adminCity Hall in Bulawayo on Saturday.
The competition will see a total of 10 groups from the country’s 10 provinces battle for the top three prizes.
Organised by the National Arts Council of Zimbabwe in collaboration with the National Association of Primary School Heads, the dance fiesta is sponsored by Delta Beverages.
It seeks to promote and preserve culture through dance among schoolchildren. The festival, now in its 10th edition, kicked off in all provinces with the holding of zonal and district competitions by primary schools across the country.
This year’s festival is being held under the theme “Expressing Zimbabwean Culture through Dance” and will see children competing on the set dance theme by the organisers and one of their own choice.
“This new competition format is aimed at encouraging young children, especially primary school pupils, to appreciate the diversity of Zimbabwean traditional dances and thus increase an interest in their cultural heritage.
“The festival fulfils one of the National Arts Council of Zimbabwe’s mandate to preserve and promote Zimbabwean arts and culture, since it encourages pupils to perform traditional dances, which originated among the ethnic groups in Zimbabwe.
“It is hoped that at the end of the day, our rich cultural heritage, in this instance dance, could be promoted and preserved for future generations.
“Zimbabwe is a country endowed with cultural diversity as it is in traditional dance however this heritage faces danger of disappearance thus the need to preserve it as part of a unique world cultural
heritage,” Elvas Mari, the director of the National Arts Council of Zimbabwe, said.
Prizes will include cash and floating shields as well as other individual prizes courtesy of Delta Beverages, the Culture Fund of Zimbabwe Trust and the European Union.
Meanwhile, the provincial finals of the competition kicked off in Matabeleland North last Thursday.
Online Reporter