Cultural activists in Bulawayo have teamed up to launch the Matabeleland Cultural Awards, in a bid to preserve and promote culture in the region.
The awards are set to be launched at a colourful ceremony at the Zimbabwe National Chamber of Commerce (ZNCC) Bulawayo offices on Saturday.
The inaugural awards, under the theme, For the Renaissance and Sustenance of Culture, will be held sometime in October next year.
In an interview with CITE, awards coordinator, Ms Felicity Sibindi said the awards will focus on the rural community who are the providers of cultural products.
“All raw materials for cultural products come from rural areas. The wood to make a knobkerrie and animal skins to make traditional dresses all comes from villages. These people should be celebrated,” she said.
She said the awards aims at preserving and promoting Matabeleland’s culture.
“Due to technology, our culture as Africans is going down the drain. We want the next generations to know our culture through the awards.
“The awards aim to celebrate traditional attires, food and languages,” she added.
Sibindi revealed that the launch is meant to create awareness on the awards and scout for sponsorship.
“We call on the corporate world to assist especially with the awards for the winners,” she said.
The categories for the awards include curators, tailors and traditional music groups, which Sibindi said there are not included in awards ceremonies that have been previously held in Matabeleland.
