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Millicent Dube, Showbiz reporter
The Amphitheatre in Bulawayo will this Friday be a hive of activity as the venue hosts the provincial finals of the Jikinya Dance Festival.
All schools participating will showcase two types of dances, the famous Amabhiza dance and a dance piece of their choice.
The marks for the dance will be awarded from the Amabhiza dance only. This will allow all schools to perform the same dance for adjudication. The national finals are pencilled for Winery Hall in Gweru on November 24.
The provincial finals in Bulawayo are part of the first batch of five around the country alongside Harare, Manicaland, Mashonaland East and Matabeleland South, National Association of Primary Heads (NAPH) president Mrs Cynthia Khumalo said.
She said the schools are more than ready for the provincial finals in the five provinces.
“The dancers are ready and five provinces stand to compete against each other on the November 11 and the remaining batch finishes on the 18th of the same month. The competition began with preliminaries being hosted at the Zone and District levels which produced the contenders for the provincial crowns,’’ Mrs Khumalo said.
She said the preliminaries were successful although some schools had opted not to participate for various reasons.
“The participating schools came well prepared for the event even though some reported challenges in procuring fuel for buses from the provinces. Schools were finding it difficult to buy fuel in United States dollars while school fees were payable in Zimbabwean dollars,” said Mrs Khumalo.
“However, despite the non-participation by a few schools, there has been a renewed interest and excitement by many primary schools across the country. Provinces are working tirelessly to ensure that the annual festival is indeed well supported and subscribed.”
Mrs Khumalo called on parents and the corporate sectors to support the Jikinya dance competition as the competition plays an important role in safeguarding the intangible cultural heritage of Zimbabwe.
“Parents should understand that there is nothing evil or bad about their children participating in the competition. We have had instances, where some parents prohibit their talented children from participating saying these dances are for evil spirits yet these are the dances of our forefathers and ancestors and we should preserve them,” she said.
Making a return after a two-year absence, the Jikinya Dance Festival was last won by Chipindura Primary School from Bindura District in Mashonaland Central in 2019 who showcased Mbende Jerusalema traditional dance during finals in Masvingo Province.
The Jikinya Dance Festival is a partnership programme between the National Arts Council of Zimbabwe (NACZ) and NAPH which began in 2001 and has nurtured talent in traditional music and dance by showcasing a variety of Zimbabwean dances by primary school pupils.
Online Reporter