PICTURE: Part of Harare International Carnival’s street procession at in Harare. INSERT: Some of Zimbabwe Tourism Authority staff during the Carnival.
DEAR my brother Zimbabwe Tourism Authority.
The year 2015 is gone and I hope that you have braced yourself for 2016. I’m sure you remember that 2015 was christened “Gore rezvidzidzo zvakawanda” in Shona meaning the year of many lessons. A Shona language set book named “Nhaka Youpenyu Book 3” produced by Zimbabwe Publishing House is the one credited to be the source of the popular saying. It reads, “Gore rakapera taiva mugwaro rechipiri. Iye zvino tava mugwaro rechitatu. Gore rino tichadzidza zvakawanda.” (Last year we were in second course. Now we are in third course. This year we shall learn a lot.)
In sports, many people learnt that pointing fingers on racial grounds in cricket will never make the national team bag victory wickets and runs. Also, despite fielding new blood, Zimbabwe has a mammoth task ahead of it for it to become a formidable squad in International Cricket Council’s One Day and Test matches.
In football, many have learnt that Harare and Bulawayo are no longer the powerhouses of premier soccer league after the year’s top four teams Chicken Inn, Dynamos, FC Platinum and Triangle came from Bulawayo, Harare, Zvishavane and Chiredzi respectively. Many also learnt that experimenting with coaches is detrimental as defending champions Dynamos failed to win the much anticipated fifth consecutive league title after experimenting with a defensive coach David Mandigora for the greater part of the season.
Bitter rivals, Highlanders learnt that over rating a coach for possessing “suitable qualifications” is not the yard stick for success after the club’s “suitably qualified” and verbose coach Bongani Mafu failed to tick and the club only got redemption when an “under qualified” and modest coach Amini Soma-Phiri took over and managed to clinch the NetOne Easycall Cup.
In showbiz, many souls learnt that united, artistes can survive than being divided. The Dendera music stable is heading for the demise due to the divisions in the Chimbetu legacy. Also, bubble gum genres like Zimdancehall managed to dislodge established genres like sungura sending celebrated artistes like Alick Macheso and his offshoot Extra Kwazvose into the cold room.
Zimbabwe Tourism Authority did you also learn in 2015, especially with regards to Harare International Carnival (HIC)?
Being rated as one of Africa’s major cultural tourism festivals, the Carnival is under your stable and was in its third year running. I learnt to classify it a toddler. Even in this year, I will still consider it a tot. Did you also learn the same?
The Carnival, a sub culture event, runs as a contemporary of Harare International Festival of Arts (HIFA). I learnt that many people are tempted to regard HIC as a strong contender of HIFA. What’s your take my brother?
I don’t see why people expect competition here. An orange and a nartjie may be both citrus fruits but they taste differently. Likewise, both HIC and HIFA may be international galas but they serve different target groups. A larger segment of HIC is for sub culture tourists while HIFA is for high culture holiday makers. That’s why tickets of most HIFA shows get sold out before the event. A nartjie should not be competed with an orange.
HIFA was established in 1999 meaning that last year it was 16 years old when HIC was just three years old. Obviously the size and sources of their funding are different. People should appreciate the Carnival’s age as well as its ability and should not expect or force you to cut its cloth according to the size of HIFA’s fabric. HIFA is a teenager that’s why it has three international blue-chip companies; Lays (Simba Chips), Telecel and Coca Cola as its major sponsors.
My brother, did you see that to some extent the kid tempered around with the patience of its admirers last year? Firstly, Carnival dates were announced and later postponed. Secondly, when it finally got set, the programming was done in quite a strange manner. The shows failed to be slotted in a consecutive week. Over-stretching them meant that even diehard sub culture tourists could not stay that long in Harare. Did you learn something here?
On marketing the event, social media was exploited most. Truly, the social platform can easily broadcast information like how it did to the news of the slain Cecil the lion. Some of your regional offices did their best by creating own Facebook pages. A press conference was also held prior to the festival. But I learnt that all this was like bathing a tot. Kids are full of surprises. After bathing them they can fail to nicely apply oil or cream on their skin, comb the hair well, or even dress properly when you assume all is fine.
I learnt that not all sub culture people visit social media or go online the way high culture people do. Most of them prefer getting information from traditional mass media platforms especially newspapers, radios, television and posters. That’s why print versions of newspapers are still making street sales today. Sub culture people are good at reading newspaper bills/posters to check breaking news first, and then buy the papers.
The same people who are eager to read newspapers bills/posters are the same people who make the Carnival constituency. Also Carnival tourists are not Harare based only. Keep casting your net wider. Let the posters enhance your mass media adverts outside Harare and in time.
Beitbridge border post is Southern Africa’s busiest entry point. Those in South African Diaspora and those who travel to-and-fro our southern neighbour for various reasons should not be ignored when marketing the Carnival. At your disposal, is your office at Beitbridge and I believe your area manager Bertha Muto will never let you down. Why can’t Masvingo’s area manager Daniel Mampande take over from where Bertha leaves so that the Beitbridge-Harare highway is temporarily nicknamed “Carnival Highway” after it gets awash with HIC posters during the Carnival season?
Best regards in 2016 my brother.