adminLiberty Dube
ORGANISERS of this year’s edition of the Manicaland Secondary Schools Folk Dance and Music Festival slated for St Dominic’s High School on February 26 and 27 recently commenced preparations by holding workshops in all districts in Manicaland. The fiesta is an annual event organised by Bembera Arts Ensemble in collaboration with National Association of Secondary School Heads (NASH) Manicaland. It is funded by Culture Fund of Zimbabwe Trust in partnership with Swedish International Development Agency, European Union and Danish International Development Agency.
In an interview, the project and festival director Taurai Moyo said the workshops were meant for teachers (trainers) to grasp the basic knowledge on various disciplines they would be taught. “The workshops have been very successful and most schools have been forthcoming.
“The programme has deliberate bias towards girl child and it also gives them an opportunity to play musical instruments, challenging the male dominance in the industry. The project seeks to use arts as a vehicle for development among youths. We will use the platform to initiate discussions with communities on pertinent social issues. The programme will enable women to build their capacities in terms of business and leadership skills, enterprise development, beside providing them with knowledge to form and lead their music bands and market their music locally and internationally,” he said.
The fair will run under the theme: “Investing in women in arts empowerment and enterprise: Rethinking the role of Arts development in Zimbabwe and promoting Gender Equality.”
Moyo said the programme was the first of its kind in Zimbabwe for secondary schools since traditional dances, mbira and marimba competitions were only common at primary school level and tertiary colleges as well as universities.
Online Reporter