IYASA In A Flawless Show At The Inaugural Bulawayo Funfair

 By Dickson Bandera

Multi-award winning performing arts ensemble, Inkululekho Yabatsha School of Arts (IYASA) proved why it has extensively toured Africa and Europe since its formation in 2001, when it staged a well-polished performance at the Commissioner General of Police Funfair Bulawayo Chapter held at the ZITF Grounds in Bulawayo last month.

Coming on stage after Charamba who enthralled fans with yesteryear hits including “Machira Chete,” “Tauya Kuzomutenda,” “Ibasa rangu” and “Wamunoda Aurawe,” IYASA displayed an array of intensively expressive and thrilling dances, ranging from Tshikitsha, Muchongoyo and Imhlamu to the delight of spectators.

The talented and committed team of skilled and highly trained artistes showcased cultural expression and human creativity in songs such as “Banolila” “Zamina mina Zangalewa,” and “S’jaivha Sibancane” in a lighting performance that resonated with their motto, “There goes the morning star.”

“S’jaivha Sibancane” was well received and things got more exciting when the talented lead vocalists, Cheryl Mabaya, adjudged the Best Female Dancer at the National Arts Merit Awards in 2015, and Lameck Keswa jumped off the stage to join the crowd. With their codeless microphones, they incorporated the fans who jostled to at least place their voices on the mike.

In “Zangalewa,” a 1986 track composed by Golden Sounds of Cameroon, the dancers coordinated well, incorporating comedy and theatre in their dances, a sign that there is a lot of work behind the scenes.

Throughout their performance, the crowds was engaged in dance and song.

In an interview, Sibonisiwe Sithole, the group’s longest serving member, said performing at the first Funfair was an honour.

“We are happy that we are part of this noble cause. This is a special performance for us as we are being part of the historic charity initiative of the ZRP in Bulawayo,” she said.

Asked on what makes the group so unique, she said the group believes that professionalism translates to fortune.

“As Iyasa we believe we have to leave a mark wherever we perform. Whenever we get a job, we believe our next job should come from our performance. Those who see us perform should want to hire us in future occasions, when we impress the fans, we get more jobs,” she said.

Since 2001, IYASA has toured various countries including Germany, USA, Serbia, Czech Republic, U.K, Mexico, Japan, Austria, Sweden, South Africa, Zambia, Botswana and Montenegro where the group markets African culture through film, theatre productions, poetry, music and dance.

Some of the productions that have endeared the group with international audiences include “No chickens in the bus,” “China K,” “Umntwana Africa,” “Sisonke- as long as we are together,” “Girafika,” “Elephant Moon,” and “Schlafe Gut Susser Mond (Sleep well dear Moon).”  

Locally the group offers talent identification and nurturing, training programmes, workshops, music and video productions, among others. Unfortunately, the group says sometimes con artistes in Bulawayo masquerade as IYASA, a development that ends up tarnishing the brand IYASA.

IYASA was formed by Nkululeko Innocent Dube in 2001 out of Mpopoma High School Drama Group. At one of their early performances in Harare, Dube met Stephan Rabl an Austrian national who got interested in the performances of the group. Rabl invited the group to perform at the Schaexpir Festival in Austria in 2001.  The Austrian show was an ice breaker and the following year Rable came to Zimbabwe and did another project with the group where they composed stories which he translated in German language, and later into various languages. Since then, the ensemble has toured different countries and annually they tour Austria and Czech Republic from March to August.

Inkululekho Yabatsha means Freedom for Young People.