By Martin Muleya
(Zimbabwe) – Preparations for the Matendera festival are now at an advanced stage with a fundraising dinner dance expected this Friday in Murambinda at Paradise Motel where various dignitaries and legislators are expected to attend.
Matendera festival will be held on August 29 and it is an annual event meant to promote domestic tourism. This year’s commemorations will be held under the theme “Tourism and community development”.
In an interview National Museums and Monuments eastern region marketing Officer Lloyd Makonya said the festival comes handy as it is in line with the national tourism blueprint that seeks to develop community based tourism.
“What we are doing is want to promote our national monument in Buhera as well as conscientise our communities on the need to safeguard our heritage.
“So to come up with a successful event we have organized a fundraising dinner that seeks to mobilise funds that will go towards the organisation of the festival”, said Makonya.
Although the Matendera Festival is an annual event, Makonya admitted that it had never got the intended publicity that it desires hence the need to have a dinner dance that will act as a dress rehearsal for the big event that is expected to be graced by the honourable Vice President Joice Mujuru.
Matendera National Monument is situated approximately 50km south east of Murambinda Growth Point and the ruins are constructed on top of a dome shaped granite outcrop.
The structures are constructed in the Great Zimbabwe Tradition architectural styles that include dressed stone walls, herringbone and dentelle decorations, and monoliths. The monument is arguably the largest of its type found in the province.
“As an organisation we are working together with Buhera Rural District Council (BRDC) in whose district the monuments are situated as well as Zimbabwe Tourism Authority (ZTA.) Buhera District is situated on the middle veld with most of it lying on the edge of the Zimbabwe Plateau.
The district has predominantly rural Shona African populations practicing subsistence agriculture and domestic animal rearing.
Subsistence crops that are cultivated in this district include the drought resistant millets and sorghum which are more preferred than maize because of low rainfall” he concluded.
It is envisaged that with the rich cultural resource that the district is endowed with, the festival will become a vital component of the greater cultural landscape.
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