HIFA

The Harare International Festival of the Arts was something we'd heard about prior to coming here. We were advised to join as HIFA Amigos to get certain benefits, like ticket discounts and first chance for buying tickets. So we did that. We were psyched for "the greatest thing Harare has to offer" - or so we'd been told by some. Others who live here don't even bother to go. I was curious about what the scene would be like.

The grounds are small compared to American festival venues, so it was easy to get around. Crowds are kept small and manageable mainly by the need to buy tickets to enter the ground or see any show. Most things are at the Harare Gardens park downtown, although there are shows at a couple of community theaters in other neighborhoods. It annoyed me that you couldn’t just wander around and check out various shows once you got in, and I started to suspect the nature of these rules when I attended the opening concert and was surprised to see so many white people. However, in retrospect it seems that Carmina Burana is just more attractive to that demographic. And the Coca-Cola stage at the concessions area where everyone filled tables and chairs all night definitely was dominated by the non-white crowd.

Sorry, but the whole racial/cultural divide does fascinate me here, and the festival was awesome for people watching. I was happy to see a lot more mixed couples and families than I have for the last 5 months we’ve been here, and it makes me wonder why I haven’t seen more up to now….maybe because I see them during the day when they’re working and not together? The South Asian community also had a good presence at the festival. They have their deep roots here as well. But by and large, the crafts and artisan venders were black African, from old ladies to Rastafarians. They had clothes, sculptures, wood carvings, toys, linens, instruments, jewelry, pottery, paintings…you name it. And it was really affordable.

It was less little-kid friendly than I’d expected. Now I know: you have to be more than 6-years-old to sit through an hour-long play/dance performance/comedic-juggler act. The kids did really enjoy the shows, but because they were targeting a general audience, it just didn’t hold their attention long enough. I’d spend half the time trying to keep them from disturbing people. Another lesson: get there early enough to find a seat that allows for a quick exit.

There was a lot to like though. People did come and go all day to see the various shows and just hang out in the gardens. The music was good, and a few shows were really moving. There’s nothing quite like seeing close up real professionals performing: their charisma, energy, and mastery over the instrument. I also was seeing types of music live that I’d never seen before (Sandra Nkake: funky Cameroonian/Parisian and Mafalda Arnouth: traditional Portuguese fado singer). There were a couple of big shows (Los Atlandticos; Salif Keita) that had everyone dancing…long jamming sessions, complicated, intense, beautifully performed by a stage full of amazing musicians. I mean, when did I last go to a concert where I and a load of other people around me were jumping up and down to the beat and going wild. It was awesome. And the parties on the gardens would go on and on (by my standards) every night after the concerts at the “VIP” tent where we could actually talk to the performers and get further sloshed with our friends (a couple of whom did actually perform).

So another lesson: take off work for at least a day or two to see the day shows and recover from the night shows (and better still arrange for someone else to take the kids to school at 7 a.m.).

(three times photos were rejected from being uploaded...will try to add later...though I didn't get much...left the camera a home most days)