Zamba’s Jikinya Dance Festival delight

ZAMBA Primary School from Mutare District were crowned champions after out-dancing six other primary schools drawn from Manicaland at the Jikinya Dance Festival finals held in Rusape recently.

The Sakubva school charmed the adjudicators with their energy, verve and confidence in perfoming the Amabiza dance.

It was not a stroll in the park for the schools that participated at the event as some of them were not accustomed to the exciting, yet sophisticated Amabiza dance which originates from Matabeleland South.

The dancers imitate horse moves as the lead dancer holds a horse tail, “itshoba”, hence the name Amabhiza, which is the

Ndebele word for horses.

Arnoldine Primary School from Makoni District came second, while Gudyanga Primary School from Chimanimani District was third.

The electrifying event was held under the theme “Building Zimbabwe through Dance”.

National Arts Council’s Manicaland provincial manager, Caroline Makoni said she was excited by the level of competition.

She said they are expecting a bigger and better edition next year as participants will be more accustomed to the Amabhiza dance.

“Generally the level of competition was good, but we expect it to be better next year as the dancers get more accustomed to the Amabhiza dance, which is the competition dance.

The attendance level was high and it shows that more people are now appreciating and consuming cultural and creative industry products, which is a positive.

“Having a competition or theme dance is positive in that it promotes the cross pollination of cultures, which results in peace, harmony and co-existence among people of different backgrounds.

“Jikinya targets primary school learners in a bid to catch them young. Culture is a vital cog in the development agenda. Most schools have not been faring well in the Visual and Performing Arts (VPA).

There is need for a paradigm shift in the manner in which school authorities perceive VPA in general and cultural dances in particular. Dance is an integral part of our cultural heritage and should be preserved and promoted for posterity,” she said.

The event was organised by the National Arts Council of Zimbabwe in partnership with the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education through the National Association of Primary Heads (NAPH), while Delta Beverages funded it.

Among other objectives, the event seeks to promote the country’s culture through dance. Just like language, dance is a carrier of culture.

The Jikinya Dance Festival ropes in over 5 000 primary schools drawn from across the country’s 10 provinces.

The fiesta started in 2001 with the aim of nurturing primary school learners’ talent in traditional music and dance.