First Lady engages artistes, fashion designers to promote national dress
A WIDE array of musicians and fashion designers converged at Zimbabwe House at the invitation of First Lady Dr Auxillia Mnangagwa for a preparatory engagement ahead of her momentus programme slated for December 15 to amplify Zimbabwe’s culture through national dress, traditional food and music.
Since its launch, the national fabric had not fully penetrated the market hence Dr Mnangagwa’s efforts to promote it and ensure it is available and affordable countrywide.
The programme will be held under the theme “My culture, my pride #jira takayenda naAmai”.
The theme and name of the programme were a result of discussions between the First Lady and the artistes’ contributions.
The celebration programme will be taken to all the provinces.
Each province will identify their own heritage sites and set aside a day to celebrate their culture, traditional food and drinks while dressed in the national attire.
During the programme, fashion designers drawn from all the country’s provinces will battle it out in showcasing their designs while musicians will take turns to entertain guests.
Artistes who attended the first-ever meeting between them and the First Lady included Diana Samukange, Andy Muridzo, Dorcas Moyo, Sulumani Chimbetu, Mathias Mhere and Mark Ngwazi.
Also present were Killer T, Gwevedzi Traditional Group, Karingezuva Traditional Group, Ivhu Tribe, Hatiperi, Tafadzwa Mubvumbi, Ishmael Tsakatsa, Yvone Ndawana and Ashava designs, among many others.
Dr Mnangagwa proposed to work with the artistes, who cut across all music genres, and they humbly accepted.
“I have created a time for a mother to sit down with her children and know what they are doing therefore, I want you to feel free and be at home. Vanangu we want to build something tangible together and we carry these ideas outside to bring out results. This is about our culture, our identity. There is nothing shameful nekudada nekwaunobva,” she said to applause.
The mother of the nation told the artistes that her programmes were meant to benefit everyone.
“As a mother, I am non-partisan. Feel free to communicate with me nekuti ndiri mai, ndiri mbuya ndiri tete. Vanangu, as you know, we launched our national fabric with which we had a fashion show. After the launch of the fabric, we did not have enough supplies and the fabric is now there and easily accessible,” she said.
Alone, the First Lady said, it was difficult for her to accomplish much and satisfy the demands of all citizens.
“Alone I cannot manage, hence the decision to call you on board. If we all put our hands on the deck we would cover much ground. This is non-partisan, the national fabric is for everyone, it belongs to the nation, it does not belong to a particular party. It shows our identity as Zimbabweans. Also in this meeting, we are building our home and we are going forward,” she said.
She added: “I love most of the songs that you sing so I said I want to see the singers and today the wish has been granted.
“You designers, some of you I have worked with you before. We had a fashion show and could not get the cloth, but we now have it so I invited all designers even one with a single machine or one who uses a needle to come so that we see what you can do and showcase your talent.
“We want the world to know you and see your designs. There will be a ramp where models will cat-walk as people see. On this particular day we want to see many designs.”
“If you walk today with a shirt that has a Zimbabwe bird emblem you would have made your country proud. At times you will not even introduce yourself, but the emblem will do the introduction for you. You would have introduced yourself through that national dress.
“It gives you a status and even before introducing yourself you would have made a name for yourself through the fabric and you will just say why you have come and that backs you up as a full Zimbabwean.”