The inaugural Kumusha Fringe Festival 2018 to be held at Makumbe Hotel Gardens at Dema Growth Point in Dema, Seke has set the peri-urban community on the edge with expectations of the multipronged festival — the first of its kind in this area — running high. Chief Seke will officially open the festival on Friday.
Founded in 2018, Kumusha Fringe Festival aims to celebrate Zimbabwe’s rural areas through music, art and culture. Kumusha Fringe Festival is a catalyst for cultural and community development, and a destination that brings artists and audiences together.
The Festival does not have a focus on one single discipline or genre, but is a performing-arts smorgasbord.
“In addition to making the arts accessible to audiences, our other key mission is to make audiences accessible to artists, providing them with a platform to share their ideas and develop their skills,” said Eddie Mandava, co-founder of the Fetsival, adding that this philosophy holds true for the more than 200 Fringe festivals held around the world.
“We strive to make the arts available to everyone while celebrating rural culture in Zimbabwe. The Festival will seek to get a good mix of local, national, and international talent as it develops into the future.”
The Festival will provide many opportunities for artists and audiences to engage, network, and strengthen the relationships that will help ensure a thriving arts community in the country.
In itself, Seke is home to many traditional artistic expressions and creations which are at the risk of extinction if nothing is done to preserve them.
The festival will contribute to the preservation of such traditions through the blending of modern and traditional arts at the two day arts showcase. The Festival will in the future seek to contribute to finding practical solutions to the persistent problems in our rural areas.
“We are hugely excited to showcase how incredibly creative and groundbreaking our arts are, and we hope that Kumusha Fringe will grow and grow as more people get inspired and get involved in the years to come,” said Mandava.
Some of the musical acts expected to perform at the two day arts showcase include Transit Crew, Mannex and ZimReggastra, Pauline, Tina Watyoka, Nyamasvisva ne Mawungira eNharira among others.
