Staff Writer
Ben Arinoti from Muriel Mine in Chegutu will represent Mashonaland West at the Chibuku Neshamwari National Dance finals set for Harare.
The group beat other eight ensembles after showcasing their best in dance the provincial finals held at Gatsi Beer Garden in Chegutu over the weekend.
The 13-member ensemble, won the first prize money ahead of Chabvondoka Nyau and Mhondoro Dzemucheka Stars which came second and third respectively.
Chibuku Neshamwari Festival is celebrating its 60th anniversary running under the theme BIRA REMADHZI, 60 years Sithokozisa Ngezomgido!’.
National Arts Council of Zimbabwe (NACZ), Nicholas Moyo, said he was humbled to notice that the communities appreciate the culture and he hailed the competitiveness on the basis of the uniqueness of the dances in the provinces.
“I have noticed that each and every province has its unique dances and cultures and on top of that, I am appealing to the organisers of the province to work with the winning team and come up with the strong team,” said Moyo.
National Traditional Dances Association (NTDA), Kennedy Kachuruka described the Mashonaland West competition as a success.
He said the groups showcased dances from Malawi Nyau, Zambian Nyau, and also Chimtali which is performed mostly by women.
Chibuku Neshamwari kicked off on May 27 with provincial competitions across the 10 provinces in the country which will culminate in a national final Winners will get to walk away with monetary prizes at both provincial and national level. where provincial finalists will battle it out for the top spot.
The group that will win the national finals is set to pocket US$15 000, second placed US$10 000 and US$7 500 for the third-placed group.
For the competition, Chibuku works closely with its partners, the National Arts Council Zimbabwe (NACZ) and Zimbabwe National Traditional Dance Association (ZNTDA) in promoting and developing the arts in the community.
Participants are required to register their groups with the NACZ and ZNTDA to be able to participate.
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