Nine days separate this year’s Harare International Carnival (HIC) and the general elections, timing which is both controversial and questionable in the eyes of critics.
By Kennedy Nyavaya
This year’s edition of the cultural fiesta is pencilled for July 17 to 21, earlier than the usual dates for the past two years when it was held in August and September.
Naturally, the sincerity of the organisers, Zimbabwe Tourism Authority’s (ZTA), has seriously come under the spotlight yet the organisation’s CEO Karikoga Kaseke insists there is nothing to worry about.
“This country’s unique selling point is not the Victoria Falls, but the peace prevailing and what could be a better way of showing this than hosting a carnival one week and two days before the elections?” Kaseke told The Standard Style.
Since the announcement of the dates, red flags have been raised about the motive of shifting the show dates so close to the elections.
The history of local carnivals has seen immense involvement of political figures and with elections in the picture such a background could negatively affect attendance as people of divergent political views might boycott to avoid seeming alignment.
What further fuelled the boycott possibility is the idea that President Emmerson Mnangagwa, who recently escaped an alleged terrorist attack at a rally, or either of his deputies could be the guest of honour.
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With multitudes of people gathered, there is little guarantee the event will not be turned into a Zanu PF campaign event.
“The carnival is not a political rally. It will never be and the government knows that, so nothing of that sort will happen at the carnival because there is no room for politicians to address people,” said Kaseke.
“The only [public] address we are expecting is from the [tourism] minister before the procession because the event is run by the government, but other than that nothing else because it is not ethical.”
ZTA recently hosted a free-entry football match between Zimbabwe Legends and World Class Legends, which only attracted a paltry crowd despite a similar event attracting a full house at the National Sports Stadium last November.
Mnangagwa was the guest of honour who never stayed for long, perhaps after seeing the sizeable crowd largely consisting of his party supporters who later jostled for campaign regalia.
But, the carnival, according to Kaseke, will be purely entertainment free of political tensions already mounting across the country.
“People should not try to pre-empt violence that is not there. I can personally say the build-up to this year’s elections is very much peaceful compared to other years and as ZTA it is our mandate to showcase the country the way we want,” he said.
The cultural diversity fête is a stage where different foreign ensembles showcase their artistry at differently themed events, before the street march, which has in the past brought business to a halt in Harare.
