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Yeukai Karengezeka Arts Correspondent
Preparations are on course for the annual Jerusarema/Mbende Dance Festival to be held on September 20 at Murewa Culture Centre, organisers have said.
The festival is one of the National Arts Council of Zimbabwe programmes that support traditional dances.
NACZ Communications and Marketing officer Cathrine Mthombeni said preparations are taking shape and the festival will be officially opened by president of the Chiefs’ Council Chief Fortune Charumbira.
“The festival that is free for all people to attend will be officially opened by president of the Chiefs’ Council Chief Fortune Charumbira.
“The event will also be graced by Chief Mangwende and other chiefs from Murewa and UMP, Government officials, arts practitioners, teachers, school children and the general public,” she said.
Mthombeni said there will be a number of dance groups that will participate on the day.
“Traditional dance groups that will perform include this year’s winners of Chibuku Neshamwari Dance Festival traditional dance group Ngomadzepasi, Shingirirai Jerusarema and Zevezeve dance group.
“Apart from dance, registered visual associations will exhibit traditional food as well as instruments and costumes such as drums, mbira and rattles among others especially for Jerusarema dance,” she said.
On September 19 there will be a dance workshop for teachers and dance practitioners.
Teachers and other workshop participants will be taken through theoretical as well as practical lessons on the two traditional dances of Jerusarema/Mbende and Ihosana. The facilitators of Ihosana will be Bulawayo-based group Umkhathi Theatre Works while Jerusarema/Mbende will be facilitated by the Murewa and UMP Jerusarema Master Practitioners.
“NACZ is very grateful to National Association of Primary (School) Heads as well as Local Organising Committee chaired by Murewa District Administrator Maxwell Mabhuro who are ensuring that the primary school teachers, children and community attend both the workshops and festival,” she said.
NACZ chose the Jerusarema/Mbende dance as a common dance for 2013 /4 Jikinya Dance Festival as a way to safeguard and promote the dance in Zimbabwe.
For two years the dance is compulsory for all the performing groups that participate at Jikinya Dance Festival in addition to performing their own choice dance as well.
Ihosana will be the Jikinya Dance Festival’s common dance for 2015 /6 hence its inclusion to be learnt during the workshop.
Online Reporter