HARARE TAKES CENTRE STAGE AS CARNIVAL WEEK UNFOLDS
(Posted 06th September 2017)
17 countries have confirmed their participation in this year’s Harare International Carnival coming from such carnival hotspots like Brazil, Jamaica and Trinidad & Tobago. Other participating countries are listed below include China, Cuba and Ghana, which of late has broken into the carnival scene with a vengeance.
| 1. | Brazil |
| 2. | Burundi |
| 3. | China |
| 4. | Cuba |
| 5. | DRC |
| 6. | Egypt |
| 7. | Ethiopia |
| 8. | Ghana |
| 9. | India |
| 10. | Jamaica |
| 11. | Malawi |
| 12. | Mozambique |
| 13. | Nigeria |
| 14. | Portugal |
| 15. | South Africa |
| 16. | United Kingdom |
| 17. | Trinidad and Tobago |
39 schools have confirmed participation through traditional, cultural, drum majorettes and cheerleading.
A large number of corporate supporters will also take part in the carnival parade with floats, among them Air Zimbabwe, South African Airways, Meikles Hotel, Legacy Hotels, the Rainbow Tourism Group, Cresta Hospitality, African Sun Hotels, the Zimbabwe Civil Aviation Authority and many more.
They join another 49 groups from across Zimbabwe which have confirmed their participation and presence at key events such as the main parade.
Said Zimbabwe’s Minister of Tourism and Hospitality Industry Dr. Eng. Walter Mzembi: ‘I am delighted to be addressing the nation this afternoon through our esteemed members of the fourth State on a subject matter that is so dear to our people, the Harare International Carnival.
If there were some doubting Thomases amongst our people, I’m sure that the three events that successfully took place during the weekend are a testimony that the Carnival is now here and there is no going back on this ambitious project. Moreso some of the carnivalists from some participating countries are already in the country with the bulk of them expected during the course of this week.
On behalf of the Government of the Republic of Zimbabwe I would like to thank all the local and foreign groups that will be coming to participate in this year’s edition of the Harare International Carnival. Definitely without the carnivalists there is no carnival to talk about. We appreciate the fact that it takes a lot of commitment from individuals and groups coming to participate particularly taking into consideration that our carnival is still teething and growing gradually. As Government we are optimistic that it will yield return on investment in the next 5 to 10 years hence the reason why the project has continued to receive major support from the treasury.
Government believes in the power of the carnival particularly its potential to generate the much needed revenue for the country. All the economic benefits we project will be a function of how much we invest now. It remains imperative for Government and other development partners to continue nurturing this project if the country is to realise meaningful gains from it.
Apart from government funding, this year’s edition, as we announced during the launch of the carnival in Highfield, has been made possible through the adoption of a Public Private Partnership model. This saw the coming on board of the Big Time Strategic Group of SA as a major sponsor. Once again on behalf of the government I want to pay homage to them for their invaluable support. We are happy to be having development partners share the same vision with us mainly on spurring the growth of the national economy.
To all people out there I want to encourage them to be part of this Carnival, a platform bringing us together to celebrate our oneness and unity as aptly captured in the theme for this year, One Love, Our Unity Our Pride.
As has become a tradition I am told our esteemed uniformed forces will be part of the carnival, we remain excited about their participation because they add colour, prestige and dignity to the whole event. The ZTA went a step further this year by collaborating with the Airforce of Zimbabwe who are organising the Commander AFZ Charity Horse race that is taking place this weekend. There is collaboration between this event and the carnival of which the ZTA Chief Executive and representative from the AFZ will speak more to that.
With the support of the AFZ, we are gratified that the ZTA managed to do some carnival activations and roadshows across some of our major cities. Certainly Harare will this week record increased traffic from across the country and beyond borders with people coming specifically to attend the carnival. This will definitely spur domestic tourism and to this end I want to implore our industry players, through their leadership here present give our people coming to carnival special and affordable packages. We want our people coming to carnival to have memorable experiences. Once we do that I am sure you will be guaranteed of repeat business.
As you will realise this September is indeed Tourism month with so many activities happening. Soon after this carnival we will be commemorating the World Tourism Day on 27 September in Bulawayo celebrations that will culminate into our premier tourism fair, the Sanganai /Hlanganani World Tourism Expo from 28 September to 01 October 2017. All this is for the good of the destination, so we urge all the other sectors to work with us in our efforts to turn around the fortunes of the economy through tourism.
For now the focus is on the carnival and I have no doubt that the cocktail of carnival events that has been put together by the ZTA and their partners will satisfy the entertainment needs of our people and visitors alike. Let’s enjoy the show brought to you by the Tourism sector.
I thank you, Ndatenda, Siyabonga‘.
