Harare International Festival of the Arts
Encyclopedia
The Harare International Festival of the Arts (HIFA) is one of Africa's largest international arts festivals. Established in 1999 by Manuel Bagorro the festival takes place each year in late April or early May in Harare
, the capital of Zimbabwe
. The week long festival encompasses five principal disciplines: theatre, music, dance, fine art, and poetry.
that characterise Zimbabwe today is no easy task. 2008 was a particularly difficult year for the Festival, with controversial elections and hyperinflation
, which ultimately led to the collapse of the Zimbabwean Dollar
, providing an unsettling backdrop.
s. Further supplementary funding comes from donors, and embassy missions represented in Harare. Funding from embassies and missions is largely used to facilitate artists from their respective countries.
Harare
Harare before 1982 known as Salisbury) is the largest city and capital of Zimbabwe. It has an estimated population of 1,600,000, with 2,800,000 in its metropolitan area . Administratively, Harare is an independent city equivalent to a province. It is Zimbabwe's largest city and its...
, the capital of Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe is a landlocked country located in the southern part of the African continent, between the Zambezi and Limpopo rivers. It is bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the southwest, Zambia and a tip of Namibia to the northwest and Mozambique to the east. Zimbabwe has three...
. The week long festival encompasses five principal disciplines: theatre, music, dance, fine art, and poetry.
Operating in a difficult environment
Organising and facilitating a festival the size of HIFA in the difficult sociopolitical and economic conditionsEconomy of Zimbabwe
The economy of Zimbabwe has shrunk significantly after 2000, resulting in a desperate situation for the country and widespread poverty from among others 94% unemployment. The participation from 1998 to 2002 in the war in the Democratic Republic of the Congo set the stage for this deterioration by...
that characterise Zimbabwe today is no easy task. 2008 was a particularly difficult year for the Festival, with controversial elections and hyperinflation
Hyperinflation
In economics, hyperinflation is inflation that is very high or out of control. While the real values of the specific economic items generally stay the same in terms of relatively stable foreign currencies, in hyperinflationary conditions the general price level within a specific economy increases...
, which ultimately led to the collapse of the Zimbabwean Dollar
Zimbabwean dollar
The Zimbabwean dollar was the official currency of Zimbabwe from 1980 to 12 April 2009....
, providing an unsettling backdrop.
Funding
As a private endeavour HIFA depends on funding from private sources, including local businesses and multinational corporationMultinational corporation
A multi national corporation or enterprise , is a corporation or an enterprise that manages production or delivers services in more than one country. It can also be referred to as an international corporation...
s. Further supplementary funding comes from donors, and embassy missions represented in Harare. Funding from embassies and missions is largely used to facilitate artists from their respective countries.