The Sunday Mail
Priscilla Kamurira
CHIPAWO, an organisation that delivers education through traditional performing arts, will be hosting its 30th birthday celebrations this year under the theme, “We Made It”.
Under the directorship of gaffer Chipo Basopo, the celebrations will be non-competitive.
Basopo said other children’s groups from across the Southern African region will also take part.
“Through Southern Africa based branches, Chipawo Zimbabwe, Chipabo (Botswana), Chieza (Zambia) and Chinamibia (Namibia) — the organisation has been hosting performing arts festivals in different countries with the active participation of each branch in other branches festivals.
“The countries may be in different geographical locations but the culture of art knows no boundaries. The beauty of diversity produces well-organised and enriching festivals that are beneficial to society,” she said.
Chipawo Zimbabwe was established in September 1989.
The celebratory festival is called the ‘Southern African Festival for Children and Young People (SAFE).
Basopo intends to create a platform for the future Southern African leaders to appreciate their own origins as well as the diversity of the dynamic world.
“This will be a three-day festival packed with performances from different arts genres, conferences as well as workshops all of which will be documented on paper as well as through cinematography. Topics under discussion may include; use of culture to build African solidarity as well as participants’ understanding of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and what they should do to contribute to their countries achieving SDGs among others,” she said.
Basopo said the theme of the day overlaps into the performance programmes of music, dance, poetry and drama.
“Some performance programmes will be held in the afternoons and others during evenings, with local schools as well as the public at large constituting the audience,” she said.
The two-day Chipawo celebrations are open to all children from the Southern African countries and will be held from August 9 to 11 at Theatre in the Park in the Harare Gardens.
