Bolamba director on a mission to uplift dancers

Mthabisi Tshuma, Showbiz Correspondent
Mthabisi Dube who directs one of the country’s most skilful traditional dance outfits, Bolamba Culture Birds from Gwanda is set to launch an arts coaching programme to equip dancers with the right skills.

Called the Grassroots Arts Minority Enlightenment, the programme will be launched online on Saturday using a specialised WhatsApp group.

In line with the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education’s new curriculum, the project aims to improve the skills of minority dancers through providing theoretical and practical training on different traditional dances.

Dube said the programme will also enlighten the world on the existence of the unique cultures in the rainbow province (Matabeleland South).

“We’d planned to start the programme through physical training in August but however, due to Covid-19, we’ll start with the online sessions with teachers and other arts practitioners from Zimbabwe, South Africa and Botswana already on standby.

“The online sessions are to be held on a regular basis on a WhatsApp platform where arts resource persons to be invited are set to share on the history, background, origin, purpose, costume, props and instruments used per selected dance,” said Dube.

He said the first round of training will be theoretical while the second round will be practical.

Faced with a scenario where most artistes are between a rock and a hard place due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Dube called on sponsors to jump on board for the project to yield fruitful results. He said his aim is to become the leading arts and culture consultant in Matabeleland South and the country at large.

“The challenge I might face in fully executing the project’s objectives is data for the guests (resource persons) who will be giving insights on different topics. As such, sponsors are free to contact me and we partner in giving power to our cultural dances which have for centuries, been marginalised,” said Dube.

Hailing from rural Kafusi, a ward in Gwanda, Dube has managed to create a vibrant dance outfit, Bolamba, which now has 15 members. The group has been a force to reckon with as it has won several traditional dance competitions such as the Ingwebu Traditional Dance, Chibuku Neshamwari (Matabeleland South) and Matabeleland South Agricultural Show traditional dance competition. – @mthabisi_mthire.