2020 Culture Week to be held online
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HE National Arts Council of Zimbabwe ( NACZ) is set to launch this year’s edition of Culture Week online as the country switches to virtual programmes following the lockdown imposed by government as part of global efforts to interrupt the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19).
Large gatherings of people remain prohibited after President Emmerson Mnangagwa on Saturday indefinitely postponed the lockdown which has been in place for nearly two months.
The development will see Culture Week — one of the major highlights on the country’s arts and culture calendar — being held in virtual space, according to NACZ spokesperson Rodney Ruwende.
Youth, Sport, Arts and Recreation minister Kirsty Coventry is set to launch the Culture Week today through the Zoom conferencing online platform, while NACZ director Nicholas Moyo will also give some remarks.
“Culture Week is celebrated in Zimbabwe every year in May as the week is penned to coincide with the World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development, which was proclaimed by Unesco in 2001 and is celebrated on the 21st of May,” Ruwende said.
“An official launch that heralds the commencement of Culture Week will be hosted by the National Arts Council of Zimbabwe on Monday 18 May at 1000 hours via the Zoom online conferencing platform.”
Ruwende said holding the annual cultural celebrations online was necessitated by the restrictions on public gatherings put in place to curb the spread of COVID-19.
“The Culture Week events will this year, for the first time, be held exclusively through online platforms as the country is implementing lockdown restrictions on public gatherings to curb the spread of the deadly COVID-19,” he said.
Major highlights of the week will include a cultural debate on Wednesday at 11am here. A panel of culture experts will discuss the implications of COVID-19 on cultural practices in the country and the Culture Week concert will be held on Saturday.
“This will be staged live on Saturday 23 May 2020 on ZBC-TV and various online platforms, featuring some of the country’s celebrated artistes,” Ruwende said.
As part of the Culture Week commemorations, profiling of the traditional dances of muchongoyo, chokoto and mphongo in Manicaland will be streamed live on the Ndau Festival of the Arts’ Facebook page.
In Midlands province, Bantu Entertainment will present a traditional music showcase on their Facebook page while an online exhibition of cultural artefacts including crafts, pottery, basketry, African attire, traditional foods and sculpture will be conducted in Matabeleland South.
Great Zimbabwe University in Masvingo will present an online traditional music showcase in the tourist town while in Mashonaland East, a Zoom discussion on traditional ceremonies around rain and rain-making ceremonies will be conducted.