‘Rekindling of Culture’ Project Breathes New Life into Local Traditions

EXPERTS have praised the “rekindling of culture” project launched on Tuesday, saying it will help elevate local culture.

Through the project, 10 tribes with their languages were represented through fashion art pieces which expressed the way of life of each tribe by their different designs and colour compilation.

The National Coordinator for Mwanawevhu Culture for Economic Development Adonia Maphosa said it was important for the identity of Zimbabweans as a nation and not individual tribes.

“I think for me, the most important thing I discovered when we were moving across the country was that as individual groups within Zimbabwe, all we are crying for is to be seen and heard.

So I think we can move forward as a united front, The main aim was to identify culture, to know who we are not only as a tribe but as Zimbabweans,” he said.

In an interview with our reporter Prince Meke, National Vice Chairperson for Mwanawevhu Culture 4ED, Duncan Shereni, said Masvingo was a huge platform for fashion as the traditional garments presented were of international standards.

“Masvingo has a rich tapestry in culture and holds a huge platform internationally in terms of heritage. I always say that when we talk of culture, we should say South Africa, Kenya, Malawi and Great Zimbabwe because we can make it a big, efficient capital to the world,” he said.

Shereni said the project was vital also as it was a milestone that displayed the talents of the various creatives.

“I think it is a milestone event in the sense of uniting various creatives and most of these creatives that were involved in this project. It shows that we have a lot of talent.

So it is key that we start to incorporate our culture into our fashion to make sure that we export that and follow that into income for the people,” he said.

One of the sponsors, Memo Designs, owner Memory Tinamo, said it would continue supporting the project as it engaged the youth in cultural relations.

“So for us as traditional fashion company, we continue to support this project because of how valuable we see it to be in Zimbabwean culture and also how it also aligns with working with the youth in culture and just our cultural relations with community,” Timanu said.

“I think that this is a very significant project towards our culture and preservation of some of the art forms of our culture in terms of fashion and also a modern interpretation of how it looks today.”