Arts View with Thabani H Moyo
Shangano Trust is located in the small mining town of Hwange in Matabeleland North. Hwange is a culturally rich district that is occupied by the Nambya,
Arts View with Thabani H Moyo
Shangano Trust is located in the small mining town of Hwange in Matabeleland North. Hwange is a culturally rich district that is occupied by the Nambya, Ndebele, Tonga Nyanja and Shona people.
It offers a range of cultural industries. It is these cultural industries that Shangano Trust has set out to promote in the semi neglected region of Matabeleland North.
“As Shangano Trust we set out to empower rural arts groups and individual artists,” says Petros Ndlovu the director of the Trust.
Shangano Trust’s main thrust is to promote and preserve the indigenous intangible and tangible cultural heritage. Shangano is borrowed Nambya and means ‘a meeting place’.
When asked to explain why the name Shangano Petros had this to say:
“Our organisation works in a multicultural space of Matabeleland North Province and it is a unifier of people coming from different ethnic backgrounds. We bring them together through various artistic and cultural activities.”
The Trust is also involved in projects that are aimed at empowering the disadvantaged groups in Matabeleland North Province and beyond. In 2020 when Covid-19 gripped the country women faced a lot of challenges when the world came to a standstill. Shangano Trust came up with a workshop to empower young women during the times of the epidemic.
The workshop had its spotlight on issues of gender based violence and sexual harassment.
“It is through workshop like these that we can empower young women artists and women in general,” affirms Ndlovu.
The Trust invited experts to interface with women and give them expert advice on how issues of gender based violence and sexual harassment can be tackled.
The trust has taken advantage of the power of arts to make an effort to bring about behaviour change and social change within Hwange District and its surrounding areas. “The arts are interactive, participatory and entertaining. It becomes easier to spread awareness messages through the arts. This way we will be using the arts as a tool for bringing about change,” observes Ndlovu.
One of the major activities that the trust is known for is Shangano Arts Festival. It is a growing festival. Every year the festival gains traction.
“We have managed to hold the festival in different areas. We have held it at Lukosi, Victoria Falls, Tsholotsho, Binga and Lupane. This is how we can make the festival a true Matabeleland North Festival. We want everyone in the Province to be associated with the Festival. It is their festival,” Ndlovu passionately elaborates.
Shangano Festival is how communities in Matabeleland North can celebrate who they are through music, theatre, dance, film, crafts, fashion and everything and anything that helps to define these indigenous communities.
It is hoped that Shangano Trust will make a major contribution to the tourism sector. Its activities can be major drivers of rural tourism in Matabeleland North. Rural tourism can in turn contribute towards employment creation for young people in the province.
Since the coming of Covid-19 and its restrictions Shangano Trust has come up with online projects that are aimed at empowering artists.
These platforms have connected artists all over the globe. The platforms have helped in bringing some of the arts gurus closer to the young and upcoming artists.
On these platforms they get tips on how to turn their talents into sustainable business models. Some of the notable arts gurus on these platforms include the fountain of arts knowledge Khulu Cont Mhlanga, theatre guru Daves Guzha, Washington Masenda, Daniel Maphosa and many more.
, Tonga Nyanja and Shona people.
It offers a range of cultural industries. It is these cultural industries that Shangano Trust has set out to promote in the semi neglected region of Matabeleland North.
“As Shangano Trust we set out to empower rural arts groups and individual artists,” says Petros Ndlovu the director of the Trust.
Shangano Trust’s main thrust is to promote and preserve the indigenous intangible and tangible cultural heritage. Shangano is borrowed Nambya and means ‘a meeting place’.
When asked to explain why the name Shangano Petros had this to say:
“Our organisation works in a multicultural space of Matabeleland North Province and it is a unifier of people coming from different ethnic backgrounds. We bring them together through various artistic and cultural activities.”
The Trust is also involved in projects that are aimed at empowering the disadvantaged groups in Matabeleland North Province and beyond. In 2020 when Covid-19 gripped the country women faced a lot of challenges when the world came to a standstill. Shangano Trust came up with a workshop to empower young women during the times of the epidemic.
The workshop had its spotlight on issues of gender based violence and sexual harassment.
“It is through workshop like these that we can empower young women artists and women in general,” affirms Ndlovu.
The Trust invited experts to interface with women and give them expert advice on how issues of gender based violence and sexual harassment can be tackled.
The trust has taken advantage of the power of arts to make an effort to bring about behaviour change and social change within Hwange District and its surrounding areas. “The arts are interactive, participatory and entertaining. It becomes easier to spread awareness messages through the arts. This way we will be using the arts as a tool for bringing about change,” observes Ndlovu.
One of the major activities that the trust is known for is Shangano Arts Festival. It is a growing festival. Every year the festival gains traction.
“We have managed to hold the festival in different areas. We have held it at Lukosi, Victoria Falls, Tsholotsho, Binga and Lupane. This is how we can make the festival a true Matabeleland North Festival. We want everyone in the Province to be associated with the Festival. It is their festival,” Ndlovu passionately elaborates.
Shangano Festival is how communities in Matabeleland North can celebrate who they are through music, theatre, dance, film, crafts, fashion and everything and anything that helps to define these indigenous communities.
It is hoped that Shangano Trust will make a major contribution to the tourism sector. Its activities can be major drivers of rural tourism in Matabeleland North. Rural tourism can in turn contribute towards employment creation for young people in the province.
Since the coming of Covid-19 and its restrictions Shangano Trust has come up with online projects that are aimed at empowering artists.
These platforms have connected artists all over the globe. The platforms have helped in bringing some of the arts gurus closer to the young and upcoming artists.
On these platforms they get tips on how to turn their talents into sustainable business models. Some of the notable arts gurus on these platforms include the fountain of arts knowledge Khulu Cont Mhlanga, theatre guru Daves Guzha, Washington Masenda, Daniel Maphosa and many more.
