The Tshitaudze Heritage Festival is being held for the first time as organisers seek to revive Vhenda culture and promote unity among people under Chief Tshitaudze.
The three-day festival is being held at the Tshitaudze Cultural Village Centre in Beitbridge, with organisers saying they want to create a platform for the community to celebrate and preserve its cultural traditions.
Speaking at the festival, one of the coordinators Patience Moyo said the event was the first of its kind and had attracted more people than initially expected.
“This is our first time doing this festival, it’s the first of its kind. This event has introduced a new platform for the community to come together and celebrate its cultural heritage. We believe the festival will help bring the community together while creating an opportunity for people to appreciate and preserve their culture,” Moyo said.
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Moyo said organisers had initially expected about 2,000 people to attend, but the turnout had exceeded expectations.
“Initially we had expected about 2 000 people, but over 2 000 people are here. It is a three-day event and the main event happens on the third day. The turnout has been encouraging, showing the interest from the community in the festival and the activities lined up for the three days,” Moyo said.
She said the festival was focused on celebrating the culture of Vhenda-speaking people under Chief Tshitaudze while strengthening community ties.
“This is a festival that celebrates the culture Chivendha, a culture of the people under Chief Tshitaudze. The intention of the event is to revive the Vhenda culture and also to encourage unity under Chief Tshitaudze. We want people to come together, appreciate where they come from and ensure that our culture and traditions are not forgotten, especially by the younger generation. Through this festival, we are creating a platform where people can celebrate and showcase their culture while also strengthening the unity of the community under Chief Tshitaudze,” Moyo said.
The festival has also brought together learners from schools in Beitbridge, with organisers saying their participation is intended to help pass the culture on to future generations.
“We have competitions of leaners from different schools. We decided to involve children in the event because our target age group is children and we expect these children to revive our culture and pass it on as they grow. We have 12 secondary schools here present and 9 primary schools and these were selected from Matabeleland South and also Beitbridge,” Moyo said.
The official opening of the three-day festival will take place on Sunday, with Vice-President Kembo Mohadi expected to attend as the guest of honour.
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