×
NewsDay

AMH is an independent media house free from political ties or outside influence. We have four newspapers: The Zimbabwe Independent, a business weekly published every Friday, The Standard, a weekly published every Sunday, and Southern and NewsDay, our daily newspapers. Each has an online edition.

Jikinya dance fest preps on course

News
THE National Arts Council of Zimbabwe (NACZ) yesterday said preparations for the annual primary schools Jikinya Dance Festival set for November 25 at Masvingo Polytechnic College were on course throughout the country.

THE National Arts Council of Zimbabwe (NACZ) yesterday said preparations for the annual primary schools Jikinya Dance Festival set for November 25 at Masvingo Polytechnic College were on course throughout the country.

BY ARTS REPORTER

Mashonaland East, Mashonaland West, Matabeleland South and Manicaland are hosting their provincial finals today, with Harare, Midlands, Mashonaland Central, Matabeleland North and Masvingo set to stage theirs on November 18.

NACZ spokesperson Catherine Mthombeni said the ultimate winner from each province would make it to the grand finale of the competition, where they will showcase a dance of their choice as well as the Ihosanna dance.

Ihosanna is a rainmaking dance performed in Zimbabwe, Botswana and South Africa, which is also used during spiritual ceremonies among the Ndebele people in Zimbabwe.

“Jikinya Dance Festival is aimed at encouraging primary school children to appreciate and perform Zimbabwean traditional dances as a way of promoting and preserving Zimbabwe’s cultural heritage,” Mthombeni said in a statement.

At the festival, they will showcase various traditional dances reflecting the endless diversity found in the country’s different communities.

“This year’s theme underscores the importance of communities embracing various intangible cultural heritage elements that are peculiar in their communities. The 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,” she said.

Mthombeni said communities would also benefit economically through making and selling costumes, props as well as training youngsters the dancing techniques which bring communities together in gatherings such as festivals.

The festival will be held under the theme Empowering Communities Through Dance.

Jikinya Dance Festival is a partnership programme between NACZ and the National Association of Primary Heads sponsored by Delta Corporation.