Traditional dancers in feathered masks, a capella choirs and Zimbabwean pop bands performed ahead of the party leader's speech in a stadium in Bulawayo, the country's second city and a bastion of support for Tsvangirai's Movement for Democratic Change (MDC).
The rally came as an EU delegation wrapped up a two-day visit to Zimbabwe, the first in seven years, following rare talks Saturday with long-ruling President Robert Mugabe and Tsvangirai.
Tsvangirai and Mugabe formed a power-sharing government in February, but remain bitterly split over appointments to key posts and claims of official persecution against MDC activists.
But for most Zimbabweans, life has improved this year after the government abandoned the local currency, worthless after years of hyperinflation, and eased price controls that have allowed shops to restock food and businesses to slowly resume operations.
"We are now free. We can work, we can eat. Now we can eat bread," said Gladys Sengwayo, a 44-year-old who brought her infant granddaughter and three other family members to the rally.
"Last year, we were suffering. Some people died at home. We had nothing to eat," she said.
Shops across the country closed their doors last year, unable to replenish stocks, while crops failed across the country, leaving nearly seven million people in need of food aid -- more than half the country.
This year, the UN estimates less than three million people will need food aid, while businesses are slowly resuming operations, though most of the population remains deeply impoverished.
"I know that taking the step to join this government was not easy," Tsvangirai told his party's top leaders late Saturday.
"But it is a step in the right direction. We remain committed to the ideals of real change, and real change will come to Zimbabwe," he said.
* AFP
