THE National Arts Council of Zimbabwe has pleaded with the Ministry of Primary and
Secondary Education to take the schools traditional dance competitions seriously in
order to preserve national culture and traditions.
Jonathan Kudangiranwa, the council’s Mashonaland Central manager, said that the
Government must have a budget set aside to promote culture and traditional
practices in schools if the country is to preserve cultural heritage for future
generations.
Traditional dance competitions are no longer being taken seriously in schools,
especially in elite and group A schools, mainly on the basis of religions and other
beliefs.
“You will find out that as a council we at times even assisted some of the schools
with resource persons to train their pupils, but as soon as we left they also stopped
training.
“There is need for the Ministry to stamp its authority, otherwise some of the schools
will soon not take part in the competitions,” he said.
The annual primary schools national traditional dance competition popularly known
as the Jikinya Dance Competition is held every year during the third term.
Schools across the country have already started training ahead of zonal, district and
provincial competitions in the next two weeks.
The finals will be held at Chipadze High School in Bindura on October 26. The
competition is supported by Chibuku Breweries and the National Arts Council.
The annual festival, won by Lwendulu Primary School of Hwange in Matabeleland
North Province in 2022, will this year showcase the Mhande Dance as the set piece
for the competition,” according to Rodney Ruwende NACZ Marketing and
Communications Manager.
Mhande is an indigenous Zimbabwean song-dance normally performed by the
Karanga people, who reside mostly in the Midlands and Masvingo provinces.
The dance is performed as part of the Mutoro and Kurova ceremonies.
Its performance goes beyond a typical dance performed to a song, as it carries
historical significance and a deeper meaning.
The performance of Mhande as a set piece for the Jikinya Dance Festival is a
crucial element in safeguarding the cultural practices of indigenous Zimbabweans,
as the dance is a vital aspect of the cultural heritage of the Karanga people, serving
as an artistic expression of the values and beliefs of the different communities where
it is practised.
Mhande is a key link between the living and the ancestral spirits, performed
particularly during ceremonies such as Kurova guva and the Mutoro, representing
the settlement of ancestral spirits and rain-appeasing rituals, respectively.
Amabhiza was the set piece for the 2022 Jikinya Dance Festival, and schools from
all the country’s provinces performed the dance, which originates and is performed in
Matabeleland South Province.