admin
Gibson Mhaka, Showbiz Reporter
BAMBANANI Women Ensemble booked themselves a ticket to slug it out at the national finals of the Ingwebu Cultural Dance Festivity competition after emerging as winners of the Bulawayo province.
The provincial finals which were held at Manor Hotel last Saturday saw six groups vying for the sole ticket to represent the province at the national finals to be held on September 15 at White City Stadium.
On top of winning the right to represent the city during the first edition of the Ingwebu Cultural Dance Festivity Bambanani Women Ensemble also walked away with $300 while second and third placed Iluba Lemvelo and Great Stars pocketed $200 and $100 respectively.
Some of the groups who took part in the competition are Black Tigers, Ibutho Lesizwe and Ingwazi Zomculo.
The competition that is being bankrolled by Ingwebu Breweries is not only designed to bring excitement and thrills, but also respect for local culture and heritage.
Bambanani Women Ensemble leader Tholakele Ndlovu was ecstatic for winning the competition, saying it was just the beginning as they seek to claim the top position at national level.
“We are very happy as a group that we’ve booked ourselves a ticket to represent the province at the national finals. We dedicated a lot of time in rehearsing and we’ve been part of many traditional dancing competitions both locally and nationally and I am convinced it’s the reason why we took the number one spot,” said Ndlovu.
Speaking on the sidelines of the competition, Ingwebu Breweries sales, marketing and corporate affairs executive Ndabezinhle Mlilo said the aim of the competition was to empower dance ensembles from the grassroots as well as promoting the preservation of culture in the country, which is being threatened by westernisation.
“This is part of Ingwebu Breweries’ initiatives of giving back to the community and our aim is also to empower dance ensembles from the grassroots as well as contributing towards the preservation of culture in the country. We also believe that every community has something to offer, but some very talented people are not getting the opportunities to show their skill, hence why we’re rolling out this platform.
“We’re also inviting the public to come and celebrate with us as we’ll be celebrating culture and drinking our royal beer,” said Mlilo.
He said due to resource constraints Ingwebu royal competitions were being held in four provinces-Bulawayo, Midlands, Matabeleland North and
Matabeleland South, but plans were in place to hold it in the other six provinces.
The first competition was held in Matabeleland South on 21 July at Ezimnyama Beer Garden in Gwanda while competitions in Matabeleland North are set for this Saturday at Lupane Beer Garden with those in Midlands penciled on 8 September at Mandava Beer Garden in Zvishavane.
Online Reporter