adminAuxilia Katongomara Entertainment Reporter
This year’s 5th edition of the Isiphiwo Sami talent search competition preparations have started and many high schools are expected to take part.The competition founded by award-winning Bulawayo arts group Inkululeko Yabatsha School of Arts (Iyasa) in partnership with Culture Fund of Zimbabwe, seeks to harness and nurture arts at grassroots level.
As part of the preparations, the organisers yesterday conducted a workshop attended by teachers, officials from the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education and arts practitioners to launch this year’s theme as well as exchange ideas on the competition and production of plays.
This year’s competition would be held under the theme Destiny and schools are expected to produce 15 minute long plays for the competition.
One of the facilitators of the workshop, Raisedon Baya, shared his expertise on the tenets of a good play.
He said: “We are expecting plays that bring out that theme in just 15 minutes and let’s come up with good stories that tell our message.
“A good story is not told by 30 characters because there is no way we can fit the whole drama club in just 15 minutes, so we expect you to go and work on your story lines on time and not make last minute preparations.”
Thembinkosi Dube of Iyasa said although dates for the competition have not been set they were looking forward to more than 25 schools from Matabeleland taking part.
Arts practitioner Nelson Mapako said the biggest challenge facing that needs to be nipped in the bud was recycling of stories.
“I am urging all of you to be creative and avoid going to the archives to fish out old stories, let’s come up with new ideas,” he said.
Isiphiwo Sami talent competition was incepted in 2010 and it is a platform for pupils who are interested in arts such as music, dance and poetry.
Some of the objectives of the project are to support and inspire upcoming talent at schools. Last year, Founders High School of Bulawayo scooped the first prize under the theme Celebrating Life.
Eveline and Magwegwe High Schools came second and third respectively.
Online Reporter