An article from the Chronicle newspaper in Bulawayo after the festival
Chronicle
Bulawayo, Zimbabwe, Tuesday 14 December 2004 Abangani Arts Festival a success Entertainment Reporter THE much talked about Abangani Arts Festival ended at the weekend with the organisers of the event expressing satisfaction with the way proceedings went. A spokesman for the organisers, Tongesayi Gumbo, said the event was a success despite that some groups who were initially penciled to perform failed to do so for various reasons. "Although several groups that we had invited failed to perform, the festival went on smoothly and we managed to give the crowd that turned up value for money," he said. Gumbo said Bambelela Arts Ensemble failed to perform their play because one of the main actors could not make it to the festival. The festival had to change the format to cater for the needs of the audience. He said instead of having a particular art discipline per given day as was initially arranged, it was decided to have a variety of disciplines on the same day. "We felt the audience would be more entertained if they watched different disciplines in one day rather than watching the same discipline throughout the show. Hence we changed the format," he said. Groups that performed on the opening day on Friday night include Sadalala, who performed a township dance, while Thandanani, an all-female group, thrilled the crowds with traditional dances that include isitshikitsha.
New Age showcased a musical drama that was mainly on township dances, and Mpopoma Dance Ensemble performed their new production, Woza, a play on township life. The play contrasts the sixties lifestyles and today's lifestyles, showing how the sixties fashion has been recycled.
On Saturday, Troix and Fresh Mix performed dances, while Mpopoma Dance Ensemble showcased their new dance production Laduma. The production involves dances from West and Southern Africa. Dances from West Africa include Ewe, a dance common in Ghana, Burkina Faso and Senegal where it is performed by young people returning from a circumcision ceremony; Other dances from West Africa are ndoup and ghau, while from Southern Africa, the dances performed include isichithamiya, istapa and umgxizo. | 
Mpopoma leading the way with Laduma! 
