Mhande dance for Jikinya Dance Festival 2023
Mthabisi Tshuma, [email protected]
THIS year’s Jikinya Dance Festival will feature the Mhande dance, a traditional song-and-dance from Zimbabwe typically performed by the Karanga people.
The dance is mostly performed by residents of the provinces of Masvingo and the Midlands. The dance is presented during the ceremonies for Mutoro and Kurova.
The festival’s 2018 iteration will focus on “Building Zimbabwe through Dance.”
In a statement, Nacz communications and marketing manager Rodney Ruwende said the festival kicks off next month.
“The Jikinya Dance Festival is set to illuminate the primary school calendar, with provincial finals starting in the second week of October and national finals set for Bindura, Mashonaland Central Province, on October 26.
“The annual festival, won by Lwendulu Primary School of Hwange in Matabeleland North Province last year will this year showcase the Mhande Dance as the set piece for the competition,” he said.
With its historical relevance and deeper meaning, according to Ruwende, the performance goes beyond a simple dance.
“The performance of Mhande as a set piece for the Jikinya Dance Festival is a crucial element in safeguarding the cultural practices of indigenous Zimbabweans, as the dance is a vital aspect of the cultural heritage of the Karanga people, serving as an artistic expression of the values and beliefs of the different communities where it is practiced.
“Mhande is a key link between the living and the ancestral spirits, performed particularly in ceremonies such as Kurova guva and the Mutoro, representing the settlement of ancestral spirits and rain-making rituals, respectively,” said Ruwende.
Amabhiza was the set piece for the 2022 Jikinya Dance Festival, and schools from all the country’s provinces performed the dance, which originates and is performed in Matabeleland South province.
Over 5000 primary schools are set to take part in the annual Jikinya Dance Festival, which is organised by the National Arts Council of Zimbabwe (Nacz) and the National Association of Primary Heads (Naph), supported by Delta Beverages Zimbabwe.
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