Mwezi Wawala starts renovating cafe

As the days are getting closer towards the kick-off of the 2013 Mwezi Wawala Arts Festival to be held at Nanzikambe Arts Café in Blantyre, organisers of the festival have engaged an extra gear in preparations by investing in renovations of the cafe to ensure it is up to standards.

During the festival, which is scheduled for August 30 to September 1, 2013, the café is expected to host performances of over 50 arts groups and individuals from across the world.

Festival coordinator Vincent Maluwa said the renovations will be complete by end of this week.

“Mwezi Wawala is a big event which will feature international artists and we do not want to compromise on quality of both the festival and environment at the venue of the festival. We want to ensure the café is in good standards and fit to host an international event by end of the week,” said Maluwa.

He added that the major part of the renovations is painting and plastering some areas which had developed cracks. He also said they are improving the condition of the area next to the audience’s stands to ensure those who want to relax or take meals in an open ground have space for that.

Meanwhile, the organisers have said the number of artists and arts groups performing at the festival by last Friday had shot to around 70 which is a record figure in the history of the festival. According to Maluwa, all artists from USA, UK, France, Germany, Spain, Pakistan, South Africa, Botswana and Zimbabwe have confirmed their attendance.

Among the key performances will be stage plays, poetry, story -telling, traditional dance and acoustic music.