Herald Reporter
Basecamp Domboshava is using the return of Star FM to Domboshava National Monument on Saturday to introduce a new outdoor learning and inter-schools adventure programme aimed at taking pupils beyond the classroom through teamwork, problem-solving, physical activity and heritage experiences.
Star FM is expected at Domboshava National Monument on November 14 for its “Rocking With The Stars” event, creating an opportunity for Basecamp Domboshava, situated opposite the monument and about 27 kilometres from Harare, to showcase its growing range of educational and recreational activities to the large number of visitors expected in the area.
The initiative centres on the Basecamp Domboshava Inter-Schools Challenge, which gives school teams an opportunity to compete in a series of 10 physical, mental and team-building games, with scores recorded for each activity and schools placed on an official leaderboard.
Each participating school team comprises 12 pupils and a teacher, with the introductory challenge being offered free of charge.
The package includes a guided, curriculum-focused fieldwork hike up Domboshava covering subjects and areas such as Art, Geography, History, including the history of the San people, Heritage, Eco-Tourism, Archaeology, Geology, Ecology, Culture and Climatology.
It also includes the hiking experience, activities, a burger, cold drink and bottled water for each participant, an official school certificate for each student and a medal for the school, as well as photography and video coverage of the experience.
Among the activities are the Reverse Brain Bicycle, problem-solving challenges, giant block-building exercises, obstacle-based activities and other mind-bending team games designed to test communication, co-ordination, strategy and adaptability.
Basecamp Domboshava Technical Director Dr Pearson Pfavayi, a tourism and cultural heritage advocate, said the programme was designed to give schools a different kind of learning environment while encouraging healthy competition among pupils.
“We want to create an environment where young people can learn by doing. The Inter-Schools Challenge combines physical activity, problem-solving, teamwork and competition in a setting that also allows learners to experience the natural and cultural heritage of Domboshava,” said Dr Pfavayi.
He said the school programme was also intended to create a sustainable platform through which schools could return to Basecamp and compete against one another over time.
“The idea is not simply to bring schools for a once-off outing. We want to build a genuine inter-schools competition where every school records its scores, sees where it stands and has an opportunity to come back and improve. That creates both motivation and a sense of achievement among learners,” he said.
The initiative comes as Basecamp Domboshava expands its role as an outdoor recreation, cultural and educational destination linked to the Domboshava heritage landscape.
Domboview Adventures, which operates the destination, lists Domboshava Caves, Mavanga Cave and Mountain, Mutorashanga Green Pools, Victoria Falls, Lake Kariba and Nyanga among its destinations, while Dr Pfavayi is listed as its Technical Director.
Basecamp has also been developing cultural activities around Domboshava, including mbira training and heritage experiences. Dr Pfavayi previously said the organisation’s work with Mbira Dzepadombo was aimed at preserving traditional knowledge while creating opportunities for young Zimbabweans and visitors to experience Zimbabwean cultural heritage.
The school challenge therefore combines adventure with the broader objective of exposing learners to Zimbabwe’s natural and cultural heritage, history and tourism, in line with the National Development Strategy 2 (NDS2).
Dr Pfavayi said the timing of the programme’s promotion alongside the Star FM event was significant because Domboshava was expected to attract a wide range of visitors, as it had during the station’s previous events at the site.
He said Domboview Adventures had worked with Star FM for more than four years, helping to promote Domboshava, before deciding last year that the destination had gained sufficient exposure through the partnership and that it was time to explore other avenues of promotion.
“The Star FM event gives us an important opportunity to show families, young people and schools that Domboshava is more than a place to visit for a hike or an event. It can also be a place where children learn, compete, build confidence and discover their own heritage,” he said.
The November 14 event follows an earlier Star FM collaboration at Domboshava National Monument, where the station and the National Museums and Monuments of Zimbabwe used live broadcasting and entertainment to promote the site’s history and cultural significance.
This year’s event is separate from the Basecamp Domboshava initiative, with the adventure facility simply seeking to take advantage of the increased visitor traffic expected in the area to introduce its school programme to parents, educators and young people.
For schools seeking a more structured experience, Basecamp has also developed paid adventure packages alongside the introductory free Inter-Schools Challenge. The packages range from Bronze to Platinum and offer varying combinations of hiking, games, team-building activities, refreshments, braai experiences, certificates, medals, photography, branded T-shirts and overnight lodge stays through a partner.
Dr Pfavayi said the programme could ultimately become a platform for promoting healthy competition while supporting domestic tourism and heritage appreciation among young people.
“Our children spend a lot of time in classrooms and increasingly on screens. We want to give them an opportunity to step outside, work together, solve problems physically and mentally, and appreciate the environment around them. At the same time, we are introducing them to a heritage destination that is part of their own country,” he said.
The initiative adds a new dimension to Domboshava’s growing tourism profile, with the area increasingly being positioned as a destination where entertainment, heritage, education and outdoor adventure can be experienced in one setting.
