The National Arts Council of Zimbabwe (NACZ) and National Assocition of Primary are gearing up for the Jikinya dance Festival, which is to be held at Masvingo Polytechnic on the 25th of November 2016. Currently preparations are underway for the 2016 National Jikinya Dance Festival with the aim to inspire primary school children to appreciate and perform Zimbabwean traditonal dances. This is a crucial move because in turn it promotes and preserves Zimbabwe’s cultural heritage. The festival is opne to all provinces and evry province will be represented by first prize schools respectively.
Zimbabwe is a country endowed with a rich and diverse cultural heritage. To promote cultural heritage the festival will platform the various traditional dances from primary school pupils showing diversity of different communities in Zimbabwe in the process. The festival running with the theme “Empowering Communities Through Dance” for the Jikinya Dance festival celebrations. Jikinya’s communication and marketing officer told Enthuse that
The theme and festival encourages communities to adopt safeguarding measures through dance so that communities appreciate the value of transmitting the skills from generation to generation for posterity.
The initiative backs the promotion of cultural heritage with economic benefits through making and selling costumes, props and training youngsters the dancing techniques.
Schools will showcase a dance of their choice and the well-known dance Ihossana. The dance is performed in Zimbabwe, Botswana and South Africa as a rainmaking dance. It was specifically picked by the NACZ as a festival piece that runs for two years and is judged as a Common dance. The event is free and is proudly sponsored by Delta Corporation.
Don’t miss out, Provincial Dance Festival are starting this week and below is the schedule:-
PROVINCE VENUE DATE (2016)
Bulawayo Large City Hall 1o November
Mashonaland East Mbuya Nehanda Hall (Dombotombo) 11 November
Mashonaland West Norton 1 Primary School 11 November
Matabeleland South Wellton Primary School (Beitbridge) 11 November
Manicaland Chancellor Gvt Primary School (Mutare) 11 November
Harare Chitungwiza Aquatic Complex 18 November
Midlands Hama Secondary School (Chirumhanzu) 18 November
Mashonaland Central Mt Darwin Primary School 18 November
Matabeleland North Fatima High School (Lupane) 18 November
Masvingo Mucheke Hall (Masvingo) 18 November
Main image sourced from World Arts West
Munashe Chakaonda
