Sharing our heritage through ZIFF 2013

It was a week that had a lot of things going on. In the city to be specific, the much-hyped visit by US President Barack Obama was the most discussed topic, from TV stations to the social networks.

And this remains a busy week in the national calendar due to the Dar es Salaam International Trade Fair, which unfortunately, had been overshadowed by the visit of the son of the soil by extension.

The city looked unusually cleaner than on average days, the traffic too had for some reason begun to ease in anticipation of receiving guests from several parts of the world including Sri Lanka.

But as Dar was busy taking care of that side of business, something of equally social and cultural significance was happening across the ocean on the Spice Isles.

 The world in a different form had descended on Zanzibar’s Stone Town for the 16th edition of the Zanzibar International Film Festival.

The mood in the legendary Stone Town could be described as expectant and as revellers arrived, taxi drivers were keen to select the ones who were Old Fort bound.

At the Ngome Kongwe’s amphitheatre, where the opening ceremony of the festival was to take place, organisers were making last minute touches to little details such as accreditation and ticketing.  Equally, at the Forodhani food market which is famed for its delicacies, business had for some reason started a bit earlier than usual; as early as 4pm.

The season christened ‘A Shared History’ kicked off with over 4,000 in attendance at the Old Fort with the first Vice President Maalim Seif Sharif Hamad in their midst.

They included celebrities, filmmakers, and actors from as far as South Africa, US, Kenya, Uganda, Iran and many others.And on this night the Island and its guests took time off to pay a glowing tribute to some of the departed souls with singer Bi Kidude top on the list.

Movies

As it has of late become, there was an African premiere of The Reluctant Fundamentalist, a film by Mira Nair, which got the ball rolling with the opening ceremony being shown live on one of Zuku’s channels.

The energetic film, which was shot in Pakistan, US and other parts of Europe depicts a young Pakistani man chasing corporate success on Wall Street. He however, finds himself embroiled in a conflict between his American Dream, a hostage crisis and the enduring call of his homeland. The next few days were to follow this pattern as films one after another were shown at different venues, the Ngome Kongwe’s amphitheatre, Maru Maru Hotel and other venues.

Other films that were set to make their premiere at the festival included ‘Haunted Souls’, ‘Shoe Shine’, ‘A story about Wendy’, Between Friends’, ‘Some One Wanna Talk To You’, ‘Lilet Never Happened’ and many others.

Apart from the film viewing, there were also other activities, which included village outreach programmes and children’s panorama where young people were taught how to make animations.

Tourism

As noted earlier, tourists who make a greater part of the festival’s attendance, have come in huge numbers, and according to unconfirmed figures, over 40,000 visitors from over 45 countries flocked to this season’s event.

No wonder many have referred to the festival as a cultural crossroads where they mingle with the high and mighty in the industry, sharing a common history.

Though some admit that it was their first time in Zanzibar, others were returning for the third time just to be part of the festival.

Speaking at the opening First Vice President Maalim Seif Sharif stressed on the importance of culture as part of a major drive towards promoting tourism on the Spice Islands.

“The government is aware that this festival brings together great personalities from across the world who come here to impart knowledge on our youth,” he said.

He added that though there are some skeptics, who do not see the value and connections of culture and performing arts in the wellbeing of the people, there is every indication that arts can change lives of the people.

“For years Ziff has become a place of meeting as people share several aspects of their history. Government through Mkuza recognises the contribution of culture and its importance in the development of tourism” said the First Vice President. He added that the national policy needs sprucing up because currently it is being hampered by low public and private investment.

“Despite the difficult times and lack of finance, government still has a role to play by enabling the private sector to play their role. It is in the interest of Zanzibar for ZIFF to continue its existence,” he said.

Local attendance

But as the vice president was buoyant of the festival’s contribution local attendance continues to be an issue that organisers have contend with.

Apart from the opening night the following nights saw the number of local attendance drop just like last year with most of the audience being tourists from Europe and elsewhere.

This is despite the fact that entrance fees for locals went for only Sh1,000 for the film and Sh3,000 for both film and music performance.

The festival this year was graced by special guests such as Mira Nair, a film director from New York, Tonya Lee Williams of the Young and Restless, Danny Schechter,  a TV producer and independent filmmaker who has made a film about Nelson Mandela.  Also on the list is Nick Broomfield who has been known for angering both liberals and conservatives in his documentaries.

Party extension

Due to the requirements of the laws that restrict performing hours, after the musical performances at the Mambo Club, the party shifted to Bwawani Night Club.

Here, we caught Zanzibar by night with several twilight girls trying to make ends meet, with their main target being the tourists in town.

However, what seemed to irritate most visitors were the constant brawls between the girls as they tried to mark their territories.  Now as the festival draws to a close, it will definitely leave a mark as several aspects of art and life have intertwined.

Business has flourished, African stories have been told and new friends made, therefore entrenching the theme of a shared history.