adminThey outshone other schools with a rich display of traditional dance at the Jesuit Festival. In second place was Ellis Robins while Kuwadzana High School clinched third place.
In music St Augustine’s High School Choir came first followed by St George’s College and Monte Casino Girls in third.
Emerald Hill School for the Deaf received a special mention award for their drama performance which focused on the challenges faced by children living with disability.
A special award was also given to one outstanding talent and it went to Dominican Convent who received a six-month bursary to study at the College of Music. It was indeed the battle of the funkiest as over 500 students from 18 different schools converged to showcase their supremacy in the arts.
From the different kinds of dances to remarkable acting, the festival looked more like a scene from a show entitled “Zimbabwean Teens Have Talent”. It was not easy being the judge at such a tight competition that showcased extraordinary talent.
It was, however, disappointing that most of the participants were biased towards foreign culture (breaking and rapping) such that the traditional side did not have fair representation. Either way, they say culture is diverse and at times borrowed.
That did not stop the festival from being an explosive one. The AMDG High Schools Music and Dance Festival, which was an initiative of the Jesuits in Zimbabwe, was aimed at cultivating and promoting performance arts as part of their holistic education and integral youth development programmes.
To inspire the competitors there were performances by well-known urban groove artists who included Leonard Mapfumo, Alexio Kawara, Ex Q, Extra Large and afro-jazz sensation Tariro neGitare, their performance was not disappointing.
The festival, which is organised by the Education Office of the Jesuit Province of Zimbabwe in partnership with the College of Music, has grown to be one of the biggest high schools completions in the country since its launch three years ago.
There was stiff competition between the different schools as most of them showed how much they had prepared for the event.
The categories included music, dance and drama with the best three walking away with recording contracts and four best performances were chosen to perform at Hifa next year.
“We all enjoyed ourselves and we would like to do it again and we happy to get this opportunity and hopefully we do it again” said one of the students from St Dominic’s High School.
Father Joe Arimoso, affectionately known by students as “Papa Joe”, was the brains behind the festival.
He was ecstatic about the response from the various schools that turned up.
“The turnout was very good. We had schools coming all the way from Mutare and Mt Darwin, which alone was something that is touching. People are responding to this big event and they are giving it a lot of attention,” he said.
Legendary jazz crooner Bob Nyabinde, who is the patron of the festival, added his voice and urged participants to take arts seriously as it can sustain livelihoods.
“There is nothing as enjoyable as earning money doing what you like most,” he said.
Online Reporter