The Harare International Festival of the Arts (HIFA) is one of Africa's largest international arts festivals. Established in 1999 by Manuel Bagorro the festival takes place each year in late April or early May in Harare, the capital of Zimbabwe. The week-long festival encompasses five principal disciplines: theatre, music, dance, fine art, and poetry.
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Operating in a difficult environment
Organizing and facilitating a festival the size of HIFA in the difficult sociopolitical and economic conditions that characterize Zimbabwe today is no easy task. 2008 was a particularly difficult year for the Festival, with controversial elections and hyperinflation, which ultimately led to the collapse of the Zimbabwean Dollar, providing an unsettling backdrop.
Funding
As a private endeavour HIFA depends on funding from private sources, including local businesses and multinational corporations. Further supplementary funding comes from donors, and embassy missions represented in Harare. Funding from embassies and missions is largely used to facilitate artists from their respective countries.