The Sunday Mail
Prince Mushawevato
THE just-ended Culture Week and Africa Day festivities provided traditional ensembles a rare opportunity to showcase different cultural products to an ‘unusual’ audience.
The week-long Culture Week celebrations were held in all the country’s 10 provinces, with the National Culture Commemoration Day being the climax of the fete.
President Mnangagwa officiated at the official launch in Gokwe, Midlands.
He also presided over the unveiling of the statue of Mbuya Nehanda situated at the intersection of Samora Machel Avenue and Julius Nyerere Way in Harare.
The ceremony coincided with Africa Day commemorations running under the theme “The Arts, Culture and Heritage: Levers for Building the Africa We Want.”
Speaking in an interview, Bira Remadzisahwira founder and director Nyasha Dope, who is also known as Machembere, said the two events boosted their exposure and networking platforms. Bira Remadzisahwira was formed with the express objective of promoting and protecting local culture, especially among youth. “I love my tradition and wish to do everything in my power to promote culture. However, from the day we launched Bira Remadzisahwira in January last year, we have only done three cultural events. Most of the events we had planned were cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic,” she said.
“However, the Culture Week and Africa Day celebrations have been a major boost for us. Our brand ambassador, Sasha Amadhuve, was one of the performing acts in Gokwe and during the Mbuya Nehanda statue unveiling. She got a standing ovation from delegates for her first-rate performance on both events that were broadcast live on national television and on different social media platforms.”
According to Dope, the cultural ensemble managed to broaden its reach during the two major events. “We got direction from how the Culture Week festivities were executed. Our movement will not only be focusing on Harare, but all corners of the country. We hope to bring in more artists, especially the girl-child, from disadvantaged communities.
“Through exchange programmes, we will be able to showcase our cultural diversity to other parts of the world. This way, we will have more impact.”
The talented Sasha Amadhuve weighed in: “All over the world, people respect their culture, but our major challenge is that most of our youths and young adults are reluctant to learn and practice their tradition. Instead, they prefer negative foreign influences like drug abuse. It is through events like Culture Week and other cultural events that such issues can be addressed.”
Bira Remadzisahwira was launched on January 31, 2020. Dope works with fellow organising members that include Peter “Mhofu” Chiedzo, Chembere Good, Ethel Mpezeni and Stanford “Malume” Dube.
