Online Reporter
Mthabisi Tshuma [email protected]
This year’s Mr and Miss Rural Zimbabwe pageant will make history. For the first time, the national finals will not be held in Matabeleland. The event will take place at Heritage Village in Harare on September 27.
The pageant was started by Sipho Mazibuko, who grew up in the dusty villages of Filabusi. Her dream was to create a platform that celebrates rural talent, culture and community. Now that dream has grown into a national event.
Heritage Village is on Solomon Mujuru Road, just outside the busy city centre. It started as a place where families could go for a braai and a cold drink over the weekend. Today it has grown into one of Harare’s top cultural destinations.
What makes Heritage Village special is how it brings together the old and the new. You can sit and enjoy traditional food while watching a live football match on screen.
You can play pool with friends surrounded by African art and design. The place does not ask you to choose between tradition and modern life. It shows that both can exist together.
Beyond food and fun, Heritage Village has also become important for business and tourism. It now hosts meetings, conferences and cultural events.
This makes it one of Zimbabwe’s growing MICE tourism sites. MICE stands for Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions. For a pageant that focuses on heritage, the venue fits perfectly.
Mazibuko said Heritage Village was the right choice because it teaches culture. The village runs sessions like Gota, Nhanga and Ixhiba. These are traditional ways of guiding young people on values, respect and identity.
“Heritage Village represents real Zimbabwean culture; from the way it is built to the way people are welcomed. It is the perfect home for a pageant that puts rural talent and tradition first,” she said.
Heritage Village manager, Adonis Mutigwe, said the finals will be held at Liberation City inside the village. Liberation City is home to the Liberation of Africa Museum.
“This is the right place for a heritage pageant,” he said.
“It will give contestants a chance to know who they are. First as people from their communities, then as representatives of Zimbabwe, and finally as ambassadors of Brand Zimbabwe to the world.”
Moving the finals to Harare is a big step for the pageant. It shows that rural voices and rural stories matter on a national stage.
It also gives young people from villages across the country a chance to be seen and heard in the capital.
The Mr and Miss Rural Zimbabwe pageant is more than beauty and fashion. It is about pride in where we come from. It is about showing that our villages have talent, culture and leaders who can represent the country.
On September 27, Heritage Village will welcome contestants from all provinces. They will walk, talk and share their stories in a place built to honour Zimbabwe’s past while looking to the future.
This year’s edition is not just another pageant. It is a milestone. A rural idea born in Filabusi is now taking centre stage in Harare.
