Traditional music, dance, poetry, food and sport took centre stage in Beitbridge this weekend as Vhenda, Sotho and Shangani communities came together to celebrate the cultures that shape the district.
The three-day Tshitaudze Heritage Festival, held at the Tshitaudze Cultural Village Centre, brought together communities under Chief Tshitaudze’s area, with organisers using the event to promote cultural identity and encourage young people to learn and preserve their heritage.
The festival featured traditional performances, cultural exhibitions, poetry and an eight-team soccer tournament, giving participants an opportunity to showcase their traditions while celebrating the diversity of Beitbridge.
Speaking at the festival on Saturday, Chief Tshitaudze said the event was intended to celebrate Vhenda heritage while recognising the Sotho and Shangani communities living in the area.
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“We are here to commemorate the heritage of the Vhenda people. As you know, in Beitbridge, the majority are ChiVhenda people. We also have Shangani people and Sotho people as well. We can say Beitbridge is a district of different cultures,” he said.
“We are here to commemorate culture, heritage and also the languages, food and dances of the people present at this festival.”
Chief Tshitaudze said involving young people was central to the festival as communities sought to ensure that cultural traditions were passed on to future generations.
“On the first day of the festival, we had competitions like soccer, with an eight-team tournament, because we want our children to start following culture as young as possible, doing poetry as well, so that they can grow up knowing their identity,” he said.
Beyond the celebrations, the festival also provided an opportunity to tell the history of the Tshitaudze people and preserve their heritage.
“The Tshitaudze people originate from a place called Mutamba, but we came from the Democratic Republic of Congo. Then we settled in South Africa and went to a place called Mutamba Tshitaudze. Then we relocated during the white regime to a place called Pande,” he said.
Chief Tshitaudze said the cultural village was built in 2016 and had previously hosted cultural events lasting only a day.
“The cultural village where we are, we built it in 2016. All along, we have been doing these cultural events for one day, so we realised that one day is not enough to showcase everything because we have different people who want to sing, different people who want to dance and to explore the three cultures,” he said.
He said the layout and decoration of the cultural village were designed to reflect the different communities living under his chieftaincy.
“The huts are decorated to showcase our culture. We have two huts that are painted with the colours of the Sotho because we have two Sotho headmen, and we have one hut to represent the Shangani people because we have one Shangani headman. The other four headmen are Vhenda,” he said.
“We also put some drawings on the huts so that you can see how each culture dresses.”
The festival offered a platform for the three communities to celebrate their distinct identities while highlighting the cultural diversity of Beitbridge.
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