Daves Guzha
Theatre Producer/Director
The 23rd of January 1967 saw the birth of an artistic director, producer, actor and administrator par excellence in the form of Daves Guzha of Rooftop Promotions/Theatre in the Park. Daves boasts of a long and distinguished career on both stage and screen.
His wide range of expertise and abilities derive from the more than 30 years he has spent in the cultural and creatives industries. Daves Guzha’s wide body of work and experiences spans the African and European continents.
Over the years Daves has been instrumental in designing and implementing the first-ever SADC Artists HIV/AIDS Festival held in Harare and Lilongwe. Also, he was responsible for facilitating and implementing the first co-production deal between an independent production company and Zimbabwe Television.
The deal was occasioned by the opportunity presented by the hosting of the Soccer World Cup 2010 by neighbouring South Africa. The arrangement was designed to properly manage artistic and cultural programming during the soccer jamboree that attracted people from all over the world.
Exhibiting excellent organizational skills, Daves played a pivotal role in setting up the Artists Trust of Southern Africa an intermediary body between artists and the regional power block SADC. Taking a leaf from the economic wing of SADC, the Trust strives to push the interests of artists and cultural practitioners in the region.
Theatre in the Park, a multi-purpose performance and creative space right in the heart of Harare stands out as one of his greatest achievements hitherto. Daves was heavily involved in its designing and implementation of its attendant activities and programmes even today remains one of his key duties.
The facility is the first theatre space to be constructed in Harare since 1960. He is a firm believer in the Pan African spirit as evidenced through his narratives whereby he puts African stories and experiences at the heart of his creativity, particularly theatrical performances.
Displaying a never die attitude, Daves is currently working with two other producers on a continental documentary titled the “Great Trading Empires of Africa” which seeks to explore the influence of Africa on the global economy and how these success stories can be used to mitigate migration. In terms of achievements, he has directed and produced over fifty plays, twenty documentaries, features and short films.
Despite performing at numerous regional, continental and international forums acting in cross-race and cross-gender roles, Daves never betrays his Pan Africanism as he is inherently attracted to indigenous Zimbabwean and African performance styles hinged on rituals, satire and storytelling. Indeed, Daves is a towering figure, a theatre practitioner of international stature.— NACZ.
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