Gibson Mhaka
IT’S coming Home!
This rallying cry seems to inspire Njube-based traditional dance group Ulenje who secured a ticket to represent Bulawayo at the Chibuku Neshamwari national finals as they are confident of bringing the prize home.
The Bulawayo provincial competition was held at Manor Hotel on Saturday.
The 10-member group played amabhiza which is believed to have originated in Plumtree, Matabeleland South province.
It was closely followed by Isizwe Sabatsha which came in second and third position went to Bambanani traditional dance group.
In an interview with B-Metro, leader of the group Mthokozisi Moyo said he was confident that his group would make it in the finals. He attributed their success to dedication and hard work.
“We are happy to have been champions in the provincial competitions. It’s not our first time here, in 2019 we came second and that was a turning point as we went back and did enough research on the dance.
“We continued to work hard hence this victory. We feel honoured that the judges picked us in the provincial finals. This is a great achievement for us as a group. We are very happy and we are confident that we will make it at the finals. We will bring the prize home,” said Moyo.
Other groups that took part included Mthwakazi, Woza Africa, Iluba Lemvelo, Khami Maximum, Jaiva Arts, Ibutho Performing Arts and Thandanani women’s ensemble.
Chibuku Neshamwari is an annual dance development festival organised by Delta Beverages with assistance from National Arts Council of Zimbabwe (NACZ) and Zimbabwe National Traditional Dance Association (ZNTDA).
Delta, through their popular Chibuku beer brand, began sponsoring the dance competition at its inception in 1963.
The competition also comes at a time when Delta has launched a new Chibuku banana flavour.
