Bulawayo residents have criticised the council for provisionally allocating a US$300,000 budget to host the Bulawayo Arts Festival next month.
The Bulawayo United Residents Association (BURA) says the funds should be channelled towards addressing the city’s perennial water shortages where residents often endure weeks without running water.
In an interview with Chronicle, Winos Dube, the BURA chairperson, said residents were not opposed to the hosting of arts festivals in the city, but the local authority should prioritise service delivery. Said Dube:
While we support hosting arts festivals in the city, we are facing the most severe water crisis in years.
Therefore, we strongly believe that every available cent should be allocated towards ensuring water provision in the most affected suburbs.
Some suburbs go for weeks without running water and that funding could be better utilised to supply residents with water through bowsers.
The question we, as residents, are asking ourselves is: Are our leaders willing to prioritise a festival over essential service delivery?
Water provision is key; water is life. Thus, we expect our leaders to address the water issue without delay.
According to council minutes obtained by the Chronicle, a proposal has been made to allocate a budget of US$300 000 for the festival scheduled to from June 2 to 5. The minutes read in part:
It shall be recalled that council at its sitting on 2nd October 2019 resolved to declare the 1st of June as Bulawayo Day and the 2nd to the 5th of June as Bulawayo Arts Festival week.
This was the result of the lobbying from stakeholders in the creative industry. Since then, the Bulawayo Arts Festival has been commemorated annually during the first week of June.
The festival’s objectives are to showcase the city’s rich cultural heritage and diversity as well as marketing it as a tourist destination.
The festival is commemorated through several activities that include musical shows, dance, and exhibitions, among others.
The City of Bulawayo and other key stakeholders in the arts, culture and heritage sectors prepare and line up festivities to commemorate the event.
Annually, council budgets for the festival. This year a total of three hundred thousand dollars (US$300 000.00) has been provisionally budgeted for the festival in the hold of vote.
The Arts and Culture office will come up with a programme of events for the festival.
The Bulawayo Arts Festival, an annual celebration, follows the Bulawayo Day commemorations, which are held on June 1 every year.
Bulawayo Day commemorations mark the establishment of the City of Bulawayo as a town, on June 1, 1894.
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