For families, the best choice for having pleasure used to be amusement parks and recreational centres, while for beer drinkers, the place to be were beer halls and beer gardens. However, at the turn of the millennium, aggressive players entered the liquor market, pushing most of those traditional beer outlets into oblivion.
By Style Reporter
Several amusement parks and recreational centres, mostly those run by local authorities, died a natural death.
night clubs, sports bars and the transformation of open-air bars into de facto al fresco entertainment rendezvous, have taken over. The new players came up with attractive packages in a market where beerhalls dominated.
One such place that has brought a new dimension into the Zimbabwean entertainment arena is Padziva, an outdoor venue on the outskirts of Dzivaresekwa, Harare.
The joint is the baby of entertainment hub, Jive Zimbabwe.
“Padziva is an outdoor entertainment and leisure centre, with a cocktail of amenities like braai, kids’ play area, car wash, and a big screen that was launched in June for the World Cup,” said Padziva manager Sam Mhlanga.
“Padziva is an outdoor setting that gives a total feel. It is suitable for family outings, getaways and hangouts. It also serves as a community centre, providing locals with a decent place to meet and hang out.”
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What makes the venue a cut above the rest is the #OneBigParty, a family event that is held on the last Saturday of every month, bringing artistes, businesspeople and entrepreneurs together.
“#OneBigParty is a franchise established by Jive Zimbabwe that seeks to bring together people celebrating their birthdays, anniversaries, milestones, achievements, awards, anything that made your month every month,” said Jive Zimbabwe director Benjamin Nyandoro.
While the idea initially was to spread the #OneBigParty across town, Padziva seems to be the ultimate host for the event.
“Our vision is to have this day on the same day everywhere where people come together to celebrate. We have activities lined up for each month and last month we hosted Jah Prayzah,” said Nyandoro.
“This month we will host Sulumani Chimbetu as we celebrate the life of his late father Simon who passed away on August 14, 2005.”
The joint has hosted a number of prominent artistes and celebrities under the #OneBigParty banner.
In March, the joint hosted Jah Signal while in April, Comic Pastor spoiled the audience. Tatenda Pinjisi, a solid young and promising sungura artiste, had his turn in May where he serenaded fans with songs from his two albums, including his latest offering titled Chibhakera Chenyasha.
Zimdancehall artiste Freeman took to the stage in June, while Jah Prayzah celebrated his birthday with his legions of followers at the joint last month.
“We host Sulu this month and next month, we are spoilt for choice with divas Diana “MaNgwenya” Samkange, Jean Masters, Lady Storm, Ammi Jamanda, Kadjah and Tendai Chimombe all coming to show what they are made of,” said Nyandoro.
“In October we have Peter Moyo and we are finalising our engagement with Alick Macheso for November and Winky D for December on New Year’s Eve.”
Mhlanga said apart from music, Padziva also hosts other social gatherings, including birthday parties.
“We have facilities for other social interactions and we also have places for kids to have fun. We have come up with a number of unique concepts that make us different from other players, particularly the #BoyzCanCook, which has taken the scene by storm,” he said.
“#BoyzCanCook is a movement of men and women, particularly men who proactively join the ongoing gender activism, dismissing the notion that women belong to the ‘kitchen’.”
Mhlanga said the maiden #BoyzCanCook event was fully subscribed by the merrymakers and the corporate world.
