The Principal Director in the Ministry of Rural Development, Preservation and Promotion of Culture and Heritage, Dr Biggie Samwanda (second from right) receives a token of appreciation from renowned Ndau author Mrs Joyce Simango (kneeling) as Chipinge District Administrator Mr William Mashava (left) and Manicaland Provincial Administrator Mr Edgars Seenza (second from left) look.
THE fifth edition of Ndau Festival of Arts (NDAFA) that took at Paiyepo Cultural Development and Heritage Centre in Bangira village of Chikore communal lands in Chipinge East on Saturday urged communities to document their culture in this era of digitalisation.
NDAFA is a platform for celebrating cultural aspects like food, clothing, music and dance for learning institutions and out-of-school groups in communities across Zimbabwe. This year’s theme was “Taking oral into the digital world.”
In a speech read on his behalf by the Principal Director in the Ministry of Rural Development, Preservation and Promotion of Culture and Heritage the ministry, Dr Biggie Samwanda, the Permanent Secretary of the same ministry, Dr George Magosvongwe urged communities to use digitalisation to their advantage.
Said Dr Magosvongwe: “We are aware that African communities have been heavily depending on oral tradition which has loopholes. We need to know that human resources are the fast disappearing resource. So let’s take measures to transfer any Traditional Knowledge System from humans to lifelong digital devices.
“A lot of cultural invasion and corruption has been going on and the Ndau people are not immune. So I give a challenge to local to go around documenting every aspect of their culture so that the future will not blame you for betrayal,” concluded the Permanent Secretary.
Three universities in addition to various schools from Masvingo and Manicaland provinces exhibited at the festival. Also in attendance was the Provincial Administrator for Manicaland, Mr Edgars Seenza and a revered author of Ndau literature, Mrs Joyce Simango, who published a 90 page Ndau book titled “Zviuya zviri mberi” in 1974.