Jikinya finals for Bulawayo

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THE National Arts Council of Zimbabwe (NACZ) says it will hold the Jikinya Traditional Dance Festival provincial and national finals on November 22 and 29 respectively.

THE National Arts Council of Zimbabwe (NACZ) says it will hold the Jikinya Traditional Dance Festival provincial and national finals on November 22 and 29 respectively.

Luyanduhlobo Makwati Own correspondent

The national finals will be coming to Bulawayo for the second time after the city hosted a successful dance competition two years ago.

Provincial arts officer for Bulawayo Province William Nyandoro said schools in Bulawayo had started preparations.

He said NACZ was working hard to make sure that all requirements were made available for both provincial finals and the national finals that will be held at the Large City Hall.

“We are preparing for our provincial finals and we are looking forward to a fruitful festival from provincial finals to national finals,” he said.

Winners of the national finals will this year walk away with a trophy donated by the founding vice-chancellor of the Women’s University, Hope Sadza.

The festival has over the last three years introduced a system whereby a specific dance is selected as a festival piece that runs for two years and judged as a common dance.

A common dance was introduced so that all participating children, despite their regions, could learn, perform and appreciate diverse Zimbabwean cultures.

The first common dance piece in 2011 and 2012 was amabhiza commonly performed by Kalanga people of Matabeleland South Province.

Jikinya Traditional Dance Festival common dance this year will be the jerusarema mbende dance.

The dance was proclaimed a Masterpiece of Oral and Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation.

Its origin is in Murehwa and Uzumba-Maramba-Pfungwe districts of Mashonaland East Province.

Matjinge Primary School from Plumtree were the national winners of the 2011 Jikinya Traditional Dance Festival.