Members of the Zimbabwe-based cultural group, Hwananda Group, were applauded by many for their outstanding performance during the cultural festival that was held at the Louis Trichardt Rugby Stadium last Saturday. This internationally known cultural group came into the country to form part of the Heritage Month celebrations.
According to Lindiwe Makoni of the Zimbabwean Tourism Association, the group wanted to promote itself in South Africa while at the same time celebrating their heritage. "We realised that our culture is interrelated with the Vhembe culture, so we decided to come and showcase our culture here," she said.
She added that the Vhembe cultural groups are also going to be invited to Zimbabwe for a week-long tourism exhibition in Harare that starts on October 8. The group that came into the country with a delegation of 20 people is based in Harare. It performed the Dhine dance, a harvest celebration dance as well as a Mbende dance that is danced by men and women.
A well-known Zimbabwean singer, Victor Kuroga, also performed during the festival. The group has also performed in many countries that include China, Germany, Denmark, France, Algeria, Egypt and Norway.
Mr Linnot Limbo, a group leader, said that South Africa was a nice country and they wanted to come back to perform. "The culture is interesting here. It is more interrelated to what we do in Zimbabwe, so we feel at home, away from home," he added. He said that the Zimbabwean government contributed towards their travel costs when they went out to perform.