By MKHOKHELI ZIBENGWA
OVER 5000 Primary schools in Zimbabwe are set to take part in this year's edition of Jikinya Dance Festival set to kick off in the first week of October and end with the National Finals set for Bindura, Mashonaland Central Province on October, 26.
Organised by the National Arts Council of Zimbabwe and the National Association of Primary Heads(NAPH), supported by Delta Beverages, this year's competition is going under the theme "Building Zimbabwe through Dance".
The set piece for this year is Mhande Dance, an indigenous Zimbabwean song-dance normally performed by the Karanga people, who reside mostly in the Midlands and Masvingo Provinces.
In a Statement, NACZ Communications Officer Rodney Ruwende said:
"The performance of Mhande as a set piece for the Jikinya Dance Festival is a crucial element in safeguarding the cultural practices of indigenous Zimbabweans, as the dance is a vital aspect of the cultural heritage of the Karanga people, serving as an artistic expression of the values and beliefs of the different communities where it is practiced"
"Mhande is a key link between the living and the ancestral spirits, performed particularly in
ceremonies such as Kurova guva and the Mutoro, representing the settlement of ancestral
spirits and rain-making rituals, respectively," said Ruwende
Amabhiza was the set piece for the 2022 Jikinya Dance Festival and the competition was won by Lwendulu Primary School of Hwange in Matabeleland North Province.
