HIFA 2014 – “Switch On!” Day 1

30 04 2014

HIFA is up and running again! Day 1 was BancABC day (they sponsored it) and there was plenty to see. I missed one Australian circus show as it was fully booked and as a photographer couldn’t get in (jeez, what are these guys’ priorities?). However there was still a Gong Myoung, a Korean mixed show of music and hip-hop that was amazing. An interesting type of music, some beautiful though I did not take to the opera much. NOBODY, and I mean nobody, does hip hop like the Koreans. Worth seeing just for that so catch them again at the 7 Arts theatre on Thursday.

Second up was an Italian guitarist Andrea Valeri who not only is an extraordinary player but a great showman too. He’s playing again on Sunday at Lay’s Global Stage and again with two other guitarists (I met one on the shuttle bus) in the Battle of the Guitarists at the same venue also on Sunday. Should be good.

Then I got my cellphone stolen by a pretend drunk which is why this is a bit of a rush – spent most of yesterday evening resetting passwords! Will get back to this and update it tonight – I promise.


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HIFA 2012 – Day 5

6 05 2012

A busy day it started with the National Ballet show which despite its name included a huge variety of styles; ballet, tap, jazz, hip-hop and probably some others that I’ve forgotten. Visually very appealing and the capacity crowd loved it.

Then some very different contemporary dance works by Shi Pratt and Tawanda Chabikwa which I frankly didn’t get followed by local theatre When Angels Weep about child trafficking in Zimbabwe. At the end of the show the British director, whom I know a little, asked me what I thought. “Good theatre but very depressing” I replied and then added; “and for all one knows probably true”. “Well” he replied, “it probably is as I know the writer did his research well”.  I was quite taken aback at the time but now I realise that I was being very naive. This sort of thing is prevalent elsewhere in the 3rd world, did I honestly expect it not to be happening here?

Lorna Kelly and Friends was well, not exactly a rock show. For some reason the soprano chose a lot of lullaby songs which not too surprisingly were soporific. The last composition was quite fun but I must have slept through the air-guitar number (if indeed there was one)!

24583 Little Creepy Wonders was children’s theatre by Italian Scarletine Teatro who brought us Manolibera a couple of years ago. Featuring balloons as ugly children.  It was mostly in Italian but the kids in the audience loved it as did a few adults.

The final show of the day was The Armed Man – a Mass for Peace by Karl Jenkins which was performed by a local choral group with guest artistes. A great way to end the day – well done guys!


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HIFA 2012 – Day 1

1 05 2012

HIFA (Harare International Festival of the Arts) kicked off today. This year was particularly difficult, not only due to the dire financial situation of the country and a lack of sponsors/partners, but also due to government interference. Anyway, I resumed my usual role of a photographer for the daily news-sheet and was given carte blanche today to get on

with it. I started with Big Boys Don’t Dance written and performed by Bradley and Ash Searle.

Big Boys Don’t Dance

The South African brothers play brothers whose bachelor party goes wrong with hilarious results. The upset a few stereotypes of male dancers along the way too.

But they certainly can dance!

I stayed at the same venue for Live Vibe, a mix of various hip-hop dance crews. Some were OK,  others not. I don’t mind hip-hop at top level but this was not that good.

Live Vibe – one of the better dances

Live Vibe – a local dance crew

Between the Lines was a collaboration between Tumbuka, a local dance company and Belgian based director Harold George.

Between the Lines

Between the Lines

I was a bit late getting to the recital hall where Nicky Crow and Kymia Kermani were playing contemporary classical music so had to go for the “atmosphere” type of photograph. Contemporary classical is not my forte, I suspect one has to be a bit musical to appreciate it but the audience seemed to enjoy it.

Nicola Crowe – the atmospheric shot!

Ricardo Coelho and Cristina Castro of Pe na Terra

Portuguese group Pe na Terra were sold out at the Global Stage and with good reason. Vibrant was the key word and they really put on a show of “jazzed up” Portuguese music.

Pe na Terra – all but the drummer

Lead singer Cristina Castro was extraordinarily charismatic and very photogenic to boot!

Pe na Terra

It is going to take a while for my ears to recover but I was very pleased to see that the lighting has been vastly improved from last year – I used to dread taking photos at this venue.


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Categories : Dance, HIFA 2012, music, photography