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ALBERT NYATHI

Yeukai Karengezeka Arts Correspondent
Preparations for the Youth Cultural Arts Festival to be held from July 31 to August 2 are getting advanced and organisers have unveiled this year’s adjudicators. Veteran artists Albert Nyathi and Mandla Malunga have been chosen to the panel. YOCAF coordinator, Precious Mudzingwa said they have engaged veteran artistes who are skilled in the arts industry to up their game.

“We feel that we need to up our game this time and that is the reason why we have introduced award-winning veterans in the arts sector as adjudicators Albert Nyathi and Mandla Malunga

“Malunga is not a new face among the panellists as he has been there since inception of the festival,” she said.
Malunga is an experienced, trained and practicing theatre artist with a fervent passion towards working with children and young people in the arts to influence, liberate, empower and shape their destinies as well as maximize their participation through the arts.

Malunga founded the Great Zimbabwe Young People’s Cultural Ensemble in 2005 and has made the ensemble a force to reckon with in Masvingo.
New to be part of the panel team is Nyathi, a poet and musician known internationally.

Nyathi has been working with young artists, identifying, grooming and nurturing talent through Imbongi Arts and some of the beneficiaries are IYASA, Sandra Ndebele and Imbongi Jazz.

Nyathi has been involved in a number of projects like CBZ – A Academy where he was a talent judge for a television programme.
He has also adjudicated at Jikinya Dance Festival, Zimbo Talent, Chibuku Road to Fame and Harare Agricultural Show’s entertainment section.

Some of the schools expected to take part in this year’s festival include the defending champions Pamushana High School, Thornhill, Mucheke, Masvingo Christian College, Churchill, Mapanzure, Serima, Hippo Valley, Mapakomhere, Silveira and Glen View 1 High.

Since its launch in 2010 the festival has been instrumental in bringing young people together and giving them a voice, a voice that resonates with their being.