The Sunday Mail
Ever been to a place where you feel unwanted, unappreciated, out of place?
This was my second time covering the Kariba Invitation Tiger Fishing Tournament, the first being in 2015.
Though I had been to Kariba before the 2015 visit and knew of the extremely high temperatures, somehow that year I found the weather unbearable and never got to appreciate the tiger fishing.
This time I was prepared for the heat and had made contingent plans, which included a cooler box of energy drinks, the proper clothing and the right mental attitude.
It is thus we got to Charara, the venue of the tournament and sought one Rod Bennet, the lead organiser of the tournament, for him to give us the down-low.
After introductions and before we got into the business of the day, a question from Bennet surprised: “Where are you staying? Nyamhunga?”
Besides being unwarranted, it was largely stereotypical.
It is akin to asking a black journalist who would have come to Harare to cover the Harare International Festival of the Arts if they are staying in Mbare.
It is neither here nor there. But more on that later. The comparison to Hifa is not coincidental, it is intentional.
Hifa, for much of its early years stigmatised as a largely white folks affair, weaned itself of that tag.
This was achieved through encompassing an all-inclusive organising team that comes with different tastes and view points.
Today, Tafadzwa Simba is the face of Hifa.
And Hifa offers a cultural potpourri: If you can’t do classical music, there is sungura, rhumba and dancehall.
But what did I find at KITFT? A white folks affair.
This despite the tournament having been in existence since 1962 and living through the social changes this country has experienced since then.
Which might partly explain why participation figures are dwindling: Zimbabwe’s white population is not what it used to be and land reforms have created a new black middle class.
Should we let our premier fishing event die because of an inability to embrace a new Zimbabwe?
I never did ask Bennet how many black teams or individuals were participating.
But a look around showed that the majority of black faces were from tournament sponsors, notably Nyaradzo, Ecocash and Zambezi Lager (Delta Beverages), among others.
And, of course there were the locals who came to soak in the annual spectacle and us, the journalists.
Is it that there are no tiger-fishing blacks with boats and 4x4s to draw them? Or that blacks cannot afford the US$240 ZimParks fees that Bennet complained about?
Maybe blacks want to avoid going to KITFT and being asked if they are staying in Nyamhunga.
It took Bennet and his chairman, Peter Koen, a good 15 minutes to sit us down on their chairs. Not that we were really interested in sitting down on those garden chairs, but it is a question of attitude.
What was the message that was being conveyed to us? That we were being a bother and unwanted, intruders into their space and time?
It was only after Tinashe Farawo had introduced himself, that Bennet probably saw the benefit of engaging us – he had the issue of Parks fees to discuss.
Browsing through the tournament’s brochure revealed some frightening figures.
Where last year 77 teams participated, this year the number was down to 55 and your guess is as good as mine what the figure will be next year.
Whilst some might want to argue from the point that Zimbabwe is a hard-sell, an argument that might seemingly lose relevance given the almost weekly international arrivals into the country – from your TD Jakes, Tarrus Riley to West Indies – I think the tournament needs some self-introspection to turn its fortunes around.
Charity begins at home.
And the more we appreciate that we are one people and one nation, the Kariba Invitation Tiger Fishing Tournament will soon return to its former glory: record crowds, record catches and everyone would be happy.
That is just my two cents on the three days I spent Kariba. Hopefully next year I will be going to a bigger and better tournament.
