The Sunday News
Thobekisiwe Gumede Sunday Leisure Reporter
ONE of the best institutions to provide physically disabled and hearing impaired children with unlimited access to the highest possible standard of education in Zimbabwe — King George VI — will again represent the country in the Zwakala Africa Arts Festival, a performing arts competition for deaf learners, in South Africa early next year.
The competition, which was held at the University of Johannesburg Arts Centre last year, saw the institution emerging champions, shrugging off competition from other Southern African countries, among them Namibia, Mozambique, Swaziland and Lesotho.
This year’s national competitions were held at King George VI School.
In an interview, Courage Chipatiso, a teacher and dance club instructor at King George V1, said the institution was humbled to represent the country again.
“We will be taking three acts to South Africa, a story, drama and impersonation. Seven of our students will be participating in the festival.There are eight of the students who are supposed to represent the country and one of the students will be coming from Emerald Hill in Harare.
“This edition of the festival will be big because four more countries have been added to the programme that is Seychelles, Malawi, Tanzania and Zambia, so we are hoping to do well like we did last year.
“We want to raise the country’s flag high and show people that Zimbabwe is not just a beautiful country but, has got amazing talent when it comes to the arts and culture,” she said.
Chipatiso said the festival was established so that the deaf are heard in society through art.
“People do not understand the deaf in society mainly because of language barriers. There are societal attitudes towards them and so we are saying that we want the deaf to get involved in the arts industry so that they are heard,” she said.
The headmistress of the school, Perseverance Hadebe, said the school was proud to be promoting and excelling in arts.
“This is a very important event which I believe brings the deaf community and all those who care about deaf children together to seek and celebrate creativity. It is also a way of sharing and strengthening the bonds that hold us together as deaf people and as champions of deaf people’s potential, to inspire others through participating in and enjoyment of the arts.
“Zwakala is a chance for deaf people to break down participation barriers and make them heard. The arts can define who deaf people are. The arts are a very effective way for deaf people to be heard,” said Hadebe.
Zwakala Arts Festival is a project of DTV, a television show dedicated for people with hearing disabilities and is broadcast on the South African Broadcasting Corporation channels.
The Zwakala Awards coincide with National Disability month and serves as a tool to create awareness of this silent minority.
The festival which was scheduled for October this year has since been postponed to February 2015 due to other countries having difficulties in sourcing travelling documents in time for the event.
