The ManicaPost
Entertainment Correspondent —
ENTERTAINMENT starved farming town of Chipinge will tomorrow (Saturday) play host to a National Aids Council musical gala that will see an array of sungura and Zim-dancehall artistes take to the stage, while HIV and Aids-related services will also be provided on site.
The event starts at 1pm till late. Among the musicians who are expected to perform in Chipinge is popular Mutare gospel singer, Blessing Shuma, Zim-dancehall chanter, Hwindi president, sungura musician, Romeo Gasa and another Zim-dancehall artiste, Freeman.
The gala to be held in Chipinge becomes the second NAC gala to be held in Manicaland this year.
The first one was held in Rusape and was a resounding success measured by the crowd that was in attendance and the number of those who received various HIV and Aids related services.
National Aids Council Manicaland provincial coordinator, Lawrence Kupara, confirmed the gala.
“We will have a musical gala in Chipinge on Saturday and the musicians who will perform have already confirmed their participation. We are all aware that this becomes the second gala after the one we held in Rusape which we think was a resounding success.
As NAC, we are taking music and arts as a vehicle to spread the HIV and Aids message,” said Kupara.
NAC Manicaland monitoring and evaluation officer, Simbarashe ‘Bhutsu’ Maquina buttressed Kupara’s sentiments, saying more than 1 000 people got tested during the gala in Rusape.
“We had a very successful gala in Rusape where we tested more than 1 000 people, while 88 were circumcised. 57 people received cervical cancer screening. It is imperative to note that all these services will be offered for free.
“We are looking forward to doing the same in Chipinge or even surpass the Rusape figures,” said Maquina.
While Zimbabwe is still seized by a severe Aids epidemic with unacceptably high HIV prevalence and incidence, it is one of the first countries that have experienced a sharp decline of new infections and HIV related deaths over the past decade due to a comprehensive set of interventions that have been implemented through a highly multi-sectoral approach.
