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Leonard Ncube, Victoria Falls Reporter
VICTORIA Falls-based praise poet Obert Dube was a hit at the National Arts Merit Awards (Nama) due to his imvunulo cultural outfit that he rocked for the ceremony.

The highly cultural poet, not only rocked the award’s red carpet, but he also bagged a second Nama for being the outstanding poet.

When the announcement was made, it was Dube’s imvunulo yesintu (traditional) dressing and walking barefoot that caught the attention of the crowd.

Commenting on this, he said it is his conviction to preserve his Ndebele cultural identity through his dressing and poetry.

“There are many great poets in Zimbabwe and winning this award was a mixture of luck and hard work. Dressing was freestyle and I was in my full traditional outfit, barefoot like Tshaka’s warrior.

I put on a mark of my identity as an African and Ndebele man as I was the only one wearing imvunulo yesintu,” said Dube in an interview.

He said he left his shoes at the hotel and was barefoot during the course of the awards ceremony.

“I struggled on the red carpet as radio and TV personalities wanted to interview me. This resembles who we are as people. Even when I went to Kenya last time, people marvelled at my traditional dressing and that gives me an identity,” he said.

Imvunulo is a traditional way of dressing that was used by the Zulu and Ndebele people before the arrival of European settlers with cotton and modern clothing.

Even today, it is used by people, but most notably during traditional ceremonies and celebrations. To celebrate the Nama win and his birthday, Dube has a special request. He has invited people from all cultures and ethnic groups to buy him their cultural outfits as he plans to showcase all African tribes on his birthday.

He said he finds joy from the fact that his culture is being recognised on all platforms.

“People have misconceptions that amabhetshu or traditional attire is linked to some form of ancestral spirits, and some say those who wear such attire are uneducated. We just have to love our culture and be able to separate amadlozi from traditional dressing,” said Dube.

The poet won a trophy and certificate for bagging a Nama. His first Nama was in 2016 when he was relatively new on the competitive art field. Since then, he has won several other accolades locally and internationally.

The Pan-African poet who is the reigning Roil Bulawayo Arts Awards poet of the year is reveling in the popularity of his Africa Day poem, Africa that has earned him trips to Kenya and other countries.

He retained the Pan-Africanist poet of the year award in Cameroon after becoming the first Zimbabwean to win it at the Panafes Africa Awards in Cameroon in 2020 and last year won an Amaqhawanentaba radio award in South Africa. – ncubeleon