AfriKera Arts Trust, Music Crossroads Zimbabwe and the Zimbabwe Theatre Academy Trust will be hosting the the 4th edition of The Arts Gathering (TAG) festival next month at Alliance Française Harare.
Confirmed acts for TAG 2022 include Prudence Katomeni-Mbofana, dance ensembles from AfriKera Arts Trust, a theatrical piece courtesy of the Zimbabwe Theatre Academy, visual art presented by residents of the Mbare Art Space, a fashion showcase by Haus of Stone, Kwamambokadzi, and Pachipamwe collectives.
The one day programme curated to celebrate the best of African music, theatre, dance, fashion, visual art and witness a panel discussion on the surge of mental health related matters in Zimbabwe will be running under the theme,“Full Circle”, an ode to the inaugural edition of the festival hosted in 2019 driven by will, determination and an unwavering need to see the creative industries flourish amidst resource limitations.
TAG co-organiser Melody Zambuko, Director of Music Crossroads Zimbabwe, said the theme is a reflection of what life is about.
“Isn’t life always a full circle? The stages of our life are always positioned somewhere within a radius and the aerial view is indeed a circle, a big full circle.
“The stages we have gone through as a festival have not always been a smooth wave to surf on [and] this led to a complete retrospect on how it all started and the same likeness that has manifested itself in this current space. Hence, this year’s theme is dubbed “Full Circle”.” she said.
Three years later, the passion and tenacity of the organisers to put on a festival against all odds has undoubtedly resurfaced, this time, with more experience, more creative partners on board, and topped with a need to continue to showcase some of the best artistic outputs from the country, all reminiscent of the initial mission in 2019.
During some of the most challenging life moments, creativity prevails, as recently experienced with the COVID-19 pandemic where the arts rose to the occasion and “saved the day” keeping communities entertained and reflective with various lockdowns in place.
In the face of doubt and uncertainty, may we always remember why we started, and above all, may creativity continue to give us peace, joy, and harmony.
The Arts Gathering (TAG) is a collaboration between three distinctive arts organizations in
Zimbabwe namely; Music Crossroads Zimbabwe (MCZ), Afrikera Arts Trust (AAT) and Zimbabwe Theatre Academy Trust (ZTA). It is a multidisciplinary festival where diverse forms of artistry meet ranging from solo to group acts of music, dance, theatre, comedy, spoken word, fashion, visual arts and more. This year’s edition is not only confined to the trades of the three aforementioned organizations; strategic partners and collaborators are invited to participate, contribute and make this event as culturally- rich, inclusive and diverse as possible.
