Bongani Ndlovu Entertainment Correspondent
FOLKTALES present an opportunity to teach school children vernacular languages and impart moral and cultural values while being entertained.
Veteran artist and actor Memory Kumbota said this yesterday during the KOLOBEJA: Folktales from a Zimbabwean Childhood yesterday held at the Bulawayo Theatre, as part of this year’s Intwasa Arts Festival.

The festival is themed “Cultural Diversity – “The Common Heritage of Humanity.
Two plays were performed, the first, Nyambiridzana presented by 17 member School Playwrights and Actors Academy (SPAA) and Ukhulu Dollar by Bambelela Arts Ensemble.

Speaking after the show the director of SPAA, veteran actor Kumbota, said folk story telling cements family relations and educates at the same time.

“Themes such as morality and cultural practices can be expressed through story telling. Story telling brings the family together that is why we call for its revival,” said Kumbota.

He said he was proud at how his actors performed although they were still novices who need time to improve.

“This is their first public performance since we started training them in January. They did well to deliver the play and we shall work on the loose ends which we have noticed during the performances, but overall I am happy,” said Kumbota.

SPAA is a grouping of school children in Forms One to Form Six, from different schools in Bulawayo who are selected and taught the performing arts.

A member of Bambelela Arts Ensemble, Khumbulani Mathe concurred with Kumbota saying: “The play teaches respect and our target audience is primary school children.”

A teacher from SOS Primary school Consolate Dube said, the plays presented an opportunity for pupils to learn isindebele.
She said they responded to the invitation, so as to further enhance the knowledge of isiNdebele through edutainment.

“We took a group of the best isiNdebele pupils in Grade 5. This is to motivate others in the class to improve on their isiNdebele, as they see others going on outings because of being the best in the language,” said Dube.

A pupil in Grade 5 Orange from the same school, Nozithelo Tshuma said she benefited from the two plays as they showed her how to respect elders, to be weary of strangers and that education was the key to success.

The first play entitled Nyambiridzana, was about a young girl who was captured by man eaters only to be helped to escape by a frog. The moral of the story was not to trust strangers whatever they say.

The same theme continued in the second play titled Ukhulu Dollar. The moral of the play was to respect elders and not to trust strangers.

The performing artists did traditional dances such as isitshikitsha and ijukwa.
Although there was a slight hiccup with the lighting at the beginning and a low turn out, the show went on well.
Intwasa Arts Festival runs till Sunday.

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