Murehwa to host traditional music festival

Jerusarema/Mbende Traditional Dance Festival.
The festival, which runs from September 26 to 29, will see more than 20 schools from the district vying for the title of the best dance group.
Donald Chidoori, the National Arts Council of Zimbabwe marketing director, said the aim of the festival was to provide a platform for young generation to learn and showcase traditional dances.
“This festival is a chance to showcase and transmit the mbende/jerusarema dance to the young generation,” he said.
Blue Stars, a Murehwa-based theatre group, as well as other established traditional dance groups are billed to be guest performers at the four-day event.
Apart from dance, there will also be theatre performances and an exhibition of mbende drums and traditional attire.
The National Parks and Wildlife Management Authority will also use the same platform to exhibit live animals like crocodiles and cubs to the schoolchildren.
Chidoori said local hotels would support the func- tion by cooking traditional foods instead of Western dishes.
“Local hotels will also be dishing out traditional dishes like sadza and derere (okra), sadza remhunga and nyevhe among others with a view to keeping the festival traditional,” he said.
“Our aim is to encourage children to appreciate and perform Zimbabwean traditional dance in order to preserve our rich cultural heritage,” Chidoori said.
The defending champions of the competition are Rukariro Primary School, who have won the competition a record three times in a row but face stiff competition this year as other schools have been working hard.
Chidoori also thanked the corporate world for its support in making the festival a success.
“I would like to thank our sponsors especially the Murehwa community, various Government departments and Murehwa hotels for their continued support of the mbende/jerusarema festival,” he said.
The Mbende/Jerusarema Festival was launched in 2008 at the Murehwa Culture Centre.
The dance is very popular in the Murehwa and Uzumba Maramba Pfungwe area thus it is befitting that the dance festival is hosted in its place of origin.
Chidoori urged fans to come to the festival and enjoy themselves.
“I urge fans to come to Murehwa and enjoy the performances that will remind them of the yesteryear,” he said.