PICTURE: Rural kids like Madhuku Muchongoyo of Chipinge can market Zimbabwe culture if they are given a chance at international platforms.Rural kids can attract tourists
CONCERNING the article titled "Tsongas: A people of rich culture" published a fortnight ago, I received the following feedback from a Mr Andrew Mupungu Nxumalo who wrote: "Your article makes interesting reading. However, your source did not mention the existance of a direct descendent of King Mzila.
“King Soshangana’s son, Mzila, had four sons namely Ngungunyana, Mafemana, Mpungu and Papame Nxumalo. When Ngungunyana was captured and barnished to Portugal, his young brother Mpungu Nxumalo remained to lead his subjects. The British came and reduced Mpungu to just a chief. This day Chief Mpungu is in Chipinge South sharing boundaries with Chief Garahwa and Chief Mahenye. Chief Mpungu heads the only Nguni tribe here in Zimbabwe."
Interesting isn't it? Please note that the Ndaus refuse to be identified as Tsongas despite that: 1. their district Chipinga, now Chipinge, was named from a Tsonga verb "kupinga" (to carry by men), 2. Their town named its high density surburb Gaza after Soshangana's Gaza Kingdom and 3. Mount Chirinda, now Mount Selinda, is where some scholars claim King Mzila to have established his capital.
Also Chief Garahwa refuses that Ndau traditional dance, Muchongoyo, has traces in Zululand. Now Mpungu claims both the Tsonga and Zululand identities. We shall visit the Mpungu clan soon and hear more of their side.
Coming to today's business, I asked previously if primary kids can be able to attract tourists. The question is prompted by how the local arts and culture industry has been treating kids for years.
During my early days in the late 1970s, Zimbabwe had no sub culture festivals like the ones found countrywide today. TV, regardless of it being black & white, was found in high culture circles. Sub culture entertainment comprised mainly of music on vinyl played on gramophone radios resembling briefcases and bioscopes that consisted of projectors that screened motion picture film reels on a white wall or a white cloth at a school or a store.
Some people had to walk for more than 5km from their villages to listen to the gramophone music or watch bioscopes. Chachacha songs like “Anopenga Ane Waya” and gumba-gumba jive hits like Lulu Masilela & Boyoyo Boys’ Big Change, West Nkosi’s Marabi Bell 800, Mahlathini & Mahotella Queens' Kazet and August Musarurwa’s kwela hit Skokian popularised gramophone.
Asian actor Tarzan and western actor Jack popularised bioscope. Local comedies Mukadota and Tiki made even the sick temporarily forget about their ailments as they would laugh from start to finish. But no bioscope film gave kids a lead role.
Fast forward to the late 1990s and the 2000s. Video cassettes and DVD rocked the film scene giving international kid actors like Macaulay Culkin of the comedy series Home Alone and Jaden Smith of action Karate Kid movies lead roles. Regionally, South Africa drama films gave Kagiso Mtetwa of Malunde and Junior Singo of Beat the Drum lead roles.
Zimbabwe arts industry is left wanting even though kids are groomed for the cultural industry by projects like Children Performing Arts Worshop (Chipawo). The project has been promoting children's arts and cultural exchange programmes since 1989. This year saw a group from Denmark, B&U Svendborg Theatre touring the country on Chipawo business. No doubt, the kids can attract tourists.
Kids from rural settings have a richer cultural background but they are always disadvantaged whenever talent scouting is concerned. Arts and culture scouts tend to focus much on cities and towns and the disease has even spread to other disciplines like sports. The case of youthful Garahwa Muchongoyo group at HIFA in 2013 proved beyond doubt that rural kids can do it.
Under the guidance of Mr and Mrs Foroma of Garahwa primary school, the kids had only a one hour slot in Simba's den at 11am on a Tuesday but the international cultural tourists who consumed the show demanded for more. Eventually, the kids were slotted again at 2pm. This confirmed that rural kids can market Zimbabwean culture abroad.
A new crop of rural kids who can stir the cultural tourism market is Madhuku Muchongoyo group. Located at Madhuku primary school in Chief Musikavanhu's land in Chipinge South, the kids are under the mentorship of a 39 year old Mr Jabulani Kaziboni who hails from Tuzuka communal lands in Chipinge and a product of United College of Education.
The group caused waves in all cultural competitions held in the district this year. The kids were the key entertainers at this year's national commemorations of the World Contraceptive Day which were hosted by Manicaland Province at Checheche Growth Point.
According to the soft spoken Kaziboni, rural cultural groups offer the cream of undiluted culture which isn't found elsewhere. He said: "I have been into Muchongoyo for more than 30 years and appreciate how the dance develops youth culturally. Muchongoyo instils cultural values and I'm one of its products. Cultural tourists enjoy touring communities which have undiluted culture. I’m confident that our kids can be instrumental in marketing Zimbabwean culture."
Truly, rural kids can attract tourists. It's only left to organisers of sub cultural festivals like Harare International Carnival to give rural kids a chance and see how much they can attract cultural tourists.