Online Reporter
Lloyd Makonya
Correspondent
THE 15th edition of the Matendera Cultural and Sports Festival brought Buhera to life last Friday, as hundreds of community members converged at Matendera National Monument to celebrate and showcase the district’s rich cultural heritage.
The annual event which is now a key fixture on Buhera’s cultural calendar continues to grow in both stature and community impact.
A brainchild of Buhera Rural District Council (RDC), National Museums and Monuments of Zimbabwe (NMMZ) and Bangure community of Ward 19, the festival has become a platform for the Uhera people to exhibit their tangible and intangible cultural heritage.
This year’s edition drew crowds who danced to the traditional Jaka rhythms, sampled indigenous foods and admired exquisite crafts and basketry produced in the district.
Guest of Honour, Honourable Sam Matema, Member of National Assembly for Buhera Central, speaking through a representative from his office applauded the festival as an important expression of identity and nationhood.
“We take pride in our efforts to stand up and protect our indigenous values, ethos and beliefs,” he said.
“Festivals of such a nature give us our identity and it remains imperative that we continue to safeguard our culture.”
Honourable Matema further praised the people of Buhera, particularly the Bangure community, for organising “a highly successful festival in fulfilment of the President’s vision of promoting and preserving our cultural wealth.”
He underscored the importance of heritage in nation building, noting that sites such as Matendera and Dzapasi National Monuments are “not just symbols of our past, but the foundation for our future as well.”
Preservation of these heritage resources, he emphasised, “needs co-operation from all stakeholders for their preservation and sustainable development.”
This year’s theme: “Tourism and Sustainable Transformation,” echoed the 2025 World Tourism Day theme, highlighting the power of tourism to uplift communities when anchored in sustainability.
Honourable Matema highlighted that the festival embodies this vision by promoting cultural identity while stimulating local economic participation.
“Tourism has the power to uplift communities, create opportunities and open Zimbabwe to the world,” he said.
“But its true strength lies in our ability to make it sustainable while empowering local communities to benefit directly from tourism, supporting cultural festivals like this one and ensuring that heritage sites remain untouched by exploitation or neglect.”
Honourable Matema also called on the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education to use historical sites such as Matendera as learning spaces in the new Heritage-Based Curriculum, noting that heritage education can help counter social ills: “The continuing moral decline visible in alcohol abuse, substance abuse and risky behaviour can be countered with a strong cultural belief system.
The education our children receive should reinforce rather than alienate them from our norms and values.”
