and Busi Ncube rounded off a memorable first edition of Bulawayo Culture Festival. And the festival is well on its way to fulfilling its description as a new world music and dance initiative aiming to create events, artistic products, commercial sponsorship and interaction, artistic collaboration and a healthy box-office culture in Zimbabwe. The main Festival is an annual destination event in the culture, arts and entertainment calendar of Bulawayo, Matabeleland and Zimbabwe.
   
The team promises to bring a bigger and better festival next year and the main event will be preceded by a series of events that will be a build-up to the main event.