By Jonathan Mbiriyamveka
The dust has settled. The drums have fallen silent. But the echoes of victory still reverberate through the hills of Matebeleland South.
Over the weekend, Bolamba Culture Birds were crowned provincial champions of the Chibuku Neshamwari Traditional Dance Festival after a breathtaking clean sweep at the Collen Bawn Beer Hall.
The group sent judges and spectators into a frenzy with their spellbinding rendition of the Tsutsube dance — a high-energy, foot-stomping tradition deeply rooted in the province’s heritage.
And when the results were announced, Collen Bawn erupted.
The Battle for Second and Third
But Bolamba did not walk away unchallenged.
In a fiercely contested finale, Chihoda Blanket Mine clinched second place with their powerful Chihoda dance — a performance dripping with precision and ancestral fire.
Meanwhile, Blanket Mine Beni secured third place with their energetic Beni Arinoti routine, proving that the mines may dig for gold, but these dancers dig for glory.
A Festival with a Pulse
This year’s edition of Zimbabwe’s oldest and most beloved traditional dance festival beats to a powerful, rallying cry:
“Ngoma Ngairire Shamwari, Tshay’gubhu Mngane”
— “Let the drum roar, friend, and strike the gubhu, comrade!”
From May 9 to July 11, 2026, that roar will be heard across all ten provinces as the festival transforms Zimbabwe into a living, breathing, dancing archive of tradition. Every provincial final is more than a contest — it is a homecoming of movement, memory, and belonging.
The Stage Is Set. The Stakes Are High.
For those who conquer their province, the rewards are sweet:
1st Prize: USD 2,500
2nd Prize: USD 1,500
3rd Prize: USD 1,000
But the real treasure waits at the National Final, where the country’s finest traditional dance groups will lock horns for life-changing prizes:
1st Prize: USD 15,000
2nd Prize: USD 10,000
3rd Prize: USD 7,500
More Than a Competition
In partnership with the National Arts Council of Zimbabwe (NACZ) and the Zimbabwe National Traditional Dancers Association (ZNTDA), Chibuku Neshamwari has become a living museum without walls — a celebration of the moves, stories, and rhythms that make Zimbabwean culture unstoppable.
Aspiring groups must register with NACZ and ZNTDA. So gather your crew. Polish your dinhe, your nyau, your mbende.
Let the ancestors hear you coming.
Because in this festival, you don’t just dance for a prize.
You dance for pride.
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