“The Engagement Party,” stressed community engagement. With the them being engagement, it was only fitting that 2011 was the year that we decided to proactively engage the POVO family which had grown considerably. We were seeking to get more people to be aware of the POVO brand and contribute to the movement. So we had a POVO stall which was located in the global quarter where we were selling T shirts and engaging the POVO Community. Because of the stand we were not able to cover a lot of shows but we did manage to attend a few which included our first time to see Winky D live. The show was on the Main stage and seemed to be a whose who in Zimbabwe music. It was also a year of debut shich saw Edith We Utonga make her debut and Publish the Quest from the US. They also went on to perform together at the Mannnenberg. During the Winky D concert we were able to have an imptomptu interveiw with Hamilton Masakadza, a Zimbabwe cricket national player.
Coca Cola Green – Mokoomba was the highlight of the the Coca Cola Green. And we caught a couple of people chilling there including Josh Meck, Outspoken and Lindani Buthelezi lead singer of the BLK JKS.
Global Quarter Arts & Crafts – With POVO stall there this year we managed to go around and see a lot of other stalls. There was a diverse range of products which included Shona stone sculpture, T Shirts by Tateguru who were also making their debut at HIFA, jewellery and crafts from recycled materials like plastic bottles and aluminium cans, Rastafarian themed merchandise, paintings and iron sculptures.
Global Quarter Arts & Crafts -There were clowns on stilts who awed the audience with their act. The university of Zimbabwe students sang gospel songs in Mandarin, Nyau dancers also graced the stage taking away any stigmas associated with them and finally a fashion show which showcased fashion and accessories made by local and Swaziland designers.
Simba Youth Zone – The Youth Zone aslo saw the debut of the Monkey Nuts who were already popular with the hip hop community in Harare. The performances included the B-Boy battle which has become a regular at the Youth Zone each year, Aerosol who was entertaining with his beat boxing and we also spotted Aura the Poet, Upmost and Dickson Monroe.
View the image galleries fro HIFA 2011 below.
The Monkey Nuts at the Simba Youth Zone
This year at the Simba Zone saw the Moneky Nuts make their debut at HIFA. Aerosol and other beat boxers represented there as well. As usual the B-Boys were there and they seem to be getting younger each year.
Mokoomba entertains at the Coca Cola Green
Coca Cola Green is always the place for relaxing while being entertained. This year Mokoomba performed an afternoon show, and we saw a couple of faces which included Josh Meck, Outspoken and Lindani Buthelezi, BLK JKS lead singer.
Crafts and Design at HIFA
The Global quarter is home to the crafts and design showcase. This year POVO made their debut with their Tshirts. There is a wide range of crafts and craftsmen will be carrying out their trade during the festival so you can also see them at work.
Fashion at the Global Quarter Stage
The Global Quater also has a stage where there are various shows taking place. The highlights this year being the clowns on stilts and the fashion show.
Publish the Quest at the Lays Global Stage
American band Publish the Quest made their debut at HIFA with a performance at the Lays Global stage. They also did a collaboration with Edith We Utonga at The Mannenberg
Winky D rocks HIFA
Last year Winky D made his debut at HIFA at the Coca Cola Green. This year he was a much anticipated act. Judging by the celebrities at the show the show was very much anticipated. All the ‘Ninjaz’ came out to see Big Man as he is affectionately known.
Edith We Utonga Debut at HIFA
2012 saw Edith We Utonga debut at HIFA at the Lays Global Stage sinding tracks from her new debut album as a solo artist Utonga. She also teamed up with Publish the Quest to give a scintillating show at The Mannenburg
