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THE next two weeks will see Matabeleland and Midlands provinces holding their Jikinya Traditional Dance provincial competition ahead of the national finals to be held at the Bulawayo Large City Hall on 29 November.  Annually held jointly by National Arts Council of Zimbabwe and National Association of Primary School Heads Jikinya is all about young Zimbabweans getting the space to learn about, appreciate and perform Zimbabwean traditional dances. The dances and other rituals are a part of our cultural heritage and if we do not learn them now they will be lost forever.

It is all good to be into Hip Hop and other beats but why pass up on enjoying our very own productions. And for aspiring artistes, it is a great place to get inspiration from different areas and coming up with your own unique sound.

Bulawayo, Matabeleland North and Midlands will be holding their provincial finals on 22 November. Matabeleland South will set the ball rolling in the southern region of the country by holding its finals on Friday at Plumtree High Hall.

Bulawayo finals will be held at the Large City Hall, while the venue for Matabeleland North will be at Tsholotsho Catholic Hall. Chaplin High School in Gweru will host the Midlands finals. The winners from all the country’s 10 provinces will converge for the national finals in the city. This would be the second time that the event would be held in Bulawayo since the inception of dance festival more than a decade ago. The festival theme underscores the various traditional dance types that will be showcased by pupils at this year’s competition.

These dances would be a reflection of the country’s cultural diversity.