All set for Culture Week

Showbiz Correspondent
ALL is set for the Culture Week celebrations with the national launch set for Bulawayo at the Amphitheatre on Saturday morning. Several groups including Imbube crew, Impumelelo Shining Stars, Nengoma Battle Fields from Midlands, Nyandoro Primary School from Mashonaland Central, and King George V1 are billed to perform.

Some of the activities which will be held at the launch will include a street march by artistes and cultural activists, a fashion show, music and dance performances, art and craft exhibition and herbal medicine exhibitions.

Minister of Sport, Arts and Culture Andrew Langa is expected to officially open the event.
National Arts Council of Zimbabwe marketing officer, Cathrine Mthombeni said the celebrations, which would run from May 17 to 24, would be held under the theme “Promoting Cultural Diversity and Inclusion”.

She said this year’s theme, Promoting Cultural Diversity and Inclusion, was aligned to the new Constitution and government’s economic development blue-print policy, the Zimbabwe Agenda for Sustainable Socio-Economic Transformation, as it encourages people and organisations to support participation of women, youths and the disabled, promotes national intercultural dialogue on all indigenous languages as well as different cultural practices.

“The Culture Week launch marks the beginning of the celebration and importance of cultural diversity throughout the country through various cultural and artistic expressions.

“Artistes will participate in various forms, some in the procession, while others in exhibitions. Other artistes have lined up activities in their respective centres as part of the Culture Week celebrations,” she said.

May 21 was declared under the Universal Declaration on Culture Diversity by Unesco in 2001 as the World Day of celebrating Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development, but Zimbabwe is included among countries like South Africa where celebrations were extended by a week after they decided one day was not sufficient to celebrate their diverse cultures.