The Sunday News
Mbongeni Msimanga
FILABUSI Centre will this Christmas reverberate to traditional dance, as the centre hosts a festival titled VukaGodlwayo, which seeks to celebrate Matabeleland traditional dances.
Three groups, namely Imbizo Traditional Group, Monica and Abafana bakoGodlwayo ezikaDibi are set to headline the event, which will be held at Vokola Business Centre.
Festival spokesperson Bhekimpilo Maranda Sithole, said this was a one of a kind festival, as people rarely celebrate traditional dance.
“We are urging people to come in their numbers, as rarely do we witness a festival of this nature. It is an opportunity for us to support our own culture that has been diluted with Western culture,” he said.
The groups are popular in neighbouring South Africa, were their music is making waves.
“We only hear about these groups when they go across borders, but they never get the opportunity to mix and mingle with their people in their own community.
‘It is an opportunity for them to show us what they have been doing out of the country and also give back to their communities,” said Sithole.
He also said this had become a similar trend among traditional groups that go out of the country, display their traditional antics, but never reflect and educate their own people on the traditional dance.
“It is sad that you never get traditional groups sharing their culture to others. It is time to support our people and not the international community supporting them,” said Sithole.
Imbizo was formed in 1991 from a group of high school pupils from Dekezi High School and have toured Europe extensively participating in internationally acclaimed festivals like World of Music Arts and Dance Festival, (WOMAD), Glastonbury, Sidmouth International Festival and Africa Oye.
Similarly, Abafana bakoGodlwayo are very popular in South Africa for their Maskandi music, while Monica who sings gospel has a fair feat with Joyous Celebrations in South Africa.
