The festival will transform the city into an animal that breathes through drum beats, dancers’ flexed feet, brushstrokes of artists and the voices and footsteps of thousands of festival goers that will attend the six day arts and culture fête.
The theme for this year’s festival – We Count echoes the events that unfolded last November which ushered in a new political dispensation and confirmed how much really the people of Zimbabwe count in shaping their future.
Collaborating with the Swiss Arts Council (Pro-Helvetia), the Embassy of Switzerland in Zimbabwe will this year join the party following support to two musical bands that will perform three shows during HIFA.
On the 4th and 5th of May, legendary Mozambican master timbila player and percussionist Matchume Zango and drummer Djibra Moussa will join hands with the Swiss bass player and violinist Matthias Abächerli and a young Zimbabwean guitarist, Frank Mavhimira based in South Africa to entertain the crowds at HIFA. The show will witness the launch of Matchume’s latest album called Wata M’Cande.
This is not the first time that Matchume is coming to HIFA. His first appearance was in 2011 when he delivered memorable songs powered by his forceful, timbila playing talents and passionate vocals when he was part of the Watsamba M'Diou Project.
A proficient player and dynamic performer, Matchume has promised a career-topping performance at this year’s HIFA which will equally be matched by the unpredictable guitar playing of Matthias and Frank. Matthias has earned his status as a master guitarist and violinist through the years of paying his dues with the legendary South African King of The Zulu Guitar, Madala Kunene and many regional and international artists in the Forest Jam Project and has been working closely with Frank Mavhimira. The presence of this very special ensemble is supported with additional funding from the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) under Pro Helvetia’s SADC Regional Arts Programme.
Praed – a Swiss-Lebanese band consisting of two regular members, Raed Yassin playing keyboards, laptop, electronics and vocals; and Paed Conca on clarinet, electric bass and electronics is also billed to wow fans on their first visit to the region and HIFA.
Following their indefatigable performances at the Edge of Wrong Musical Festival in Cape Town where they were touring with support from Pro Helvetia, the duo has promised to hypnotize audiences at HIFA through a genre of music called sonic delirium which includes free jazz and psychedelic rock. Their performance will be on the 1st of May immediately following the official opening of HIFA.
Through these collaborations and renditions, the Swiss Embassy and Pro-Helvetia hope that this year’s HIFA will see a unique fusion of sound, mixing Zimbabwean musical instruments like the mbira with electric guitar sounds, creating an eclectic fusion that is so aptly regional and international in nature and sound.
Hopefully, the success of these Swiss flavoured bands will inspire a generation of Zimbabwean musicians and audiences who will have the courage to play and become arts and culture ambassadors not only in the region but internationally.
