ED’s soft spot for the arts

Langalakhe Mabena
Tried and tested, the Second Republic led by President Emmerson Dambudzo (ED) Mnangagwa has proved to be a Government which has a soft spot for the entertainment and showbiz industry.

The head of State, who celebrated his 79th birthday on Wednesday at a colourful African themed ceremony in Harare, has done a lot to preserve Zimbabwean culture and heritage.

Three years ago, the President visited the city of Bulawayo in a bid to listen to the grievances that affected the region’s creatives.

As if that was not enough, he further braved out the catastrophic pandemic of Covid-19 and visited Bulawayo again this year in June to officially open the Bulawayo Arts Festival.

“Bulawayo is blessed to have creatives that are versatile who have managed to depict, collect, craft and display cultural stories of the country through their talent, no wonder the city is the cultural hub,” he said at the Large City Hall.

His soft spot seems to be on traditional stories that are of significance to the history of the nation.

The Songs of Queen Lozikeyi, a musical play that depicts the life of a female warrior who happened to be one of the wives of Ndebele State King Lobengula, was the major highlight that blew him away at the festival.

Imagine, a man with a top and most demanding job in the country, sacrificing his extra time and begging for an encore of a play that lasted for 30 minutes, that’s undying love.

Different Bulawayo artistes have joined the rest of the country in celebrating and wishing ED a happy birthday.

Sandra Ndebele, who was recently appointed as the Bulawayo representative for young women in Economic Development by the First Lady Mai Auxillia Mnangagwa, said she was grateful for the opportunity that the president had given to artistes especially during the pandemic.

“It’s a great honour to celebrate such mileage of great leadership with the president on his birthday.

“The pandemic came and it’s still here, but unlike other countries, we had a chance to showcase our talents through performances that were given the greenlight by ED on other levels of the lockdown,” said Ndebele.

Modelling instructor Sipho Mazibuko also wished the President the happiest birthday.

“Happy birthday to the father of the country, a humble man who always has youths’ interests closer to his heart.

“I am happy that the government has supported the return of Miss Rural Zimbabwe and they have held our hands on this huge comeback.

“These are all initiatives by His Excellency implemented to improve the lives of the youths,” said Mazibuko.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *