MAY ISSUE 2013

kwantuthuarts
FEATURES: Books Arts in Photos

MUSIC - THEATRE - DANCE - FASHION - POETRY - VISUAL ARTS - LITERARY ARTS - FILM

AMERICAN ACTS AT HIFA 2013

FOSSO TAFADZWA DLAMINI

Sammuel

ZIMBABWE CARNIVAL
Zimbabwe`s rst international carnival celebrate our culture

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kwantuthuarts MAY 2013 CONTENTS

Features
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BUDGET TABLETS
A spotlight on six budget tablets that one can use and get an A class experience.

AMERICAN ACTS AT HIFA 2013

Five outstanding acts from the United States of America are set to participate this week in the 14th annual Harare International Festival of the Arts (HIFA). HIFA runs from April 30 to May 5 under the theme Whats next

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SAMUEL FOSSO
Samuel Fosso, (born 1962, Kumba, Cameroon), Cameroonian photographer who was best known for his autoportraits, in which he transformed himself into other people and characters drawn from popular culture and politics.

SPOTLIGHT
INTRODUCING NAMELESS
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CONTENT
5 8 10 12 14 18 19 22 23 26 27 28 30 Arts in Photos American Acts At HIFA 2013 Gadget Budget Tablets Books Feature Zimbabwe International Carnival Pro le Samuel Fosso Bulawayo Cultural Festival Cultural Statistics Intwasa Closes Applications The First Theatre Indaba Pro le Tafadzwa Dlamini News Umkhithi Theatre Events & Exhibitions

THIS MONTHS ISSUE

CULTURE
On the cover: Black Umfolosi, Courtesy of Black Umfolisi Editor: Littchel Mathuthu Production Coordinator: Ashton Z. Sobhuza Copywrite: Andy Sobhuza Creative Director: Littchel N. Mathuthu Information is correct at press time. Check www.kwantuthumag.com for updates. Our May Issue is a spotlight on Zimbabwes culture and celebrating all of it in its various forms, from the inaugural Bulawayo Cultural Festival, HIFA 2013, and the rst Zimbabwean Carnival in Harare. We are spotlighting and celebrating artists such as Tendai Dlamini and Samuel Fosso who is currently having an exhibition at the National gallery in Bulawayo. Our culture is our heritage and de nes who we are so celebrate who you are and lets treasure our culture.

Kwantuthu Arts is published monthly by Design Style Innovation (DSI), Bulawayo Zimbabwe. Signed articles do not necessarily re ect the o cial policy. 2012. All rights reserved. Reproduction in part or whole without permission is prohibited. Editorial, publishing and advertising o ces: info@kwantuthumag.com

Lets support the arts

kwantuthu Arts Team

ARTS IN PHOTOS

ARTS IN PHOTOS

SPOTLIGHT
AMERICAN ACTS AT HIFA 2013
Five outstanding acts from the United States of America are set to participate this week in the 14th annual Harare International Festival of the Arts (HIFA). HIFA runs from April 30 to May 5 under the theme Whats next
The six day festival will showcase local, regional and international arts and culture, including theatre, dance, music, spoken word, and the visual arts. The American delegation consists of a wide assortment of cultural acts, including outstanding singers from the Harlem-based gospel choir Songs of Solomon, conducted by veteran choir leader Pastor Chantel Wright. A rm believer in education through the arts, Pastor Wright founded her gospel choir in 2001 to give young people a sense of ownership and pride in their community. The gospel celebration concert will also feature 50 young Zimbabweans selected competitively for an outstanding, uplifting show as part of HIFAs closing acts on May 5 at the Telecel main stage. We look forward to so many strong contributions by Americans at HIFA this year, said Jillian Bonnardeaux, Deputy Public A airs O cer at the U.S. Embassy. We are especially enthusiastic about the Songs of Inspiration collaboration because the performance is a true cultural exchange. American visitors are sharing their favorite songs with Zimbabwean singers, and Zimbabweans are sharing their local music and language, linking our two countries young people through song. Other Americans at HIFA this year are opera singer Lester Lynch, theater director Julie Wharton, dance theater from Ananya Dance Theatre company, and bass and trumpet improvisational player Jacob Bain from Seattle band Publish the Quest. Lynchs commanding, rich voice will raise the curtain on Wednesday May 1 at the Cabs Opera Gala. Julie Wharton is staging Almasi Collaborative Arts interpretation of Sarah Ruhls play, Dead Mans Cellphone. The play will come alive on May 2 and 5 at the Reps Theatre main stage. Meanwhile, Jacob Bain will perform May 2 in collaboration with Chris Williams on the Lays Global Stage. 8

Ananya Dance Theatre will perform Moreechika at 7 Arts on Tuesday, April 30 in a production entitled Moreechika. It is the third work in a four-part investigation into systemic violence, trauma, resistance, and empowerment experienced by communities of color. Last years American delegation was also a diverse group of vocalists, tap dancers, and jazz musicians, including Los Angeles Jazz Tap Ensemble, Latin jazz trumpeter Chris Washburne and his band Syotos, and opera vocalists Ronita Miller and Cailtin Felsman. The United States has participated in the last seven festivals, sending new, dynamic artists each year.

Last years American delegation was also a diverse group

Since its inception in 1999, HIFA has become the largest cultural event in Zimbabwe and among the top eight arts festivals in Africa. HIFA has been recognized for bringing together disparate social and cultural groups, even during times of political and social uncertainty. This years theme, Whats next?, re ects the festivals positive g rowth and future ambitions.

GADGET

- BUDGET TABLETS

BEST BUDGET TABLETS

Selecting the best budget tablet can be a bit of a hustle to nd the gadget that provides you all the userbility and looks on a budget. Here we review three tablets that have set the market place alight, we have the iPad Mini, Google Nexus 7 and the Asus FonePad. 1. IPAD MINI
Price: from 269 OS: iOS 6 Review score: 4.5/5 Apple's former CEO Steve Jobs famously slammed small tablets a few years back, leading many to believe the Cupertino-based rm would never dabble in thebudget end of the market, but here we are. In terms of consistency in the tablet market Apple cannot be matched, as it now lays claim to the rst two places in our top 10, with the iPad mini the jewel in an already glistening crown. The slight downsides to the iPad mini are that it misses out on a Retina display and it pushes the upper end of the budget price bracket, but you can justify that price with its slick operation and premium build quality, letting you know you have a top piece of kit in your hand - as we said in our review "the iPad mini is the best iPad Apple has ever created."

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7. Samsung Galaxy Tab 8.9 Price: from 249.99 OS: Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich Review score: 4.5/5 The Samsung Galaxy Tab 8.9 is a funny little thing. It's essentially the same as its older brother, the Galaxy Tab 10.1, but with an 8.9-inch screen. It's slightly thinner and lighter, and con sequently more convenient for anyone wanting to stu it in a bag, while the internal components are basically the same. While it may be starting to show its age, it's ideal for anyone who thinks 10.1 inches is just slightly too big for a tablet, nds 7-inch options a tad too small and can't a ord an iPad mini. A decent screen, and premium features make it a great option.

4. Amazon Kindle Fire HD

5. Acer Iconia A210

6. Toshiba AT200

3. Asus FonePad
Price: 179.99 OS: Android 4.1 Jelly Bean Review score: 4/5 It's almost identical to the Nexus 7 sitting in second place, but the FonePad has a few trump cards including a great price, microSD slot and 3G connectivity which not only allows you to get online but also send/receive phone calls and text messages. You'd be forgiven for wondering why the FonePad isn't sitting calmly at number two, but the Jelly Bean interface isn't quite as slick (it's packing a dual-core, not quad-core chip), you can pick up a Wi-Fi only Nexus 7 for less dosh and while the call function is cool, it's also a little impractical on a device this size. That said pair it up with a Bluetooth headset and you might as well turf your smartphone out, as the FonePad can do pretty much everything.

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BOOKS
THE CARUSO OF COLLEEN BAWN AND OTHER SHORT WRITINGS
The Caruso of Colleen Bawn and Other Short Writings by John Eppel

The Caruso of Colleen Bawn and Other Short Writings is a collection of short stories and poems from the Zimbabwean author John Eppel. The pieces range from poetry evocative of the sights, sounds and smells of the Zimbabwean bush and suburbia to bitingly satirical prose about present day Zimbabwe. Eppel has proved himself in both elds of writing, being awarded the M-Net Prize for ction and the Ingrid Jonker Prize for poetry. John Eppel was brought up in Colleen Bawn but now lives in Bulawayo, where he writes and teaches English.

The prose and verse re ect the truth, both enjoyable and painful, about life in the country.

SHORT WRITINGS FROM BULAWAYO II

Short Writings from Bulawayo II is a collection of short stories and poems that take the reader on a journey through the townships of Bulawayo, to the rural areas and beyond. It would be unforgivable in today's Zimbabwe to publish an anthology that did not.

The book is a must read for insights into the current Zimbabwean consciousness. It is dynamic, real, seasoned with humour and bursting with creative energy from some of the country's most talented writers. Chipo Chitonga

Re ect the struggles of the people to survive poverty and oppression and the way that cultural expectations impact on their daily lives. As well as pathos, there is often humour in the closely observed portrayals of township denizens. A common theme in the pieces is the singular fortitude of Zimbabweans in the face of adversity. The reader has only to dip into this collection to get a feel of life in present day Zimbabwe.

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SPOTLIGHT
4. Amazon Kindle Fire HD
Price: from 159 OS: Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich Review score: 4.5/5 What's better than a tablet with a quad core processor? One that costs just 159. That's right: the power of the Kindle brand has mated with an HD screen and won't charge you the earth to own it.

- BUDGET TABLETS

Coming in at 16GB and 32GB avours, the Kindle Fire HD is sure to be a big hit, bringing the simplicity of the e-book range to the tablet arena, with dedicated space to access your movies, games, apps and music too.It's a little simplistic for some, but forothers it's the perfect mix of curatedcontent and easy to use interface anddespite the price, it's got a decent build quality too.

5. Acer Iconia A210

Price: from 201.95 OS: Android 4.1 Jelly Bean Review score: 4/5 The Acer Iconia A210 is one of the best budget 10-inch tablets available. If it wasn't f or the very average battery life, we'd be having a major ing withthe A210 because it has both exibilityand an Acer-made polish to its user interface that we really enjoyed using. The A210 may not have the show stopping specs of some of the other tablets on other, but at the end of the day it o ers a solid tablet experience at a great price. 6. Toshiba AT200 Price: from 219.99 OS: Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich Review score: 4/5 The Toshiba AT200 was once the world's thinnest 10.1-inch tablet clocking in at a super slender 7.7mm thin, but it's now lost that title to the Sony Xperia Tablet Z. Still, it means you can slide it into your bag without issue, and at 535g, you probably won't notice it's in there. The Toshiba AT200 is a good, solid and portable device, delivering everything you'd expect from an unfussy Android slate. If you're looking for a standard tablet experience, the AT200 is certainly worth a look.

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FEATURE

ZIMBABWE INTERNATIONAL

Carnival

Zimbabwe`s rst inaugural carvival, street party celebrating cultural diversity. More than 10 000 revelers bringing together culture from within and beyond...

THE CARNIVAL
The rst of its kind to happen in Zimbabwe bringing together all of the local indeginous cultures and celebrating them in the month of May. From the 21st to the 26th of this month the country will come alive and celebrate the nations diversity in the carnival. With a host of events and activities that will me happening all over the capital such as Zimbabwe International Carnival Qween, Cultural and Social fair at exhibition park (show graounds).

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PROFILE

SAMUEL FOSSO
Samuel Fosso, (born 1962, Kumba, Cameroon), Cameroonian photographer who was best known for his autoportraits, in which he transformed himself into other people and characters drawn from popular culture and politics. Fosso lived in Nigeria as a child, but the con ict caused by the secession of Biafra in the late 1960s forced his family to ee to Bangui, Central African Republic, where he ultimately settled. He discovered photography in his early teens while working as a shoemaker, and by 1975, after a brief apprenticeship with a local photographer, he had opened his own studio. He lived and worked at the studio, creating portraits of the local residents by using studio lights fashioned from pots and backgrounds made from traditional African fabrics or hand painted by friends. At the days end he would often step in front of the camera to nish a roll of lm. While Fosso used these images to communicate his well-being to his grandmother in Nigeria, the staged self-portraits also became agents of transformation and expression for the young artist, who was acutely aware of shifting cultural and political climates.

In many of his early images, Fosso borrowed elements from popular culture that he admired, even having local tailors replicate out ts worn by celebrities. In 1993 Fossos images were discovered by French photographer Bernard Deschamps, who was looking for photographers to be included in the rst edition of Rencontres de la photographie africaine in Bamako, Mali. That 1994 exhibition launched Fossos career as an artist, and he later went on to win the Afrique en Cration award in 1995 and the prestigious Prince Claus Award in 2001. Although his work drew comparisons to traditional African studio photographers (such as Seydou Keta of Mali) and Western photographers who utilized self-portraiture (such as American Cindy Sherman), Fosso operated in relative isolation.

transformed himself into various black leaders, politicians, and cultural icons
Fosso continued to evolve and expand the scope of his autoportraits, using the constructed images to critically narrate and reference cultural and political events. In the Tati series, commissioned by the Parisian department store Tati in 1997, Fosso depicted himself as characters ranging from an African chief draped in gold jewelry and leopard skins to a glamorous African American woman. In his photographic series African Spirits, an exhibit that was rst held in Paris from October 2008 to April 2009, Fosso transformed himself into various black leaders, politicians, and cultural icons, including former South African president Nelson Mandela, American boxer Muhammad Ali, and American activist and academic Angela Davis.

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BULAWAYO Cultural Festival

The inaugural cultural festival took place at the National Gallery of Zimbabwe in Bulawayo, with big names such as Busi khumalo, Tanga Pasi and many more entertaining audience that had attended the festival. All who attended had a chance to share in the workshops, dance performances and academic lectures.

Victor Kunonga Live on Stage at the Bulawayo Cultural Festival

Tongai Pasi Live on Stage at the Bulawayo Cultural Festival

21

THE CULTURAL STATISTICS SURVEY REPORT

Last month the Culture Fund of Zimbabwe Trust released results of a cultural statistics survey measuring the economic contribution of Zimbabwes cultural industries to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) they had commissioned the Zimbabwe National Statistics Agency to conduct in 2012. The results were presented at a workshop held at the Rainbow Towers in Harare. Prominent players in the sector were invitedto comment on the report.
The background to the survey is best captured in the preface of the report itself. In Zimbabwe, the cultural industry has, over the years, emerged as a source of income, employment and a tool to assert the peoples national identity. The cultural industry contributes countrys image, so begins the preface which goes on to show how the Zimbabwean government tries to support the growth of the arts sector. However, despite cultural sector, the challenge comes in trying to measure the socio economic contribution of the sector to the economy. The above challenge is due to poor documentation, absence of a centralized information and knowledge management system. It is against this background that the Culture Fund of Zimbabwe Trust with the support of UNESCO commissioned ZIMSTAT for the survey. Though the survey was not a national exercise as it only covered Harare, Norton, Ruwa and Epworth the participant applauded it as a milestone - a bold step towards the right direction. After the presentation it became clear that a national exercise was now needed as results obtained from the four areas could not inform on the actual contribution of the cultural sector to the DGP.

Zimbabwes cultural industries to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP)

the participant applauded it as a milestone

The survey also made interesting observations: 1. It faced challenges of out-dated information from registers and directory. Lists contained deceased artists and those who had left the sector Lack of clear regulatory policy framework within the sector. derived from the UNESCO 2005 Convention of the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions 22

2.

INTWASA CLOSES APPLICATIONS:

HAPPY WITH THE GROWING INTERST

The application deadline for Intwasa Arts Festival koBulawayo came and went. By the close of the day on 30 April there were more than 120 applications. This was a quantum leap from last years number. However, like fact that the above arts genres, music, theatre and dance, dominate most festivals. The reality on the ground is there are more people in these areas than the other disciplines. Baseline surveys and statistics in the sector have also pointed to the same fact. The low response in fashion, crafts, visual arts, literary arts and poetry obviously mean the festival will headhunt showcase and network with other artists. The festival attracted interest from artists from Victoria Falls, Hwange, Binga, Harare, Mutare, Gweru, Masvingo, Gwanda, Karoi, and Plumtree. Outside Zimbabwe there was interest from South Africa, Botswana, Zambia, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Democratic Republic of Congo, Nigeria, Ghana, Italy, France, UK and the United States of America.

a quantum leap from last years number

The growing number of applications obviously means the growth of the festival brand and reputation. This has also seen new partners jumping on board. So far we have the likes of Pro Helvetia and the Swiss Development Corporation, Nhimbe Trust, Amakhosi Cultural Centre, Habitat Afrika Safaris, Alliance Francaise, Deck Magazine coming on board as festival partners. As the countdown to the September dates continues the festival also continues to hope for more partners and friends of the festival to come on board. The festival committee is sitting end of May to look at applications and select products for this years program.

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THE 1ST THEATRE INDABA: ONE STEP FORWARD

than 32 years. Organised by a steering committee made up of Daves Guzha, Cont Mhlanga, Josh Nyapimbi, Daniel Maposa and Raisedon Baya and supported by the Norwegian Embassy in partnership with Hivos Foundation and Culture Fund of Zimbabwe Trust, the Indaba came out of last Octobers National Arts Council of Zimbabwes organised Arts Indaba which was held in Masvingo. The Indabas objectives were: 1. 2. 3. To explore how to professionalise the theatre sector To undertake an audit of existing theatre associations, streamlining and resuscitating some that are seemingly dead. To identify opportunities and threats for the theatre sector and suggest ways of mitigating the threats. Establish theatre sector priorities and timelines for achieving the priorities. To set a tone towards the formulation of a national theatre policy

4. 5.

fromorganisation, venues, content and stagnation. There were interesting presentations ranging from a SWOT analysis of the sector itself, a paper on the need for a national theatre policy, media and the arts, and a comparison of the Zimbabwe theatre situation with countries

The Indaba came up with the following resolutions: 1. 2. 3. 4. The establishing of a voluntary national regulatory body. A task team made up of Daves Guzha, Cont Mhlanga, Nehemiah Chivandikwa, Florence Mukanga Majachani and Josh Nyapimbi was put in place to look at the technicalities of setting up the body. The strengthening of existing national associations with focus on ZITA, ZATCYP and ITI. Conducting an audit/inventory of theatre venues and spaces and makerecommendations as to what needs to be done to uplift them to acceptable standards. Each province was encouraged to conduct its own inventory/audit. Need to conduct research on training models taking place across the country in the hope of harmonizing them.

The Indaba also resolved to make the national meeting an annual event. The steering committee was retained and mandated to follow up on the resolutions and plan next years 2nd theatre indaba.

PROFILE

Tandai Dlamini ARTIST

A resident artist at the National Gallery of Zimbabwe in Bulawayo produces a wonderful sculpture.

Painting by Tafadzwa Dlamini

NEWS

UMKHITHI THEATRE WORKS

Nearly 20 members of Bulawayo's performing arts ensemble Umkhathi Theatre Works just arrived to the U.S. on a three-city tour to expose new audiences to traditional Zimbabwean dance and music as part of a cultural exchange program organized by the Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM).

EVENTS & EXHIBITIONS

AR T EXHIBITION
Exhibition Schedule for the month of May Currently Showing: Photographic series of self-portraits by Samuel Fosso Small Galleries 4 to 12 may 2013 Resident Artist open studios series II exhibition - Main Foyer 1 to 21 May 2013 Dialogue Among civalisations, international group show Marshall Baron Gallery 7 May 2013

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