HARARE - Zimbabwe's Harare International Festival of Arts (Hifa) and the Victoria Falls Carnival have been included among seven must-see African festivals by Cable News Network (CNN).
The two Zimbabwean festivals are joined in the top seven by Lake of Stars (Malawi), Cape Town International Jazz Festival (South Africa), Sauti Za Busara (Tanzania), Marrakesh Popular Festival of the Arts (Morocco) and Bushfire Festival (Swaziland).
Hifa, which was established in 1999, is glowingly described by the article as "Glastonbury of African festivals."
“Hifa is probably the most innovative in terms of social media use; last year, the festival had a screen that showed attendees' tweets. Another great thing about HIFA is that you pay per event, according to your interest, unlike other festivals where a standard price is paid for all events.”
The three-year old Victoria Falls Carnival, which is the youngest festival on the seven-strong list, is described as “the perfect way to welcome the New Year.”
“One of the unique aspects of Victoria Falls fest is the journey there. A steam train picks up attendees in South Africa, while Namibians, Tswana's and Zambians can catch buses in their respective countries. On one night of the festival, guests are packed into the steam train which stops in the middle of a national park and hosts a DJ-fuelled dance party.”