Manicaland group wins Chibuku Neshamwari competition

Melissa Mpofu/Fungai Muderere in Harare
Harare Gardens was packed and heaving on Saturday, a day that saw traditional dance ensembles from each of the country’s 10 provinces seeking to outdo each other for the top accolade of the country’s prestigious dance competition.

After rehearsing for months, perfecting their act, unheralded Dapurahunanzva from Manicaland province delivered a stellar performance that saw them conquer all and sundry at the 2022 Chibuku Neshamwari Traditional Dance Festival.

As their name suggests, so nice was Dapurahunanzva’s performance. Their breathtaking Mbakumba dance enabled them to get into the hearts of Chibuku Super lovers.

The Mbakumba dancers came out tops after a thrilling show on the stage. For their indefatigable efforts, the dancing maniacs got the better of seasoned Guruve Marimba Arts Ensemble from Mashonaland Central who won the competition in 2018 and crowd favourites – Dedza Chitandidzo Nyau from Harare.

The immaculately dressed and energetic Dedza hail from Mufakose suburb where Nyau dance festivals are occasionally held. The Nyau dance is also popular in Bulawayo’s high-density suburbs of Sizinda and Tshabalala, where the dancers are popularly known as izitandari.

In celebration, visibly excited Dapurahunanzva members were heard singing: “Kumakomo kwaite moto” loosely translated to the mountain is on fire, to bring attention to their province.

Speaking in front of a vociferous crowd following their victory, a shuddering, and ecstatic Dapurahunanzva leader, Keaven Simomondo said their hard work had paid off.

“This wasn’t our first time performing at the Chibuku Neshamwari finals. We’ve been participating since 2003 and have won four provincial finals. But this was our first time scooping the national prize.

“Ever since we’ve been coming to the national finals and losing, we’ve been taking notes and going back to the drawing board to strategise, up until today when we scooped the national prize. We really worked hard this year to ensure we clinch it and I’m glad it paid off,” Simomondo said.

He said they do different types of dances with Mbakumba having been the chosen one for the competition.

“Our group is already established. This is full-time work so we do a lot of dances. Mbakumba is the dance we performed at the provincial and national finals and it’s the dance that led us to victory.”

To ensure that new talent is roped into the group, Simomondo said they run a dance academy.

“The dance group is made up of 17 people, but we have a junior dance policy where we draft students from junior schools and tertiary institutions into the professional group. We target those who’re interested in taking art as a professional career. Those are the people that we work with.”

He said winning the competition means a lot for Manicaland as it is a great achievement for the province. He said this is the second time a group from that province has won the competition.

“This is the second time that the competition has been won by a group from Manicaland province. The first time it was won by Ben Arinoti from Mutare and this time it is Dapurahunanzva,” he said.

Spotting a black and white attire, Unlenje Arts – second-time finalists, Gwanda-based Bolamba Performing Arts as well as Pezhuba Pachena from Matabeleland North and M’kango Nyau from the Midlands found the going tough on a stage that needed cultural dance dexterity.

After the star-studded dance finals, the dreadlocked duo of Jah Prayzah and Killer T took to the stage.

They mesmerised scores of Zimbabwean music lovers with their energetic and popular anthems.

Meanwhile, the Chibuku Road to Fame music talent search competition that made its return this year as well is ongoing with the first provincial finals having taken place in Bulawayo two weeks ago. Orchestra Zealous came out tops.

Article Source: The Chronicle