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Mthabisi Tshuma, Showbiz Correspondent

THE town of Gwanda is set to come life this Saturday as this year’s first ever musical event open to the public will be held and has been dubbed Culture Week Gala.

Adhering to Covid-19 regulations, the show will be held as from 2.30PM at Phoenix Pub and Grill popularly known as Tshisanyama.

An array of artistes set to entertain revellers include Gwanda’s Zhezhingtonz, Bry, Khoikhoi, Zagoe Radge, Beitbridge’s Bhadilah while Bulawayo’s Ezimnyama Dance Ensemble will be the guest performers.

The event is being held by TIME project in partnership with the National Arts Council of Zimbabwe and in collaboration with Phoenix Pub and Grill.

TIME project director Drivo said the gig will be an opener to the Matabeleland South provincial Culture Week commemorations slated for Gwanda Culture Village on May 21.

Khoi Khoi

“Everything is in place for the Culture Week celebrations Gala which will feature artistes from around the province and also guests from Bulawayo. The main objective is to celebrate the cultural diversity through artistic exhibitions. On the day we will also have a social soccer match pitting two local social soccer teams and the match shall be played from 11.30AM to 1PM,” said Drivo.

Commenting on the provincial preparations, Matabeleland South provincial arts manager Percy Vela said:

“We’ll be having activities across the province and organisers of the activities should be guided by the Covid-19 regulations of not more than 50 spectators and sanitise in the entrance and mask up.

“People should support the initiatives from their various districts as we promote the rainbow province’s arts sector that is endowed with diversity.”

Organised by the National Arts Council of Zimbabwe (NACZ), this year’s commemorations will be held under the theme “Resilience in safeguarding creativity and cultural diversity”.

Bry

The dates for Culture Week commemorations countrywide have been set for May 15 to 22 and will run virtually in light of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The official national launch will be held on May 15.

The week-long cultural fiesta will feature various online showcases including dance, music, film, theatre, visual arts, literature, poetry and comedy on platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Tik Tok, YouTube, television and radio.

Culture Week provides an opportunity for people to deepen their understanding of cultural diversity with the concept having been drawn from the Universal Declaration on Cultural Diversity by Unesco in 2001. May 21 was proclaimed as the “World Day of Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Diversity.

Ezimnyama

Zimbabwe expanded on this day to Culture Week with the week providing an opportunity for Zimbabweans to flaunt their intangible and tangible cultural heritage forms that need to be preserved for future generations.

-@mthabisi_mthire