Matendera arts festival a success
THIS year’s Matendera arts festival, held at Matendera ruins, Buhera, lived up to its billing as scores of people from different cultures and social etiquettes — participated.
It allowed the Buhera (Vahera) community to temporarily forget their endless battles with hyenas and hunger emanating from perennial drought, to celebrate their rich cultural heritage through song and dance.
The festival is an annual cultural event held at Matendera National Monument in Buhera’s Bangure Village. This was the eighth edition. The festival was spiced with a marathon from Dzapasi, a highly significant site in the history of Zimbabwe’s liberation war history.
Dzapasi or Foxtrot assembly point was established at the dawn of independence in 1979 to accommodate and demobilise freedom fighters.
It was here (at Dzapasi) that ZANLA Commander Cde Rex Nhongo and Rhodesian Army Commander Bertie Barnard ceremoniously shook hands as the British flag was lowered and the Zimbabwean flag was hoisted in February 1980 to signal the beginning of a new dispensation in Zimbabwe’s politics.
This was one of the first ceremonies heralding the birth of an independent Zimbabwe and signalling the death of Rhodesian military machinery.
The festival then saw the community celebrating both tangible and intangible heritage through native dances such as jaka, drama, poetry and exhibition of handcrafting skills. The festival aims to raise awareness of Buhera’s various forms of heritage, promote positive cultural practices for national development and drive tourist traffic to the sites.
The festival was held under the theme: “Tourism and digital transformation,” which highlighted the importance of harnessing innovation and digital advances to improve inclusiveness, community empowerment and efficient resource management.
National Museums and Monuments of Zimbabwe Manicaland regional director Paul Mupira delivered Dr Thokozile Chitepo’s speech, which encouraged the Buhera community to preserving its cultural values and turn their traditional skills like crafting into money making ventures.
“Women and young people should be actively involved in tourism activities as the industry has the potential to alleviate poverty and curb social issues such as drug abuse and prostitution. It is important to continue preserving cultural values and turn some of traditional skills like crafting into income generating ventures,” she said.