By Tinevimbo Mukarati
For years, Harare carried a quiet longing, a gap in its cultural heartbeat that no other event could quite fill. The city still remembered the colour, the music, the global energy that once transformed its streets every April. And now, at last, that heartbeat has returned. Harare International Festival of the Arts (HIFA) is back.
Its comeback feels less like the revival of a festival and more like the return of an old friend. One that shaped Zimbabwe’s creative identity, inspired generations of artists and drew the world’s gaze to Harare’s stages. As news of its return spread, excitement rippled through the arts community, cultural centres and even the business sector all of which had felt the absence of this iconic celebration.
HIFA’s legacy has always been bigger than its stages. It was an economic engine, drawing thousands of visitors, filling hotels, boosting restaurants, energising transport operators and creating temporary jobs across the city. Craft markets thrived, small businesses flourished, and the festival became a reliable annual stimulus for the creative economy. Its return promises the same and more at a time when the arts industry is hungry for revival and new opportunities.
For artists, HIFA was a dream stage. It hosted legends and rising stars alike from Oliver Mtukudzi, Chiwoniso Maraire and Hope Masike to international acts who brought global fusion to Harare’s nights. Dancers, poets, theatre groups, visual artists and musicians all found a home under HIFA’s lights. Many careers were launched there; many collaborations were born in its backstage corridors. Its return signals a renewed platform for talent to shine, to be discovered and to connect with audiences from across the world.
Cultural centres and community arts hubs are also celebrating. HIFA’s revival aligns with the broader national movement to strengthen cultural infrastructure from new centres being opened to the revitalisation of heritage spaces. The festival’s return brings programming, partnerships and visibility that will help these centres grow, attract investment and nurture local creativity. It reconnects Zimbabwe’s cultural ecosystem, weaving together artists, institutions and communities in a shared celebration of identity.
For the arts industry, the benefits are profound. HIFA brings training workshops, international exposure, creative exchange, and a surge in demand for local services from stage technicians and designers to caterers and craft producers. It restores confidence in the sector, signalling that Zimbabwe’s creative economy is ready to rise again.
And for the nation, HIFA’s return is a reminder of something deeper: that art is not a luxury but a lifeline. It is a mirror of who we are, a bridge to the world and a source of pride that endures even in difficult times.
As Harare prepares once more for the music, the theatre, the fireworks and the unforgettable nights, one thing is clear, HIFA is not just back. It is reborn. And with it comes a renewed promise: that Zimbabwe’s cultural flame will continue to burn brightly, inspiring generations and uplifting the nation’s creative spirit.
