“In these trying times, it’s incumbent upon the creative and cultural industries to provide relief to an otherwise potentially depressed human race. Without theatre, film, music, dance and many other art forms, humanity would find itself in an abyss. Covid 19, demands us creatives to be dynamic and outward thinking in ensuring we do our bit. To that end, the much-expected Stephen J Chifunyise festival will be shared on varied digital platforms said Daves Guzha the Producer for Rooftop Promotions and Theatre in the Park.
“26-28 March 2020, a new and overdue nexus between creativity and tech begins for this iconic venue Theatre in the Park as we take heed of the statement issued by the President recently which restricts gatherings of more than 100 people due to the spread of COVID-19. Facebook and YouTube become the carriers of choice for the next 2 months.
“Whilst the content itself will be accessed freely or be on “open source”, the festival is appealing for contributions from well-wishers, friends of Theatre in the Park, Harare to allow us to maintain the platforms and ensure fair remuneration of our creatives. Advertisers are highly encouraged to partner with us as we move toward strengthening our digital reach which ultimately knows no borders. For more details, contact: titprooftop@gmail.com or WhatsApp: +263773281008,” Guzha said.
The festival has participants from various countries like South Africa, Zambia, Malawi, Tanzania and Zimbabwe. Programming will take the form of 1. Children’s programmes encompassing dance, theatre, music, theatre and the much-expected story telling 2. Films in the form of “Waiters”, “Solo na Mutsai” “Face to Face” etc 3. Theatre from Tanzania, Zambia, Malawi and Zimbabwe 4. Paper/Academic presentations which will be presented by Professor Dickson Mwanza, Professor Mufunanji Magalasi and Dr Samuel Ravengai and Dr Kelvin Chikonzo 5. Writers program to be conducted by Savanna Trust.
Each of the presentations has been carefully curated by: Daniel Maphosa of Savanna Trust, Chipo Basopo of Chipawo Trust, Dr Kelvin Chikonzo of the University of Zimbabwe. Rooftop is encouraging audiences to visit their Facebook page: Theatre in the Park, Harare for this totally mind-blowing content from the 26-28 March 2020.