2016 was the fifth Miombo Magic bringing new bands to new audiences, new campers to camping, new nature-lovers to nature and new buildings to the community school. The Miombo Magic stage has seen Zimbabwean artists grow from their first trembling steps to fast-rising international stars.
According to a recent statement from the organizers, it hasn’t been all fun and games,
“we’ve had sweat and tears…if we look at what we set out to achieve five years ago, we’ve ticked almost every box, and we feel good about it…the only box we haven’t ticked is the one about making Miombo financially self-sustaining” the statement said.
Explaining the financial state of the bush festival the statement continued,
“We’re not in it for the money. We’re in it for the magic…we could do things differently. We could (and may yet!) festoon the venue with corporate logos, up the entrance fees, charge a premium on the drinks. Or we could cut costs by using a smaller stage, reducing the number of artists performing, using a cheaper sound system.”
But Gus and Angus, the visionaries of Miombo Magic don’t want to do any of those things and would like to keep the Festival just the way it is. As a result they’ve had to come up with an alternative way to cover the bills, for Miombo Magic 2017, they’re unveiling a series of ‘Friends of the Festival’ packages. The concept is aimed at encouraging those who can afford to dig a little deeper to do so in return for some magical new spaces at the Festival such as exclusive campsites, private toilets, a private bar and complimentary massages.
The plans for 2017 are similar to the successful run of this year’s fest of holding running from Saturday morning through to Sunday evening, with a special after-party on the Sunday night for their generous new friends who they hope to have found and confirmed by 31st December 2016. This is to ensure they’ve got the basics covered and can go ahead with planning for Miombo Magic 2017 worry free.
If you can help them, by giving a Friends package as a Christmas gift to a special someone you can find the full details at www.miombomagic.paynow.co.zw
Main Picture: Brian Reiter 2016
