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Mthabisi Tshuma, Showbiz Reporter
TWENTY-THREE years on, a great man, Vice-President Dr Joshua Mqabuko Nkomo who succumbed to prostate cancer at the age of 82 continues to be celebrated.

Today, Schools Creative Arts Drive (Scad), a talent search and promotion initiative for students between the ages of 12 and 21 years is set to be launched at Gwanda High School.

The initiative, which is an honour to the contribution Umdala Wethu made to liberating and uniting the country, is a collaboration between Gwanda arts organisation TIME project and Gwanda High School.

The late Joshua Mqabuko Nkomo

Dr Nkomo, who had a rare gift of being a legend in his lifetime and beyond, is still a motivation to many. His commitment to peace, love, unity, tolerance and appreciation of the creative sector is something that artistes whom he mingled with during his lifetime, still cherish.

TIME project director Adrian “Drivo” Musa said the initiative will be run every July 1, the date Dr Nkomo died, as a way to honour him. He said they are running pre-sub events throughout schools as a way of capacitating students who want to venture into the creative sector.

School

“Starting this year, we’re going to be holding this programme on the 1st of July so as to recognise Umdala Wethu.

A series of skills training workshops for students will be conducted once every school term in a co-ordinated approach in partnership and collaboration with different organisations, institutions and individuals within the creative arts sector.

“Using the creative arts as a tool for information dissemination among young people, the initiative will run under the theme: ‘Amplifying young people’s voices through creative arts’,” Drivo said.

He said secondary schools and colleges from the Matabeleland South province will converge at Gwanda High School to showcase their artistic creations through public speaking, poetry, music and drama.

“The presentations will be guided by the selected themes which are: Drugs and Substance Abuse (DSA), Sexual Reproductive Health Rights (SRHR), Gender-Based Violence (GBV) and Climate Change and Environmental issues.

“From time to time, different themes will be selected for each edition,” said Drivo. – @mthabisi_mthire