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‘ITS TIME’ – YOCAF IS HERE!

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Entering its third edition this year, the Youth Cultural Arts Festival has become one of the most successful Youth Festival in the land. The Ancient City of Masvingo being the host City is at full throttle preparing for the fete, the fever has gripped the City as word is abuzz and there is a general feeling of expectation and excitement. ‘It’s Time’ is the word going around the suburbs of Masvingo and from as far afield as Bikita, Gutu, Chiredzi, the young people are saying, Its time and they cannot wait for the Festival to roar into life.
This year, Yocaf is being celebrated with the theme, “Its Time” and speaking to the organizers of the event, they were very keen to see what the young people will come up this year as since the beginning of the Festival a couple of years back, it has been a feeling amongst the youth that they want their time, they no longer want decisions being made for them, they want to contribute to their development as well as their communities.
Since its launch, the Festival has been instrumental in bringing young people together and giving them a Voice, a voice that is uniquely their own and a voice that resonates with their being.
‘Yocaf is an uplifting time for Masvingo; it gives the City an artistic facelift. The festival takes an extreme leap forward in engaging the public in all its dimensions to be intimately involved in this artistic experience and also a call to the people to rise up as arts enthusiasts and join the artistic revolution.’ said Mr Banda of the Charles Austin Theatre.
The Director of the Festival, cde Leeroy Gono when asked to comment on the theme, “ ‘ITS TIME’ – the ideas, dreams and beliefs of today’s youth form the foundation of tomorrow’s communities in our nation, the theme is dedicated to helping young people find and develop a creative voice that is uniquely their own. It is a mission we will realize when we inspire every teacher and challenge every student to truly embrace the art of creative expression through writing and expressing their voices. Therefore, this is it, ITS TIME!
Schools expected to take in this year’s Festival include, Mucheke high school – the reigning champions, Hippo Valley high school, Victoria high, Regina Mundi girls high, Masvingo Christian college, Pamushana high, Matinunure high, Churchill boys high, Thornhill high, Gutu high, Hillcrest college, Founders college and Eveline Girls high school.
The Festival still is offering workshops this year running throughout the Festival. Some of the highlights from last year’s workshops include, Creative writing by a team of professors from the University of Iowa, USA, Poetry workshop by Albert Nyathi, Media and the Arts by Mtandazo Dube and Physical theatre by Lloyd Nyikadzino among others.
Also lined up is a guest performance by a group from Durban who are bringing down a show called ‘Madame President’ which has had a successful European tour directed by Edmund Mhlongo. Exciting local acts are also on the cards, with some of the top musicians billed to perform at this year’s Festival including Mokoomba, Jiggaz and Spiderman, Alchemy, Judgement Yard among others.
Yocaf is scheduled to take place from the 20th – 21st September 2013 at the Civic centre in Masvingo. The official opening ceremony will be on Friday the 20th of September.
The Festival organizers are appealing to all stakeholders, partners, the community of Masvingo and friends of the Festival to really come up with their support so that the Festival becomes a success.

Music producers cry foul

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UP-COMING music producers in Masvingo have raised concern over the licensing system of players in the art industry by the National Arts Council of Zimbabwe (NACZ) and called for a review of the whole system.
Speaking to TellZimbabwe , Mapro Entertainment producers director Wilson Maposa said most upcoming producers were unfairly treated by NAC especially when it comes to licensing.
“We are getting a raw deal as upcoming film and music producers, from NAC. The council should draw a line between upcoming producers and those that are established like Gramma Records or Metro Studios. We are paying the same license fees paid by big companies and that does not promote our growth as producers in Masvingo,” said Maposa.
He said it was not fair for the responsible council to charge producers on pro-rata bases yet they were differently managed.
“As you can see we are struggling as a new organisation and we are failing to even pay rentals that we have decided to do some of our work from home. I have turned one of our rooms at Rhodene into a
studio because office space in town is expensive.
“It is against that background that NAC should treat us differently and by so doing they will be promoting our existence in this industry,” he said.
Maposa said NAC was treating all producers the same way they do to promoters and yet the two were different.
“We are producers and not promoters and thus we expect to be treated differently. While our work is to promote the artiste through marketing their work, we are not into music or film promotion per se
but production that if we are also looking forward for a marketing partner who would market what we produce. Sometimes the artiste would market his products in his own way and leave us concentrating on production only,” he said.
Coming to the growth of music and film production in Masvingo, Maposa said, “Music or film production in Masvingo is still at its infancy stage and many artiste are still skeptical of what we do because all things have been done in Harare. Most of them think that we do shoddy jobs and they are hesitant in giving us jobs. However, the truth is that we are also competitive even if we are still learning the ropes in the industry. Basing on what we have done before, we are heading somewhere and very soon, we would be a household name in the province and country at large,” he said.
Maposa works with Esau Chimbuya and Tinashe Mutoti who specialise in photography and the trio has produced films and music videos that include the hilarious comedy, Vharazipi, Drama series, Dziva Rerudo and Paumire, all done by a group called Wastuk.

Theatre introducesThursday Night Live

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Leeroy Gono and Douglas Hill


It’s here; the Thursday Night Live is finally here! The Charles Austin Theatre in response to the ever-increasing arts popularity in the Province are planning to launch the Thursday Night Live aka TNL on the 5th September 2013 at 7pm.
The Thursday Night Live is an open mic session for artists that features live performances in spoken word, dance, stand-up comedy, dj slam and music. Once the TNL is launched it will take place every Thursday at the Charles Austin Theatre. The management of the Charles Austin Theatre said that this was a two-way pronged approach in realizing and showcasing talents and also providing entertainment for the local people.
What it virtually means is that the TNL provides a platform for upcoming artists to improve their skills and facilitate grooming as well as providing space for professionals to increase their market base and do what they love best.
With the help of the Resident Artistic Director, the upcoming artists are able to make use of the Theatre for rehearsals and perfect their skill for an audience at the TNL. The lack of entertainment will now be a thing of the past.
The aim is to identify, nurture and expose the talent that is in our City. If you think or you know you have one ounce of talent in your veins, this is the place for you – the TNL. Masvingo will never be the same again!
Everyone is welcome to the Launch of the TNL, we have so much to be proud of as a Province. Some of the acts lined up for the launch include poetry, music, stand-up comedy, dance and disk joking.
The Theatre has been underutilized and yet there is so much abundant talent in Masvingo. In line with making the Charles Austin Theatre a provincial hub of cultural activities, the TNL will certainly go a long way in providing a platform for artists to showcase their talents.

CSC to resume operations – Minister

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COLD STORAGE COMMISSION (CSC)-Masvingo branch is set to resume operations before end of year,a Cabinet Minister has said.
Addressing National Consultative Forum (NCF) meeting at a local hotel in Masvingo recently Minister of Small to Medium Enterprise Sithembiso Nyoni said the company has a great potential to resume normal operations and Zanu PF Government would ensure that the aspirations of the people of Masvingo were met.
She said CSC is a sleeping giant which if resuscitated can bring back life to the ancient city as a number of companies will benefit.
“CSC is a sleeping giant on which Government expended its energy in building. The infrastructure is still up to scratch and what is for the local leadership led by Minister of State,Cattle Kudakwashe Bhasikiti to spearhead the resumption of operations. Once in operation the company will have ripple effect,” she said.
The secretary for Business Development Liaison Committee for Zanu PF said the company presents an opportunity for rural livestock farmers to benefit as they can supply their animals.
“Small rural farmers with cattle and small livestock can supply cattle and goats to CSC. There is no reason why the company can be left to die when there is a lot of livestock in the province. Our grandmothers and grandfathers down in Zaka, Chivi, Mwenezi and other districts in the province have the capacity to sustain the company. It is against this background that i challenge the provincial leadership to see to it that the company gets the necessary support to start operations before the year end,” she said.
She said Masvingo is a special province and has brilliant people who can make things happen adding that their bigger brains should be demonstrated on the resumption of operations at CSC.
“We all know that this province is special and has people with brains. We have drawn our manifesto that is pregnant with positive plans and we would make deliberate efforts to revive all industries in the country,” she said
She said people should stop mourning about sanctions since there is nothing new.
“Instead of making excuses on sanctions people should work. While it is a reality that sanctions are biting us, we should not always attribute our failures to sanctions because they have been with us for the past decade. Let us all work and never under estimate your efforts as individuals and groups in Masvingo.
“We are not a fierce party that should be dreaded by people. We want a good rapport with business community so that we get inputs and feedback related to the party’s efforts in reviving industries and creation of employment,” she said.

Local companies urged to participate at Sanganai

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TOURISM players operating in Masvingo have been urged to take
advantage of the Sanganai/Hlanganani and showcase their wares.
Sanganai/Hlanganani Tourism Fair has been slated for 10-12 October at
the Harare Conference Centre in Harare.
The fair runs under the theme, “Where the World Meets Africa”
More than 900 exhibitors have registered for the premier tourism
showcase of which 43 are foreign exhibitors.
In an interview Great Zimbabwe Chamber of Businesses(ZGCB) secretary
general Mr Oliver Baloyi said companies should take advantage of big
platforms to exhibit their products to a bigger audience.
“Tourism fairs of the magnitude of Sanganai/Hlanganani present players
with an opportunity to exhibit their wares to the world. Small to
Medium Enterprises should take advantage to market their products by
showcasing at these foras,” he said.
Mr Baloyi said lodges and hotels in the province should thrive to
market their products to the outside world.
“Sanganai/Hlanganani Tourism Fair is a world event that brings
together world players in the tourism sector. This is an opportunity
for local players to learn international best practices” he said.
He said Masvingo is home to one of the best natural wonders in the
country and world at large that it should be represented at the
tourism fair,in a big way.
“We have on of the best natural Wonder in the form of Great Zimbabwe
monuments from which the name of the country was derived from. This
means that the province should have a number of exhibitors at the fair
so as to justify our being a tourism hub,” he said.
Mr Baloyi who is also  Masvingo Chamber of SMEs chairperson said there
are a number of advantages in showcasing wares to the world audience.
“In tourism,what matters most is being known. If the world knows your
existence,the potential to do well in the industry are very high. Our
culture and heritage here is very unique thus our people should take
this opportunity to exhibit to the outside world,” he said.
A total of 120 buyers will grace the occasion and the Zimbabwe Tourism
Authority chief executive officer Mr Karikoga Kaseke has reportedly
said the fair hinged on buyers and hoped the number would increase.
This year’s edition of Sanganai/Hlanganani comes hard on the heels of
the succeful co-hosting of United Nation World Tourism
Organisation(UNWTO) general assembly by Zambia and Zimbabwe

MURRA speaks out on council’s attached property

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The following is MURRA’s  press statement :
There is a threat to the provision of social services in Masvingo since the beginning of a spate of attachments on Council movable properties after the city council of Masvingo lost its case against its workers at the courts of law. Ambulances, garbage compactors, fire brigade vehicles, computers, motor vehicles and other accessories have been attached by the messenger of court and are now awaiting auction. This means that service delivery is going to be negatively affected. Council owes its lower grade workers a staggering USD $ 3, 5 million.
The issue now is, where are the city fathers going to get the money to pay the workers? In the event that they get the money it also means that, according to the court ruling, the workers ‘salaries have to be hiked by more than 160% and the least paid worker will now take home a minimum of 800 USD, which to us is not sustainable considering that the money will come from the residents through the payment of rates .Industry and commerce gurus will agree with us to say the money is just too much considering the prevalent economic environment.   The statutory obligation is that 70% of revenue collected should go towards service delivery and 30% towards administration and salaries but in the situation that we are faced with the reverse will be true.
Questions to quickly arise are; will the property raise the required US$3.5 million? What then happens to service delivery when garbage trucks fire trucks and ambulances are sold? And the workers, where will they work? Is selling council property the most plausible solution to this dilemma? What then should we do as residents?, Should we just sit down on our laurels and watch ? What then will happen next?
As MURRA we stand guided by our vision to advocate for world class municipal services and we are committed to effective civic participation by residents in determining efficient and affordable municipal services. Having consulted with residents on this issue, none were pleased on the possibility of having their property sold as it would eliminate the possibility of efficient service delivery
We are reliably informed that the central government, through different government departments, owes Masvingo city council around USD$ 6 million. Wouldn’t it make sense for the central government to pay their debt so that the council may offset its debt instead of transferring the burden to the ordinary residents, most of who earn far below the poverty datum line?
As MURRA we believe that though the courts ruled in favor of the workers, government should intervene to save the people of Masvingo from this looming catastrophe. If the government decides to ignore then it means that service delivery in Masvingo will collapse and this has negative impacts on the lives of the residents of Masvingo and is also a threat to the outbreak of several diseases.
On the 20th of December 2012, we wrote a letter to the police asking for permission to carry out a peaceful demonstration but we were not granted the permission and they strongly warned us against taking such action and threatened to arrest whoever would have taken part in that demonstration. Our purely democratic right to freely express our disgruntlement was thwarted by the powers that be.
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