Dancers celebrate Culture Month in style
THE Zimbabwe National Traditional Dance Association (ZNTDA) will this weekend host the Harare Multicultural Arts Festival as part of its celebrations of Culture Month.
The festival will feature various traditional dance groups which will showcase their performances.
ZNTDA president Kennedy Kachuruka yesterday told NewsDay Life &
Style that their main aim was to promote culture through traditional dance.
“For our festival this year, we decided to have it during the Culture Month as prescribed by the National Arts Council of Zimbabwe and it shall take place at Makuluwani Sports Bar, Whitehouse.
“Fifteen groups are expected to perform and different dances to be showcased include mhande, mbakumba, jerusarema, dinhe, mbira, chinyambera, gure, chewa, chimtali and many more. Groups that perform contemporary dances will also get a chance to perform,” Kachuruka said.
Organisers said the free of charge event would help prepare dancers for bigger festivals and events while marketing their artwork.
ZNTDA aims to be active in the creative cultural industries and to build sustainable projects and partnerships through dance and preserving the country’s intangible cultural heritage, while playing a role in educating the nation about dance and preserving its original context for the benefit of future generations.
“The event will be for free because we are still at the audience-building stage after being quiet for a long time due to the COVID-19 pandemic.”
Kachuruka is expecting to create networks and business opportunities through exhibitions.
This festival, which started in 2015, is a celebration of Zimbabwe’s cultural dances.