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Langalakhe Mabena
Today and tomorrow (5 and 6 April) people from Nkayi in Matabeleland North will be treated to various traditional festivities koDakamela Hall, on the second edition of Chief Dakamela’s Achievers Awards.
The Achievers Awards are a community-driven initiative designed to recognise, acknowledge and motivate individuals and organisations who were able to contribute significantly to the advancement of human development through their respective fields.
The event which aims at attracting more people will be graced by chiefs, traditional leaders, politicians and people from different walks of life. The ceremony will be characterised by different performances with Imvelo set to be the major entertainment highlight at the event.
Imvelo is a vibrant new musical production from Bulawayo, ‘The City of Kings’, which will travel to perform at Chief Dakamela awards on the last day of the event.
Imvelo (Nature) recalls the wisdom of ages which springs to life in a spell-binding performance of ancient traditional Ndebele songs and dances, brought into the current day with deeper messages resonating with the global call to action on climate change.
The production is a collaboration of established and upcoming artistes, some from vocal, dance and music groups of the city who have a long history of excellence and acclaim in the arena of traditional African and World music.
For the Nkayi award ceremony, seven creatives will be backed by a six- piece band comprising drums, percussion, guitars, bass, keyboards and saxophone. Lead vocals are provided by the gifted singer-songwriter Thandy Dhlana, and Charles ‘Mahlaba’ Banda.
Five chosen traditional Ndebele songs passed down from generation to generation, that speak to the current global discourse around climate change will be performed by Imvelo and they are Njelele, Akula Ndaba, Dabuka Lwandle, Ndwandwe and Amnandi Egayiwe.
The performance of Imvelo fits in well with the objectives of the awards, which include honoring those who made significant contributions in their fields of life and promoting excellence that transforms the lives of communities.
The awards also provide a platform where the community and leaders from different walks of life could be inspired by the contributions of others; share good practices and lessons learned in promoting development outcomes, and to take stock of current development initiatives.
Meanwhile, the awards which were launched last year managed to attract 5000 people on their first edition. This year, Chief Dakamela said they are aiming at attracting more people with ten beasts to be slaughtered to feed the masses in attendance.
Online Reporter