National Arts Council of Zimbabwe announces Culture Week dates

The event will be held virtually and feature showcases including music, dance, film, theatre, visual arts, literature, poetry and comedy. It will be broadcast on TV, radio and social media.

The weeklong programme will take place concurrently in Zimbabwe’s 10 provinces and will run under the theme, Resilience in Safeguarding Creativity and Cultural Diversity.

“The theme is based on the recognition that while the cultural and creative sector has been severely affected by the global COVID-19 pandemic, it has remained resilient and therefore Culture Week provides an opportunity to celebrate and promote creativity and cultural diversity,” NACZ communications and marketing manager Rodney Ruwende said.

Ruwende said the NACZ had begun mobilising various stakeholders and structures to prepare for the annual event, which would be held online for a second year in line with government restrictions on gatherings.

“Culture Week is this year being celebrated to bring social cohesion and integration through the arts and culture in the face of COVID-19 and its associated lockdown measures, which lead to the isolation of families and cultural practices,” Ruwended said.

The concept of Culture Week is drawn from UNESCO’s 2001 Universal Declaration on Cultural Diversity, which in 2001 proclaimed 21 May as World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development.

Ruwended said: “Zimbabwe expanded on this day to Culture Week, which seeks to celebrate the world’s diverse cultures. The week provides an opportunity for Zimbabweans to flaunt their intangible and tangible cultural heritage forms that need to be preserved for posterity.”

Last year, Google celebrated Zimbabwe’s national instrument, the mbira, as part of Culture Week, with an interactive Google Doodle video that allows people around the world to play and learn about the instrument.