Harare (New Ziana) -PRESIDENT Emmerson Mnangagwa will on May 22 officially launch the National Culture Month celebrations at Kariyangwe Secondary School in Binga, Matabeleland North province.
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) in 2001 proclaimed May 21 as the World Day of Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development.
Ministers of State for Provincial Affairs and Devolution will preside over the provincial editions of the celebrations, which will be broadcast live on television and other media platforms.
The celebrations will be held under the theme: “Promoting Cultural Diversity, Unity and Peace” and activities are envisaged to involve participants and delegates from Zambia, Mozambique, Malawi, Botswana, South Africa and Namibia.
Speaking during a post cabinet press briefing, Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services Minister Monica Mutsvangwa said the Culture Month offers a window to promote and showcase the diversity of Zimbabwean culture, encompassing both the indigenous and contemporary traits of cultural expressions.
“The day is designed to promote, commemorate and celebrate the world’s diverse cultures. All nations are expected and encouraged to celebrate the uniqueness of diverse cultures found in them as major components of the World Culture.
“The day is intended to provide a chance for showcasing various components of cultural heritage, that need to be preserved for posterity at a time when globalization is increasingly threatening lesser dominant cultures of this world,” she said.
Mutsvangwa said the Culture Month celebrations enable the nation to reflect on its diverse culture, while reminding the people of the need to preserve, transmit cultural practices and promote the spirit of Ubuntu/Unhu.
Delegates from the regional countries will be given the opportunity to participate through performances and exhibitions, as well as experience and enjoy the Zimbabwean culture.
During the Traditional Cuisines Week celebrations, the Ministry of Youth, Sport, Arts and Recreation through the National Arts Council of Zimbabwe, will use their strategic alliance with the Zimbabwe Tourism Authority (ZTA) to encourage the consumption of traditional foods in restaurants and hotels, enabling the event to coincide with the First Lady’s Cook-out sessions.
The theme for the 2023 edition of the country-wide African Languages Week is “African Languages for Sustainable Food Security, Cultural and Socio-economic Development for the Africa We Want” with the slogan “#What We Speak and What We Eat Makes Africa Great!”.
The African Languages Week will be officially launched during the last week of May, at the Midlands State University in order to promote indigenous languages as official languages to be used in schools, universities, courts, other public institutions and in all other domains of society.
The Fashion Week Celebrations will promote the uptake of the National Fabric and also gather creative people in the fashion industry to showcase and market their African fashion designs and adornments. The Cultural Dialogue Week will promote peace, unity and development in society.
New Ziana
A National Gallery of Zimbabwe will be established in Victoria Falls in line with the Second Republic’s mantra of “leaving no place and no one behind” in the Devolution Agenda.
