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Cathrine Mthombeni

Arts Correspondent
Preparations for 2017 National Jikinya Dance Festival to be held at Amphitheatre in Bulawayo on November 24 are at advanced stages and all provinces will be represented by first prize best schools in their respective provinces.

The festival that is held annually by the National Arts Council of Zimbabwe (NACZ) aims at encouraging primary schoolchildren to appreciate and perform Zimbabwean traditional dances thus promoting and safeguarding Zimbabwe’s cultural heritage.

This year’s theme is “Celebrating Zimbabwe Through Dance” and it encourages all communities to participate in safeguarding intangible cultural heritage values and norms through traditional dance.

“NACZ is honoured to host officials from National Arts Council of Zambia who will be coming to Zimbabwe to exchange notes as well as attend Jikinya Dance Festival.

“This visit is in the spirit of the MOU that the two arts councils are going to finalise soon,” noted acting communications and marketing manager Cathrine Mthombeni.

National Arts Council of Zimbabwe having introduced compulsory (common) dances as an integral component for Jikinya Dance Festival noted that they is need to equip adjudicators with the requisite standard adjudication knowledge.

“NACZ introduced national adjudication training workshops and this year the workshops were held in both the southern and northen region.

The first adjudicators’ workshop was held in Masvingo at Charles Austin Hall on October 20, in Bulawayo on October 30 at MacKetarn Primary School, in Harare it was held at Education Services Centre on November 1 and lastly in Mutare on November 2 at Courtauld Theatre,” said Mthombeni.

The training workshops enhance uniformity in the adjudication process ensuring that the authenticity and originality of both the common and own choice dances are safeguarded in line with the overall goal of the Jikinya Dance Festival.

At this year’s festival schools will showcase a dance of their choice as well as the Muchongoyo dance. Jikinya Dance Festival is a partnership programme between NACZ and National Association of Primary Heads (NAPH) and is proudly sponsored by Delta Corporation.