Times of Zambia | World Theatre Day brings Kamenza Theatre to life

Published On March 29, 2014 » 2831 Views» By Davies M.M Chanda » Features

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THEATRE artistes worldwide last Thursday March 27, celebrated World Theatre Day universally reading the same message written by South African playwright and designer Brett Bailey.
For Zambia, the focal point was Chililabombwe, the Kasumbalesa border town where theatre artistes and musicians marched the streets from the District Commissioner’s office through Kamenza way to the dilapidated story of Kamenza theatre club grounds.
The facade was unique; one that rekindled fond memories of Kamenza theatre which has remained neglected for years by both the artistes and the owners of the premises, KCM.
According to the insight, essentially the idea to celebrate this event in Chililabombwe, and at Kamenza Theatre was to bring awareness, inform the residents, and enlighten the world and KCM and government to begin thinking about helping revamp the club, and better it.
Master of ceremonies Pamela Hojane was precise and started off the itinerary with a prayer before Mwanangwa Zombe’s recital of his instrumental-accompanied poem Breathing Free.
Mwanangwa, a Catholic University student later told me his poems focused on human emancipation and revitalisation.
His other poems include Loud Silence and One Nation under God.
The Chililabombwe-based gospel band Ebenezer Shilo Worshipers entertained the yellow T-shirt clad-crowd courtesy of MTN.
Though the celebrations could not start on time due to a few logistical handicaps, the occurrence was not devoid of the success as several artistes that included comedian Bob ‘Dorika’ Nkosha, Edward Lange, Victor Mawele, Ackson Tembo, Barney Kanjela, Tomson Ngulube, Vivienne Wamala-Silwamba, Kennedy Banda, Bwalya Chikwanda, Clement Muyasani and Godfrey Chitambala were on hand to discuss and talk about the event.
Other prominent theatre artistes included Moddy Muponisi, Jimmy Lungu, Ken Siyanda and Bwalya Kazungo and the Provincial Arts Advisory Committee chairperson Annie Zulu.
Mitondo Secondary School traditional dance troupe gave out two dances; shikanya from North-western and Kalela from Luapula provinces.
The team’s teachers Euphresia Chali-Yombe and Vena Naaketi-Mtonga were excited to be associated with the celebration, saying the event had enlightened them to look forward to a better Kamenza theatre.
Nkosha gave a few highlight of his music prowess joined by Ngulube and Victor Mawele to the chagrin of the audience who joined in the applause and dance.
Officiated by Victor Makashi, who is the director for cultural and arts affairs at the Ministry of Tourism and Arts pledged to back the organising committee that had been formed to spearhead the revival of Kamenza theatre.
He said from his office, KCM would be engaged so that artistes can be allowed to begin sourcing for resources to rebuild the neglected structures.
Makashi also welcomed the new Arts Minister Jean Kapata, saying the artist populace should support her so that the arts fraternity does not lose direction.
Acting National Arts Council director Adrian Maanka-Chipindi said he was impressed the World Theatre Day had gone on without incident, admitting that for the 2015 event, planning should begin now.
Other officials present were Copperbelt Cultural Affairs Officer Prince Lamba, the Chingola-Chililabombwe Cultural Officer Mateyo Ngembela and National School Arts Association of Zambia (NASAAZ) national chairperson David Asumani.
Looking at Brett’s message, the 2014 World Theatre Day message is a call for governments to respect theatre artistes and acknowledge that they were essential ingredients to the economic development, as history testifies to that.
The author roundly points at the most reclusive beginning of disorganised theatre saying political leadership should recognise this as a unique contribution.
Read by Nkana-Kitwe Arts Society veteran actress, producer and director Vivienne Wamala Silwamba, Brett’s message reads, “Under trees in tiny villages, and on high tech stages in global metropolis, in school halls and in fields and in temples, in slums, in urban plazas, community centres and intercity basements, people are drawn together to commune in the ephemeral theatre worlds that we create to express our human complexities, our diversity, our vulnerability, in living fresh, and breath, and voice,” Brett writes.
“We gather to weep and to remember, to laugh and to contemplate, to learn and to affirm and imagine.
“To wander at technical dexterity, and to incarnate gods. To catch our collective breath at our capacity for beauty and compassion, and monstrosity.
“We come to be energised, and to be empowered. To celebrate the wealth of our various cultures and to dissolve the boundaries that divides us.”
The playwright distinguished for one musical play Ipi Tombi, and several other literary writings goes on, “Whenever there is human society, the irresponsible Spirit of Performance manifests.
“Born of community, it wasn’t the masks and the costumes of our varied traditions. It harnesses our languages rhythms and gestures, and clears a space in our midst.
“And we the artistes that work with this ancient spirit feel compelled to channel it through our hearts, our ideas and our bodies to reveal our realities in all their mundanity and glittering mystery.”
Brett goes on, “but in this era, in which so many millions are struggling to survive, are suffering under oppressive regimes and predatory capitalism, are fleeing conflict and hardship, in which our privacy is invaded by secret services, and our words are censored by intrusive governments, in which forests are being annihilated, species exterminated, and oceans poisoned what do we feel compelled to reveal?
“In this world of unequal power, in which various hegemonic orders try to convince us that one nation, one race, one gender, one sexual preference, one religion, one ideology, one cultural framework is superior to all others, is it defensible to insist that the arts should be unshackled from social agendas?”
He further raise questions, “Are we the artiste of arenas and stages, conforming to the sanitized demands of the market, or seizing the powers that we have to clear a space in the hearts and minds of society, to gather people around us, to inspire, enchant and inform, and to create a world of hope and open-hearted collaboration?”
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National Schools Arts Association of Zambia (NASAAZ) chairperson David Asumani has confirmed the national performing arts festival as taking place at Solwezi College of Education, Solwezi, North-western Province from August 10 to 15th.
“Our idea to go to far-flung places is to exhibit our venues and expose both the pupils and staff responsible for these young artistes,” David said adding that the fine arts festival will take place in Livingstone.
David added that this year efforts were being made to ensure this year the NASAAZ hosts a sub regional festival to further expose the winners at the national festival to meet their counterparts from Zimbabwe, Malawi, Namibia, Botswana and South Africa.
NASAAZ’s theme for 2014 is ‘Showcasing 50 years of appreciating Cultural transformation in the arts,’ and that the sub-regional festival is earmarked for December.
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The World Poets’ Day fell on March 21; sadly the day was not vividly celebrated in Zambia.
I will take the Nicholas Kawinga-led Poets, Essayists and Novelists (PEN) to task for forgetting to commemorate the day.
World Poets’ Day was declared on November 15, 1999 by UNESCO after noting that quite a good proportion of the world was growing edgy that the art of poetry was being considered as outdated by the media.
Additionally, the idea of World Poets’ Day was to support linguistic diversity through poetic expression and to offer endangered languages the opportunity to be heard within their communities.
Worldwide, during the celebrations this year, PEN elsewhere focused on a number of cases which are emblematic of the threats by poets around the world highlighting their continued contribution to the freedom of expression.