The Sunday News
IN the 2007 Harpo Films production, The Great Debaters, poet and Professor Melvin B Tolson (Denzel Washington) teaches at the predominately black Wiley College in 1935 Texas, where he decides to start a debate team, a phenomenon that was unheard of in black institutions at that time.
While he is faced with the mammoth task of convincing the influential father (Forest Whitaker) of one of his best students, he forms a team of vibrant and intelligent students.
After establishing this team, they go on to become the first black debate team to challenge one of America’s prestigious university debate team.
Just like those students in the movie, pupils from Bulawayo’s Mzilikazi District, displayed the same enthusiasm and passion, as they scooped several awards during the Contemporary Affairs Foundation (CAF) debate competitions last week.
Speaking before presenting the awards, Contemporary Affairs Foundation director Innocent Ncube said Mzilikazi District had shown great interest in the programme and had displayed extreme diligence.
“As a foundation we want to honour and appreciate Mzilikazi District’s participation and subsequent excellent performance in these competitions.
“We would like to call upon other districts to follow in their footsteps and create opportunities for these children to explore the terrains of speech, debate and spelling which are new at this level in the country,” he said.
Mzilikazi District dominated the competition by winning the director’s excellence award and the award for the greatest participation.
CAF, through their partnership with the Ministry of Primary and Second Education and the National Association of Primary Heads rolled out a successful pilot spelling bee, public speaking and debate competition for primary schools from the city.
The competitions, which started from zonal and district levels, before moving on to the finals, were held at the Large City Hall last week.
The semi-finals were held at the CAF offices in Suburbs last Tuesday before the Wednesday final.
Other schools scooped awards as well, with Moreblessing Mudzviti from Emganwini Primary School scooping the spelling bee award.
Mudzviti managed to outwit nine participants in a session, which had to be prolonged due to several ties in the final rounds of the competition.
In the public speaking category, Eileen Sibanda from Maphisa Primary in Sizinda scooped the award, while Hazel Muzondo of Mabhukudwane in Nkulumane, Blessing Moyo of Inkanyezi in New Lobengula and Audrey Sibanda also of Inkanyezi clustered under Mizilikazi District walked away with medals.
Young Blessing Moyo was crowned the overall best debater of the competition.
The competitions were also attended by former high school pupils, who possessed a knack for debating.
One reputable former debate pupil from Sizane High School, Joy Rukanzakanza, said the debate competition was remarkable.
“It was a wonderful debate as we saw speakers executing their ability to critically think and speak off head. We have a great future in Zimbabwe,” she said.
Zimbabwe is leading the literacy rate in Africa with 91 percent, according to the latest survey.
The rankings published by the African Economist Magazine show Equatorial Guinea in second place at 87 percent and South Africa in third position at 86 percent.
