Zomba City Council has applauded the Zomba City Arts Festival, saying it has the potential to restore the historical splendour of the city as well as its cultural richness and unlocking economic strength.

In an interview, public relations officer for the council Sylivia Thawani said the festival reignites interest in the city’s history as it attracts a diverse audience paving way for sustainable tourism development.

Thawani said the festival is promoting the creativity sector by providing a platform for artists and creatives.

“The festival brings in a lot of people from all walks of life thereby boosting the tourism business in the city and at the same time it brings attention to the arts and entertainment sector, allowing creatives to showcase their skills,” she said.

Thawani has since urged stakeholders to take part by funding the event so it continues to positively impact the Zomba community.

“We work hand in hand with the organisers of the event but the main challenge is always on funds and we appeal to more stakeholders to come out and support the event,” she said.

Reflecting on the recent festival, Zomba City Arts Festival coordinator Derek Nyirenda said the event was successful going by the positive feedback from various stakeholders.

He said that considering Zomba is a historical city, they secured multiple venues to allow people to have a glimpse of the attraction sites in the city.

“We introduced a historical walk among the activities on the festival schedule to allow people to travel to their favourite spots to enjoy the historical sites that are also tourists’ destinations in the city including the Zomba plateau,” he said.

Nyirenda also revealed that they have already announced the dates for the 2025 event to allow for early preparations for the annual event. He also urged stakeholders and sponsors to support the event which is slated for May 1 to 3.

The festival worked with an estimated budget of K17 million which is lower compared to the budget they worked with last year.

The post Zomba City Council hails festival first appeared on Nation Online.

The post Zomba City Council hails festival appeared first on Nation Online.