No Comments »May 3rd, 2009
We did it! Two Gents Productions has landed in Zimbabwe. After a lovely farewell dinner with Tonderai’s mom we embarked on our epic journey South. Even though we were only allowed 20 kg of luggage each (for a 7 week trip!), we managed to squeeze in our costume and trunk at no extra cost. First our flight was delayed then it wasn’t then it was again, so that we felt slightly rushed but were then kept waiting without being able to buy the duty free products we had planned to bring as gifts to Zimbabwe.
The flight over Joburg went relatively smoothly and we all made it through immigrations without any hassle. Tonderai and Arne found their luggage waiting for them, whereas Denton’s was nowhere to be found, along with the trunk. Where Arne was welcomed into the country with open arms and not even a sideways glance at his (fashionable and lightweight :-) luggage, Tonderai’s (massive!) suitcase was meticulously scrutinized by a grumpy customs officer. Apparently she did not like the look of the wigs he was sneaking into the country for his grandmother. Drawing on his skills as an actor Tonderai nonetheless managed to wangle himself out of this tight spot and we were good to go.
Both Tonderai and Denton were welcomed by their families and we spent the day catching up and getting a feel for being back home – and Arne just tagged along for the ride. That day and the next were also spent in setting Arne and Tonderai up in the accommodation Denton had found for them (more below), trying to sort transport and getting ‘juiced’ (finding a sim card and then uploading it with airtime).
It so happens that friends of ours are abroad for the entire time of our stay in Harare and they have very generously allowed us to stay at their house in a leafy suburb of Harare. It is situated on huge grounds with a vegetable garden (Guavas, Bananas, Chillies and the like) and a pool (!) and we are staying in this rondavel hut attached to the main house. What respite from the hectic London life that the likes of us struggling artists lead!
Denton’s brother is also lending us his car for the duration of our stay. This allows him to earn a little money on the side – very few people are getting paid for their work at the moment as the new currency (US Dollar) is fairly scarce – and allows us to move around the city freely.
We have set up our residency at the Harare Reps Theatre and are putting the finishing touches on our reworked version of Vakomana Vaviri ve Zimbabwe. HIFA kicks off on Tuesday and it is already the talk of the town. With only two performances during the week of the festival we will hopefully have plenty of occasion to mix and mingle with other artists and to sample some of the broad spectrum of music, dance and theatre performances that are on the program this year.
We are excited and look forward to keeping you posted!