Dance groups gear for Chibuku Neshamwari finals

All roads lead to Harare for the Chibuku Neshamwari Traditional Dance Festival national finals taking place at Harare Gardens on Saturday.

Ten groups from the country’s provinces will battle it out for the top spot and prize money of US$15 000. Competing groups are Sekunjalo Ma Africa (Bulawayo), Jeketera Renyaningwe (Masvingo), How Mine Chihoda (Matabeleland South), Imvimbi dance group (Matabeleland North), Mbada dance group (Midlands), Yarira Ngoma (Harare), Chivaraidze (Manicaland), Muriel Mine Beni (Mashonaland West), Makarekare dance group (Mashonaland East) and Swerengoma Dance group (Mashonaland Central).

Chronicle Showbiz caught up with some of the groups who said they are working tirelessly ahead of the national finals.
Sekunjalo Ma Africa, which will be representing Bulawayo for the third time with their Mzansi Zulu dance said they are polishing up their act after attaining position two in the last national competition in which they participated in 2016.

Arnold Ndebele, the director of Sekunjalo Ma Africa said they have been practicing daily to ensure that they win the prestigious prize.

“We’re putting in thrice the effort in preparation for the national finals. We came second at the last national Chibuku Neshamwari final competition that we participated in in 2016. We’ve strengthened our act and spiced up our craft,” Ndebele said.

Chronicle Showbiz watched the crew rehearsing earlier in the week and indeed the group is putting their all to ensure that they bring the prize home.

“The pressure is mounting. Knowing that we’ll have to represent the City of Kings and Queens as a whole makes us nervous, but despite that, we’re really trying our level best to ensure that we win. We’ve been practicing regularly and had to sleep on set last weekend to ensure that all is in order,” said a group member at the rehearsals.

The Imvimbi Arts traditional group has also been working tirelessly ahead of the national finals.

“We never stopped preparing. We’ve been preparing since we became number one in our province. Since then, we’ve been polishing up our act and using the feedback that we’ve been receiving from other artistes,” said Blessed Chakomzi, the director of the Imvimbi traditional dance group.

Chihoda How Mine group’s spokesperson, Mlondolozi Nkomo said the group is also working very hard.
“We’re extremely proud of the group’s achievement in the competition so far. In preparation for the finals, the group has been practicing hard to fine-tune their act. They’ve also been taking advantage of events in and around the mine to rehearse,” Nkomo said.

Mbada dance group from Kwekwe, Midlands, will showcase the Chinyambera dance while Masvingo will be presented by Jeketera Renyaningwe traditional dance group.

At the national stage, the stakes are high with winners set to receive US$15 000, while the second-best ensemble will be awarded US$10 000. The group that captures the third position will walk away with US$7 500, providing further encouragement for participants to showcase their skills and cultural heritage on a national platform.

After the competition, there will be an after-party with performances from Jah Prayzah, Nutty O and Selmor Mtukudzi. Mutare-based traditional dance group Dapurahunanzva emerged as the winner last year at a competition that was held at the same venue.

This year’s competition will be more exciting as the festival is celebrating its 60th anniversary under the theme, “Bira Remadhanzi, 60 Years Sithokozisa Ngezomgido!” Having made its debut in Mbare at Mai Musodzi Hall, the festival has truly stood the test of time.

For the event, Delta Beverages through its Chibuku brand works closely with its partners, the National Arts Council Zimbabwe and Zimbabwe National Traditional Dance Association (ZNTDA), in promoting and developing the arts in the community. – @TashaMutsiba.