Preparations for this year’s edition of the Jerusarema/ Mbende Dance Festival have begun with the popular event slated for September 20 at Murewa Culture Centre.
BY OUR CORRESPONDENT
The festival is usually held in August but according to the organisers, they have moved it to next month as preparations were hindered by the recent harmonised elections.
More than 20 groups from the local community and primary schools are set to participate at the event.
Cuthbert Maziwa, the manager of Murewa Arts Centre, also the National Arts Council of Zimbabwe coordinator of Mbende Jerusarema, said preparations for the one-day event had begun.
“Preparations for the Jerusarema festival have begun and more than 20 groups from Murewa and other places from Mashonaland East will be battling for top honour and the best group will walk away with a prize. Moreover, local primary schools are also expected to participate,” said Maziwa.
“This year’s event is the biggest of all as we are expecting some well-known local traditional dance groups to be part of the festival,” he said.
Local guest artists expected to grace the event include Goromonzi-based Jerusarema groups Ngoma Dzepasi and Zevezeve, while popular drummer Douglas Vambe is set to spice the event.
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Mbende Festival used to run concurrently with the Murewa-Uzumba Cultural Festival (Mucuf) before the organisers separated the two events.
Mucuf is now a provincial event and will be held in Murewa and Marondera respectively in October.
Mbende/Jerusarema dance is a popular dance style practised by the Zezuru-Shona people living in the Murewa and Uzumba-Maramba-Pfungwe districts in eastern Zimbabwe.
The dance is characterised by sensual and acrobatic movements by women in unison with men, driven by a single polyrhythmic drummer. The melody also involves men playing woodblock clappers, women handclapping, ululating and blowing whistles.
