The Sunday News
ZIMBABWEANS living in South Africa will this week converge on the Hillbrow Theatre in Johannesburg to celebrate the life of the late nationalist Vice-President Dr Joshua Nkomo where various artistes are expected to perform.
This would be the second edition of the celebrations since the inception of the celebrations last year by a group of Zimbabwean artistes living in South Africa.
The group, under the organisation — Matabeleland Entertainment News (MEN), through one of the directors told Sunday Leisure that the celebrations were part of their endevour as Zimbabweans to promote unity and ubuntu between Zimbabwe and South Africa — a vision he said was fostered and shared by the late Dr Nkomo.
“Matabeleland Entertainment News will again host the annual Dr Joshua Nkomo celebrations. Every year on the last weekend of July the month the late hero passed away, we bring together Zimbabweans in the diaspora to celebrate the life of Dr Joshua Nkomo through arts. The event will take place at the Hillbrow Theatre in Johannesburg, South Africa, on the 25th of July,” said Mothusi Bashimane Ndlovu, who early this year released a comedy drama movie depicting the lives of Zimbabweans living in South Africa.
Bashimane as he prefers to go by said Dr Nkomo’s dream was to unify the nation as he was a person who saw beyond tribe and race.
“He was a determined soldier who fought against colonisation, defied odds, challenged racial injustices and it is this legacy that we celebrate and wish to honour him through this historic event. We aim to preach and carry forward his values that we believe can heal our nation, Chibwechitedza uMafukufuku suffered and survived a lot of trials and tribulations during the struggle for liberation but his dream gave him power to carry on.
“Today we are faced with a number of challenges, our own struggle as a people and a nation thus we need to follow through Dr Nkomo’s footsteps and preach and practise love and tolerance. Each one of us has a responsibility to contribute to our community and the nation at large,” said Bashimane.
He added that the event would not only celebrate the late Dr Nkomo’s life but would also recognise and celebrate Zimbabwe’s uniqueness, history, culture and tradition.
“We will also give a series of lectures on arts and other aspects touching on the lives of Zimbabweans in South Africa. The Dr Nkomo celebrations through arts always give a platform to artistes based in South Africa to showcase their work through song, dance, theatre, comedy, poetry and music,” said Bashimane.
He said there were more than 30 groups lined up to perform at the event, with some coming from as far as Tsholotsho, Plumtree and Bulawayo.
“In this year’s event the line-up is as follows: Rumba/Tshovatshova giants Mlambos Express Band the Super legends, Queen of Dance Vivian Nomakanjani, Theatre group from Bulawayo Victory Siyanqoba, maskandi groups Mehlokazulu, Zinjaziyamluma, Insukamini, Abafana BakaGodlwayo, the people’s poet Bongani Ncube, Ntando Hwehu yeBukalanga, Bukalanga Gwamuka traditional dance, isichathamiya/imbube White Umfolosi, Dupute Warriors, lthemba lensindiso, Big 5 and TK brothers and Thulie Khumalo to mention a few,” he said.
Bashimane said invited guests comprised the Nkomo family, traditional leaders, businesspeople, community and cultural groups that have worked towards educating Zimbabweans in South Africa to take pride in their identity.
“Dr Nkomo was a symbol of unity and it is through these community initiatives that we unite and conscientise our people on ubuntu, taking pride in our identity wherever we are in the world and preserve our heritage and history that makes us who we are,” said Bashimane.
