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Walter Nyamukondiwa Kariba Bureau
MASHONALAND West Province is working on identifying material that will be used to make its preferred national dress, which will compete with nine others from other provinces.
Participants at a meeting in Chinhoyi last week were unanimous in their support for a national dress.
Samples of the type of material, quality and artistic designs that were presented to the people in attendance were dismissed in favour of new designs.
Chinhoyi University of Technology (CUT) School of Creative Art and Design has been tasked to come up with a design that will be forwarded as a proposal for national consideration.
In a speech read on her behalf by the director in her office during the consultative meeting, Mashonaland West Provincial Affairs Minister of State Mary Mliswa-Chikoka said the dress should capture the identity, culture and aspirations of Zimbabweans.
“I am informed that once we have agreed on the dress colours and features, our designers led by our local university will work on it and it will be submitted for adjudication,” she said.
The national dress, she said, would go a long way in fostering unity among the people and will engender patriotism and pride of being a Zimbabwean.
The provincial development coordinator Mrs Cecilia Chitiyo said the samples which were presented did not resonate with the people in attendance.
“Mainly we wanted to establish if the province wants a national dress, which was a big yes from those who were in attendance,” she said.
“The major issues were on the type of material, the quality and the motifs. There were samples from Harare which people condemned, but CUT will provide a sample to go to Harare as a proposal.”
CUT School of Creative Art and Design representative Mr Victor Dewa said Government had taken a deliberate stance to support the growing of cotton and with local designs it should make the process a purely local initiative.
“We have the requisite supporting ingredients to allow us to do it locally,” he said.
“Remember we used to make clothes in the country and we still do to some extent.”
Chinhoyi resident Mrs Betty Biri said the process should look at key symbols in the history of the country and features to be considered on the national dress.
Zimbabwe had adopted the national dress with the honey comb, but it was not embraced by the people and was not readily available, making it a preserve for a few.
Stakeholders said there was need to widely consult so that the resultant dress would be accepted nationally.
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