The Harare International Festival of the Arts (HIFA) took place from 29th April to 4th May 2008. HIFA has grown into one of the most substantial and diverse international arts events in Africa. There was a cultural carnival featuring a huge programme of music of all types, theatre, dance and visual arts.
The theme of the Festival this year was the Art of Determination. Before the festival began, Founder and Artistic Director Manuel Bagorro said: “HIFA 2008 is a celebration of the capacity of people to make amazing creative things happen. Both the Zimbabwean artistic community and the large number of international artists from more than 20 countries will come together in a spirit of inspiration and solidarity".
The Prince Claus Fund supports a media training programme for six Zimbabwean arts and culture journalists drawn from print media, television and radio. The participants will deal with theatre, sculpture, dance, music and spoken word as well as writing on and about arts issues deriving from events during the festival. Read More
Two members of the Bolivian organisation Espacio Danza travelled from La Paz, Bolivia, to Havana, Cuba, to attend two workshops regarding improvisation and composition for alternative spaces for professional dancers. Espacio Danza is a Centre for the Development, Diffusion and Investigation of Contemporary Dance in Bolivia. In Cuba the two members had the opportunity to participate in an exchange-residence to do research regarding the experiences with, and the development of, contemporary dance in Cuba, the education system and different project administrations. They themselves gave three workshops in Havana inclusing very different dance atmospheres. They also used the opportunity of being there to visit the most important dance projects in Havana at this moment. Finally they were able to share their work by participating in public presentations. The Prince Claus Fund provided support for the travel costs. In the report María-José Rivera states that the experience was enriching, also for their own projects in Bolivia, she also found that there was a big difference in the way of working in Cuba because of cultural differences and a different body approach. Read the Report
The theme of the Harare International Festival of the Arts the Art of Determination. Cartoon by Gado
With the aim of encouraging worldwide cultural debate, the Prince Claus Fund organises and supports events around the world to facilitate intercultural exchange. These events include conferences, lectures, meetings and exhibitions.
The results of these exchange events are presented to a wider, international audience in the form of articles, books and websites.
These exchange events provide a creative environment in which new approaches can be presented and new contributors can become engaged in the debate. The events also serve as a guide to the Prince Claus Fund in its endeavours in the field of culture and development.
