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Marondera based dance group Makarekare –mbende were crowned Mashonaland East winners at the provincial Chibuku Neshamwari Dance Festival held at Tandari Beer Hall in Marondera at the weekend.
The group scooped US$2 500 and a place to represent their province at the finals scheduled for a date to be announced soon.
Second place went to Nzwananai dance group who showcased their ‘kwinimbira’ dance and pocketed US$1 500 while Marondera Nyau Club was crowned third place and walked away US$1 000 richer
The Chibuku Neshamwari Traditional Dance Festival will be celebrating its 60th anniversary this year 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.
Chibuku Neshamwari will kicked off on May 27 with provincial competitions across the 10 provinces in the country which will culminate in a national final where provincial finalists will battle it out for the top spot.
Winners will get to walk away with monetary prizes at both provincial and national level.
The group that will win the national finals is set to pocket US$15 000, second placed US$10 000 and US$7 500 for the third-placed group.
For the competition, Chibuku works closely with its partners, the National Arts Council Zimbabwe (NACZ) and Zimbabwe National Traditional Dance Association (ZNTDA) in promoting and developing the arts in the community. Participants are required to register their groups with the NACZ and ZNTDA to be able to participate.
Last year, the competition was won by a group from Mutare, Dapurahunanzva.
Online Reporter