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Showbiz Reporter
DELTA Beverages and the National Arts Council this week released the dates of the much anticipated 2014 editions of the Chibuku Road to Fame and Chibuku Neshamwari musical showcases.
The first edition of the Chibuku Road to Fame talent search will kick off on June 7, in Masvingo before going across all 10 provinces, culminating in the traditionally colourful finals in Harare at Glamis Arena on September 27.

Manicaland provincials will be held on June 14, followed by Matabeleland North on June 21. Matabeleland South finals will be held the week after, followed by Mashonaland Central on July 5.

Mashonaland West will take over on July 12, before the provincials head to the capital on July 19. From Harare, the provincials will move to Bulawayo on July 26, then Midlands on August 2, before the holding of the final provincials in Mashonaland East on August 9.

The Chibuku Neshamwari traditional dance competition will kick off much earlier this year with the first provincial selection taking place on May 31 in Mashonaland West.

On June 7, the Neshamwari provincials will be held in Mashonaland Central before moving to Bulawayo on June 14.
Midlands will host their provincials on June 21, followed by Harare the week after.

On July 5, the Neshamwari team will be in Manicaland before making their way to Masvingo on July 12, then Mashonaland East on July 19. The Matabeleland province provincials will kick off on July 26, in the Northern province followed by the Southern province on August 2.

Delta Beverages marketing manager Patricia Murambinda said the Chibuku Road to Fame competition was one of the three largest musical festivals in the country.
“Chibuku Road to Fame is the single largest talent identification programme in Zimbabwe in terms of scale and depth.

“Our long standing partnership with the National Arts Council has shown the power of public-private partnerships in bringing about community development”, she said.

Last year, Bindura based outfit “The Way Band” were the Chibuku Road to Fame winners  following in the footsteps of Terry and the Bliss, the 2012 winners who broke the stranglehold of Sungura with fresh contemporary jazz-inspired sounds.

Chibuku Neshamwari has been at the forefront of keeping the practice and art of traditional dance alive in Zimbabwe.
Last year’s Chibuku Neshamwari winners were Bulawayo’s Umkhathi Theatre Works group who put up a sterling performance of a traditional Tswana dance called Setata.

The Chibuku Road to Fame, established in Harare in 2001, has now been expanded to three neighbouring countries where the Chibuku brand is also available.
Botswana, Malawi and Zambia are expected to launch the programme next year.

Founded in 1963 and 2001 respectively, the Chibuku Neshamwari and the Chibuku Road to Fame, according to Murambinda, have respectively grown to critical acclaim, and now boast some of the most valuable entertainment franchises on the local arts front.