Harare — The  sixth Jikinya Traditional Dance Festival provincial competitions begin on November 16 with the national final scheduled for November 24 at the 7 Arts Theatre in Avondale, Harare.

The Festival is largely a dance competition for primary schools where pupils showcase various traditional dances whose origins can be traced to any of the ethnic groups in Zimbabwe. This year's theme - Traditional Dance: Our Heritage, Our Pride - is meant to encourage young children to appreciate the rich cultural heritage reflected through traditional dance.

Last Friday Matabeleland South set the ball rolling when primary school children met at St Christopher's School, Gwanda while Bulawayo's contest set for McDonald Hall in Mzilikazi takes place on November 9. Kusile Hall in Lupane hosts the Matabeleland North contest on November 15 with the remaining provinces holding their contests on November 16. The venues for the contests are Border Gezi Training Centre in Mt Darwin for Mashonaland Central, Masvingo Civic Centre, and Zimasco for Midlands, Dangamvura Beit Hall for Manicaland, Nehanda Hall for Mashonaland East while the venue for Harare and Chitungwiza is yet to be advised.

Open to any school registered with the Ministry of Education, Sport and Culture, the festival started with zonal, districts and then provincial festivals, which culminate in the national finals. The festival has generated much interest among both pupils and teachers in primary schools around the country and has seen an emergence of a future generation prepared to promote, advance and preserve the rich cultural heritage that Zimbabweans pride themselves in.

Winners at both provincial and national finals will receive substantial amounts of prize money and floating shields plus many other individual prizes, courtesy of Delta Corporation.