NEWS that Mansa in Luapula Province will for five days beginning August 8, 2015 host the National Schools Arts Association of Zambia (SAAZ) performing and fine arts festival at Mansa College of Education is pleasant.
The festival is delightfully gratifying because many pupils and students will have just started their one-month-long break from school. In the absence of meaningful social activities and amenities, the festival will surely act as a time for the pupils to rejuvenate, refresh and relax in consequential ways in the presence of their teachers.
In a welcome statement, SAAZ national chairperson David Asumani intimated that the festival would be remarkable as fewer boys and girls attending this year’s festival had before sampled and experienced life in Luapula Province. He added that teachers, head teachers and provincial educational officers had been invited.
“We want our young people and their teachers to feel welcome to see the exquisiteness of outskirt provinces and appreciate the beauty; similarly, engage our pupils to interact with their colleagues from other provinces. This way they learn about other cultures,” David said during the week expressing optimism that the festival would be one of the best in terms of logistic preparedness, and maturity of plays, songs and dances under rehearsals in various schools countrywide.
With approximately 200 pupils from each of the 10 provinces, the pupils will be competing in drama, poetry, choral music and traditional and cultural dances. The other inclusive art to be on test is fine art which involves drawing, sketching and painting.
Over adjudicators, the SAAZ chairperson said his team in conjunction with the Ministry of Education has liaised to invite proficient and knowledgeable men and women to help umpire, and critic the performances, this way, he said enriched the results and comments made valuably exposed the performers.
“Adjudicators have already been confirmed, and drawn from each province, so there is no inkling over biasness unless otherwise, but we expect impartial intercession as the adjudicators selected are serious theatre artists,” David explained enthusing further that the topical-themed plays will be more exciting than foreign-themed stories, while songs and dances are essentially those depicting the life and living of the Zambian people taking centre-stage.
“We have tried to encourage our teachers and pupils to rehearse something that depict local themes, and the environment we all live in,” said the Ndola-based SAAZ boss.
Perhaps, it would be worth noting that SAAZ needs external support other than from the hardworking teachers; the corporate world particularly in helping with awards, this could go a long way.
For instance those young individuals who come out as best leading actors and actresses, best dancers and poets; rewards can include a promissory ‘cheque’ for the achievers to be sponsored into college with a bias to the arts they are engaged in, music, dance or drama.
It would be naïve to think this can only happen in developed countries where nurturing of young people begins at a tender age. Schools are the richest resources from which every other institution banks on for both material and human resource.
With the not-so-long-ago shift to the digital migration in the broadcasting world, and the recent pronouncement that the Zambia National Broadcasting Corporation (ZNBC) was planning to launch another channel, aligned to entertainment – local content; themes that depict local setups, and backgrounds, histories and contemporary would not only be a necessity, but a need.
ZNBC has no option but to partner with SAAZ and other institutions like the National Theatre Arts Association of Zambia (NATAA), the Zambia Association of Musicians (ZAM), the National Media Association (NAMA) and others, just like all other radio and private television stations if their viewership has to remain enchanted with new plots, new stories, new programming, and new writings.
Take a look at music; the introduction of music in the school curriculum has generally improved the music that is coming from the younger Zambian musicians and singers. Similarly, the advertisements we always, and notably watch on television cannot be ruled out as not coming from the increased theatrical festivals taking place in schools, districts and provinces.
Then this means the various companies operating in Zambia, the various promoters engaged in the arts; attending the Mansa festival to spot, and scout for young talents would not be a waste of time and resources.
As David Asumani put it, by virtue of the various businesses that people do, marketing is an art as much as other associated ingredients that helps profitably market a product.
Meantime, I hear Venus Theatre in Kabwe is undergoing facelift. I am enlivened and electrified about this news, and would like to hear more from Adah Ngoma, the Central Provincial Cultural Affairs Officer. More about Venus next week.
John.kapesa818@yahoo.co.uk
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