Where Are Rural Festivals?
FESTIVALS are carnivals that are put up to celebrate human life and human experiences. These are events which define communities and help to highlight their united human spirit. They are a physical representation of the community’s souls. Humans are social beings, they like to gather and exhibit their unique forms and behaviours. It is these colourful characters that attract us to each other. It is important that as communities we gather and celebrate who we are, our achievements and our aspirations.
In Zimbabwe today it is disturbing to realise that there are few rural festivals that are taking place. In Matabeleland North we have had the Pupu Festival, a brainchild of the theatre don Cont Mhlanga. Its location is of paramount importance as Pupu area holds a central place in the history of the Ndebele Nation. It is the last known place where king Lobengula was last seen and where the team of white soldiers that was in his pursuit was annihilated by the brave Ndebele warriors in the early 1890s. It is appropriate to then view the Pupu Festival as a celebration of history and a celebration of the Ndebele Kingship which was never vanquished by the White settlers. Ndebeles take pride in that and hence the idea of Pupu Festival. But if one has to pose a question, Is Pupu Festival a rural festival? Who are the centre of attraction during that festival, is it the local Pupu community or outsiders coming into the community, celebrating and then leaving after a few days with the local community playing the role of spectators?
In Zimbabwe we need pure rural festivals organised by the community leaders that reside in those communities. Community members have to take leading roles. The program should be by the community and for the community. The events must be fully home grown. These rural communities are clear as to what they want to celebrate and when. In the 1980s at Ndawana Area there used to be a rainmaking ceremony that was organised by the community elders. There was a team of Hosana dancers led by one Baluzi. A date was set around September/October for the Hosana dancers to gather at Umtolo tree and perform their rituals. The day was preceded by a lot of activities which included the cleansing of the bushes, brewing of traditional beer by locals and preparing of the ritual area around Umtolo tree. The event was an attraction year in and year out. The team of Hosana dancers exhibited unsurpassed dancing skills for two days non-stop. This was one rural festival organised by the community for the community needs. It resonated with the life of Ndawana community and the surrounding communities. It used to attract visitors from far and wide. One can dismiss it as a simple rainmaking ceremony but because of the spectacle that went with it, it was some form of a festival done within the paradigms of traditional rainmaking ritual. It exhibited raw traditional dance talent. The choreography was high end. The costumes were appropriate and their smell blended well with the environment and the sweaty dancers. It was a rainmaking festival curated by the elders for the community. Those who witnessed these rainmaking gatherings will acknowledge that these hard all the ingredients of a festival as we know them today. Traditional beer and meat were central to the event. People ate and celebrated their undiluted culture. Sometimes these Festivals ended with children playing in the rains and adults disappearing behind green bushes to thank the gods in their own adult ways.
Rural Festivals can unearth some of our norms and customs that we have lost. These can be revived through these festivals. They will also help unearth raw and untapped talent. Rural festivals will contribute to development of rural communities in the area of creative industries. Once community members have these festivals to look forward to they will be forced to form traditional groups and practice their art. This will also lead to improved livelihoods as these can be contracted by different organisations to carry other developmental projects within the community. Rural festivals will also act as source of the most needed entertainment within rural communities. There is lack of entertainment and this has seen a lot of criminal activities escalating in some communities. These festivals will also contribute a lot when it comes to social cohesion and fostering community unity and development. Where these festivals are successful, they will contribute to local tourism and hence contributing to employment creation.
Maybe what needs to be done is to have traditional leadership taking a leading role in making sure that their communities preserve their cultural norms, stories and promote their cultural sites by coming up with community based festivals. Rural Festivals are the only way which can help to promote rural communities and give them something to celebrate who they are. These can help transform rural communities. What is important is for these festivals and events to be home grown. There is no need for someone to come from Harare or Bulawayo to start the initiative. The initiatives should be by locals for locals. This might also boost arts and culture within the local primary and secondary schools as these are part of the communities that they are found within.
Thabani Moyo writes in his personal capacity. The views shared here are his.
