The Sunday Mail
Andrew Moyo
LAST weekend was full of promise in the entertainment world with a series of events that were set to keep merrymakers busy.
However, despite the solid line-up of events, the outcomes were not similar with some organisers recording success while others were not so fortunate. On the Friday, all roads led to the Glamis Arena where reggae sensation Christopher Martin headlined the “Together as One” concert which also featured top acts D Major, Winky D, Jah Prayzah and Judgement Yard.
An exhibitor displays food at the Food Festival last weekend
The show lived up to its billing with the headline act pulling off a memorable set forever etched in the minds of music lovers. Unlike many similar shows where local musicians dominate the supporting cast, organisers of this event went for a different approach recruiting more DJs who were up for the task on the day.
Organisers should also be commended for giving female DJs much needed exposure as they are usually side-lined for events of such magnitude and despite having to play for paltry crowds as their slots came when people were still trickling into the venue, their delivery was on point.
By 10pm, there was a reasonable crowd and with Digital One taking to the stage, the party mood was turned up a notch.
The best DJ slot of the night came in the form of Judgement Yard who took to the stage at 10.30pm, with loud roars from the crowd accompanying their 30-minute set. The Duo of DJ Fleva and MC Etherton B unleashed popular reggae and dancehall hits setting the party mood.
From then onwards the party was blazing but the fire was dowsed down a bit when Ninja Lipsy came on stage just before midnight only to be reignited with the introduction of Winky D at midnight.
When D Major went on stage at around 1am, this signalled the moment everyone had been waiting for and the Jamaican gave the crowd some mellow sounds while they waited for the main man. When Martin came on stage with the clock approaching the second hour of Saturday morning, he repaid his fans for waiting patiently with a textbook performance.
The “Cheater’s Prayer” hit-maker mesmerised his fans and kept them under his spell throughout his set, pulling off one of the best performances ever by a foreign act.
Tasked with shutting down the show, Jah Prayzah proved why he deserves to carry the man-of-the-moment tag with many patrons staying put for his set even after the main act had gone. On the downside of things, the VIP and VVIP sections were poorly located as patrons had to be content with the back and side views of the stage.
The sound was also minimal in this area since no speakers had been put in place in the section and patrons had to listen to the music through stage monitors.
Setting up of VIP sections in local showbiz has become a nightmare for many promoters as they have the dilemma of either placing them backstage or creating space in front of the stage thereby moving the general patrons further away from the stage, which usually leads to chaos.
Saturday marked the beginning of the Harare International Food and Music Festival, which was billed to give Hararians a suitable alternative for a weekend outing. However, the inaugural edition of the festival got off to a disappointing start, attracting paltry crowds during its two day duration.
Despite the low turnout, however, the artistes who included Oliver Mtukudzi, Mokoomba, Trae Yung, Cal Vin and Jnr Brown to mention just a few, produced exceptional performances.
The stage was brilliant in every aspect, from the lighting to the sound and the setting hinted that they expected larger crowds but fate had other ideas. On Saturday’s Jazz Night, Mokoomba and Oliver Mtukudzi brought their international experience to the stage and gave the few patrons sensational performances with their sets being the most memorable of the festival.
With the stage having been warmed up by upcoming talent, Mokoomba came on after 10pm and dished out their unique African beat flavour with a fusion of multiple genres.
When they left the stage to make way for Tuku, the small crowd was chanting the one more anthem as they had not had enough of the Victoria Falls outfit.
The godfather, Tuku shut down the night in style with his classic act that many have become familiar with. The biggest highlight of Sunday’s hip-hop show was the union of rappers Cal Vin and Jnr Brown who put their differences aside and shared the stage despite having exchanged lyrical jabs in the past.
On the exhibition side, there were various activities taking place with the most interesting being The Biggest Stomach Competition where participants contested to see who would finish a plate of sadza in the shortest amount of time.
Speaking to The Sunday Mail Leisure the festival’s marketing director Eddie Sanyanga, said they were not discouraged with the numbers that came through.
“I know that very few people came to the festival but on our part I believe we had managed to put together a successful event in terms of organisation. I believe that next year we will do better and now that people actually know that there is such an event I am hopping we will attract larger numbers,” said Sanyanga.
He cited several factors that could have contributed to the low turnout.
“There were too many events that were happening that same week because there was the rugby junior world cup, the school rugby tournament, the Chris Martin show, Hifa and other events as well.
“Despite these events overshadowing our festival, there is a probability that people might have spent too much money on these events, which could have made it difficult for them to folk out more to come and attend the festival. “The venue might also have played a part but to be honest it would be very difficult to really point at a particular factor as the cause for the low turnout.”
He said they had tried their best and will adjust one or two things for next year’s edition. “Next year we are going to try and host the event in warmer weather and this time we are including international acts on our line-up.”
