When it comes to the celebration of culture and preservation of heritage – the Livingstone International Cultural and Arts Festival (LICAF) has beaconed close to three decades as one of Africa’s fastest growing festivals, setting a substantial precedence in the country since its inception in 1995.
This year’s event was themed “Tourism for Tomorrow: Promoting sustainable Cultural development” highlighting a multifaceted approach towards the promotion of culture. The event kicked off with a carnival that comprised of cultural teams representing the 10 provinces, a diverse cultural facet that glues Zambia’s heritage. Several Livingstone residents thronged to the streets to catch a glimpse of the colorful parade.
The event was held at Maramba Cultural Village in Livingstone, a wide range of artifacts were on display and in attendance was Southern Province Minister Credo Njuwa who was the guest of Honor, Ministry of Tourism Permanent Secretary Evans Muhanga, Botswana High Commissioner to Zambia Alpheus Matlhaku and Livingstone District Commissioner Eunice Nawa. The Zambian Business Times (ZBT) attended the event, and making a key note remark, Ministry of Tourism Permanent Secretary Evans Muhanga underscored the Ministry’s efforts in helping local artisans to diversify their creativity and formulate art that is inclusive and presents a wider appeal, through LICAF. “On behalf of the Ministry of Tourism, I would like to congratulate those that have made this event possible, showcasing the incredible cultural richness that defines Livingstone and Zambia as a whole representing all our 73 ethnic tribes, this year in April we had the privilege of hosting the 2nd UN Africa and America’s Tourism Summit, which is a key milestone for tourism because this highlighted our vision to develop a sustainable and inclusive sector, and we have made a commitment to continue upholding tourism through events like LICAF but also to create ties with other countries.”
He further added that this year’s theme speaks directly to the Ministry’s mandate to develop the sector and also speaks to the tourism master plan which reflects the aspect of building a robust tourism industry. “This is something that creates jobs and empowers communities and contributes to the economic growth, and our vision is to grow the LICAF to an international arts festival, we want to ensure that the all Livingstone and surrounding towns participate.”
Muhanga revealed that the Ministry of Tourism is undertaking major works to rehabilitate the Maramba Cultural Village which is the hub of cultural tourism in Livingstone and surrounding areas. Meanwhile Guest of Honor, Southern Province Minister Credo Njuwa underscored the importance of the event in creating systematic linkages between arts, culture and society, at the same time emphasizing that the platform is viable for economic emancipation for both the curators and other cultural artistic preservers. “This is one of the cultural tourism products that we are proud of as a ministry, cultural tourism ensures the safety of our heritage and ensure its preservation, for future generations,” he echoed.
In light of the drought and other unforeseeable challenges that have hampered the growth of the tourism sector, Juwa emphasized the importance of sustainable development practises, in safeguarding the longevity of the country’s tourism and the cultural treasure overall. “The concept of sustainability in tourism, encompasses three factors, environmental stewardship, social responsibility, and economic viability exhibitions and cultural exhibitions must embrace these principles, if they are to truly serve as bridges, between our past and our future, cultural tourism can advance and enhance.”
Remarking that events such as the LICAF presents an opportunity for art to be exhibited to a wide audience instead of restricting it to museums. “Our Ministry’s mandate is to preserve, safeguard and promote our culture, and this takes a new meaning under the lens of sustainability, digital documentation, community led research and participatory inventorying, now serve not just to record cultural practices but to present it in a viable manner.” “While cultures maybe distinct the challenges of sustainable development are the same and we are building a collective wisdom, that will greatly benefit the present society and posterity, showcasing a diverse aspect of our society rather than confining them to museums, this calls for innovative approaches, by building a world class LICAF we create resilience, preserve, safeguard and promote community laid research to ensure viability in the changing times,” he concluded.
Events such as LICAF are a major building block to a tolerant society in terms of tribes and cultural beliefs, they offer a reliable platform for the nation to unite and exchange ideas on developing the tourism sector to a large scale. Therefore, the Ministry of Tourism and its cooperating partners must be commended for facilitating the success of the event.
