The answer is simply Harare International Festival of Arts (Hifa). This year’s theme for the just-ended annual arts fete was “Engagement Party” – an apt description of what transpired at the festival. The five-day extravaganza held in Harare may now be history but the festival will certainly remain etched in the minds of arts lovers for a long time.It was indeed an engagement party as Hifa managed to achieve what the many other occasions or events have failed to achieve: bringing Zimbabweans from all cross sections of the society together without caring about the identity, religious, cultural, and political affiliation of the person standing next to them sometimes late into the night.All kinds of galas have come, some with unity themes, but these events have over years lacked the pull factor for all races.Of late only the vapostori and people with crude home-made sandals, bussed from rural areas, are unmistakable at what should be national events.Other Zimbabweans have since independence tended to shun those events, at one time prompting the late musician Simon Chimbetu to express his disgust at such behaviour some years ago in one of his songs. With Hifa it was the opposite. There were no Zupco buses at the “usual pick up points” nor noctunal meetings called to threaten people into going to Harare gardens for the shows.It was a simply an irresistible entertainment package arranged by the Hifa team ably led by Manuel Bagorro, which was enough to draw crowds to the numerous venues. The Standard newspaper which was the official media partner of the international festival, was also involved in the action.Not even intermittent rain could dampen the spirits of festival goers.On the closing night on Sunday, there were extra ordinary scenes at the Harare gardens where a cosmopolitan crowd danced the night away during an inspiring performance by Busi Ncube.While her initial entry to the stage was lacklustre when compared to that of Moke and Chiwoniso Maraire who did a memorable collaboration as a closing act, Ncube cleaned up her act in no time and belted her yesteryear hits, which sent the crowd into frenzy.I should confess that I am a huge fan of Ncube, what with hit her hit song, True Love that was an anthem at Alheit Mission in Gutu where I did my O-Levels when Ncube was still strutting her stuff with Ilanga.Those were the good old days before the band which featured the likes of Don Gumbo, Andy Brown, Adam Chisvo and Cde Chinx disintegrated.Hifa scenes that will remain in my mind are those of the street children dancing elbow to elbow with people they would ordinarily never interface with except when probably begging for food leftovers and coins.They stole the show with their fancy footwork and clearly endeared themselves with many revellers. It was befitting that the kids, often left out of events, found their way into Harare gardens and shared the delight of revellers. But they sent a message: with proper organisation they could form a musical dance group, that could leave Tongai Moyo’s dancers green with envy. That could empower them for life. All good things come to an end and I left Hifa in the wee hours of the morning on Monday convinced that Zimbabweans do love each other whether they are black or white, Zanu PF, Mavambo or MDC but what divides them is the politicians who poison our living environment.It would be important to build up on this “Hifa spirit” and forge a new Zimbabwe where we live in harmony with each other.ENDS///
