The Luswingo Kalanga Cultural Festival will return next month with an expanded two-day programme aimed at celebrating and preserving Kalanga heritage.
The annual event, which began in 2014, will take place on 10 and 11 October at the Luswingo heritage site in Tokwana, about 36 kilometres north of Plumtree.
Luswingo, meaning “stone walls”, was once home to a royal family and a strategic BaKalanga settlement. The ruins are recognised as an important symbol of Kalanga history and early civilisation.
Festival Organising Committee chairperson, Sotsha Moyo, said this year marks the first time the event will run across two days.
“This is a festival that celebrates our language and culture as BaKalanga through food, traditional dances and storytelling,” he said. “It also provides a platform to revive the Kalanga language, which was sidelined for many years.”
The opening day will feature intergenerational dialogue sessions, where elders will share stories, traditions and guidance with young people. The second day will include an official opening ceremony, traditional foods, dances from different groups, and a guided tour of the Luswingo ruins.
Moyo described the gathering as a community-driven initiative.
“It is a self-sponsored, non-profit event where people bring their resources together to sing, dance, and learn from our historians,” he said.
The festival is organised under the Kalanga Language and Cultural Development Association (KLCDA), which advocates for the revival and recognition of the Kalanga language, now among the 16 officially recognised languages in Zimbabwe.
Support CITE’s fearless, independent journalism. Your donation helps us amplify community voices, fight misinformation, and hold power to account. Help keep the truth alive. Donate today