The Chronicle
21st September 2009
Entertainment Reporter
The Bulawayo Arts Forum (BAF) is inviting artists in and outside Bulawayo to join the organisation.
The co-ordinator of BAF, Joshua Nyapimbi, said the organisation was also appealing for support to conduct advocacy work.
“There is an urgent need for BAF to formalise its membership if local artists are to benefit from BAF’s involvement with the Arterial Network such as the formation of a Zimbabwe Artistes Forum in Maputo.
“BAF’s appeal for support towards its advocacy work has largely been ignored by traditional funders HIVOS and the SIDA Culture Fund. We have now realised that mobilising funding to end inequality and injustice affecting the creative sector is like asking your enemy to buy you a gun to shoot them.
Through our struggles for an enabling environment and success we have learnt that the source of our problems resides in the very institutions and individuals that we often approach for our assistance,†said Nyapimbi.
BAF is a voluntary network of cultural rights defenders based in Bulawayo. It brings together artists from the fields of theatre, dance, music, visual arts, socio-cultural work, arts management, arts technicians, historians, writers and journalists.
“We desire a vibrant, dynamic and sustainable Zimbabwean creative civil society based on the fundamental principles of human rights, democracy and justice. We stimulate dialogue and action on pertinent issues affecting the creative civil society in Zimbabwe.
“Our values are social, economic justice, solidarity, diversity and mutual respect, collaboration and participation, sustainability and shared responsibility, transparency and accountability,â€.
Nyapimbi said the organisation wanted to campaign to safeguard creative pluralism and independence.
“We champion creative freedom of expression as a fundamental human right that is also central to the protection of other rights. Freedom of participatory creative expression allows citizens demand and hold civil society organisations, NGOs, funders and Government, accountable for their promises, obligations and actions. Those who want to join can get in touch with us at Nhimbe Trust in Bulawayo,†he said.
Some of the organisation’s achievements have been to come up with a newsletter, E-forum, organise public meetings, conduct voter education through theatre, participating at the Arterial Network Winter School in South Africa, facilitating the formation of the Zimbabwe Artists Forum Maputo Mozambique, participating at the National Constitutional Reform Civil Society Conference and Public Meeting with Senator David Coltart Minister of Education, Sport, Arts and Culture.