Jikinya Dance Festival preparations on course
PREPARATIONS for the annual Jikinya Dance Festival are at an advanced stage, with the National Arts Council of Zimbabwe confirming that all provinces are geared up for the grand finale.
The dance festival is held annually, the grand finale pencilled in for Bulawayo on 24 November.
The festival seeks to showcase and promote the various traditional dances found in Zimbabwe. Jikinya Dance Festival is a reflection of the endless diversity that is found in the different communities all over Zimbabwe.
“Jikinya Dance Festival aims at encouraging primary school children to appreciate and perform Zimbabwean traditional dances thus promoting and safeguarding Zimbabwe’s cultural heritage,” said NACZ acting communications and marketing manager Catherine Mthombeni in a statement.
The festival is held at three basic levels, which are district, provincial and national levels.
“In many districts, schools hold cluster and zonal festivals in order for them to come up with district winners and then they proceed to the provincial level. District Jikinya festivals are already being held countrywide in preparation for the provincial festival that will commerce in the months of September and October,” said Mthombeni.
The schools that will proceed to national level will participate at the national competition that will be held on 24 November. Competing schools are obligated to show case dances of their own choice, as well as the 2017/18 festival dance Muchongoyo. Muchongoyo dance also known as Muchongolo is a dance that originated from the Zulu land in South Africa during King Tshaka’s reign. The dance was performed in preparation for and after war. Today the dance has become a social and recreational one, without any religious connotations. The Muchongoyo dance is embraced mostly by Ndau and Shangani speaking people living in Manicaland.
Jikinya Dance Festival is held in partnership between NACZ and National Association of Primary Heads (Naph). The festival is also sponsored by Delta Corporation.