THIS inaugural Mwaka International Schools Arts Festival is set to take place on September 27 at the Chancellor Junior School Culture Centre in Mutare, according to Taurai Moyo, the director for Chenhaka Trust Festival.
Moyo said the festival, which would run under the theme United Beats: Bridging the Gap, Celebrating Diversity, was intended to level the creative ground for schools.
He clarified that his organisation Chenhaka Trust, in partnership with National Association of Primary Heads, National Association of Secondary Heads and Culture Fund of Zimbabwe Trust, is proud to announce the inaugural Mwaka International Schools Arts Festival.
“This ground-breaking festival aims to bridge the gap between arts activities in primary and secondary schools, promoting arts education and supporting the heritage-based curriculum. For the first time ever, primary and secondary schools will unite on one stage, showcasing their artistic talents and celebrating diversity,” he said.
“The festival’s set piece dance, mhande, will be performed by both primary and secondary schools, symbolising unity and cultural heritage.
“Performers are encouraged to incorporate traditional instruments like drums, marimba and mbira, blending traditional and modern elements for a captivating experience.
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“We are thrilled to host this pioneering festival, which will not only promote arts education, but also celebrate our cultural diversity.”
Moyo emphasised that the best way to create equal opportunities for learning dances and cultural practices, especially in these days of the Heritage Based Education system, is to create an environment where information is collected and shared equally.
One such platform is a festival like the one-day Mwaka International Schools Arts Festival.
“We chose mhande dance because it is a set-piece dance for the Jikinya National Primary Schools Festival competition and Secondary Schools 2024 National Traditional Dance set-piece for all schools.
“We want to support marginalised schools especially those that cannot afford to pay for workshops or bring facilitators to their schools. We train them for free in all the seven districts of Manicaland province,” Moyo said.
“We carried out a two-day training providing lunch for participants. A total number of 182 primary schools and 40 secondary schools have so far benefited from the project. On September 27, we will be teaching and training dance and music only.
“Jameson High School from Mashonaland West province will perform as the guest group. We are going to have more schools showcasing on the day because the festival is open to everyone and registration is free.”
He encouraged school heads to accept dance and music teachers from institutions such as the Chenhaka Trust.
“The best way to teach children is to find an interesting way of engaging them.”