Chief Dakamela of Nkayi says this year’s Chief Dakamela Awards Ceremony would be an exciting two days of celebration combining education and recognition.
The event called Imiklomelo kaDakamela is scheduled for April 6, 2024, in Nkayi, intends to reward those who succeed in disciplines such as health, education, and social achievements, as well as to stimulate regional cultural growth.
In an interview with CITE, Chief Dakamela stated that he extended the festival to two days after villagers and guests ‘complained’ about not having enough time to truly enjoy it last year.
“People said even the drama performances from the community were not played due to limited time since there were many speeches, awards and showcases, but this year the celebration will run for two days,’ said Chief Dakamela.
Chief Dakamela said this year his team was partnering with different stakeholders.
“This year we are partnering with different stakeholders. Bulawayo Polytechnic college promised to give us chefs who will cook during the event. We are also partnering with Carl Joshua Ncube who will be cooking for the VVIP. We have people like Ernest Ndlovu the famous actor who appeared in Isibaya and Generations. Ndlovu is one of the people we will try to honour in the appreciation award,” Chief Dakamela said.
“The way people are showing us support and vow to support us despite the state of the road, to me it’s a reassurance that the event is going to be successful.”
The chief promised that this year’s event is going to be more interesting, with ‘many’ artists lined up to perform from Nkayi and other areas.
‘We also have important guests who will be present,” Chief Dakamela said.
Chief Dakamela said the first day of the event is going to be more about cultural education.
“We have invited institutions such as National Aids Council (NAC) so that they can teach us about Pre- Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP), Post- Exposure Prophylaxis (PEP), educate us about how infected and uninfected partners can give birth to a child without HIV, these are some of the things we view important in our nation,” he said.
He added that people “will also learn about things such as Gender Based Violence.”
Chief Dakamela said communities will also be educated about treating children with disabilities both in communities and in school.
“We also contacted a Dr Nyoni who will teach us about how to handle children with disabilities as they are discriminated against in schools. We don’t want stigmatisation when it comes to such children as we will be killing their confidence and we are destroying their future, yet there are many things that they can do in life. Those are some of the topics we saw were important and we are still engaging different people,” said the chief.
“We will also discuss value addition, there are many things that we produce in rural areas yet we don’t get their value, we want value addition, so we are engaging experts from different platforms and walks of life to assist us.”
He said they also engaged Legal Resources who will educate headmen, chiefs, and stakeholders who handle human rights issues in the locality.
Chief Dakamela said the second day will be packed with entertainment and will be the award ceremony day.
“We do this to honour people who have done well in our communities. We want to appreciate them whilst they are still alive so that the world can see them. Imiklomelo kaDakamela is a process to development because it does not only inspire people from Dakamela but inspires other chieftainships in Tsholotsho and Lupane,” he said.
“Imiklomelo kaDakamela is a developmental agenda, we are saying let’s develop also in a cultural way, with chiefs fostering development. What also pushes me is the fact that we don’t want people to come to our areas and think we are poverty stricken. We have power when united.”
Chief Dakamela emphasised the event’s role in dispelling stereotypes and showcasing the region’s potential; driven by unity and cultural pride.
