The ManicaPost
Stephen Ephraem : Post Correspondent
CULTURAL centres or villages play a major role in linking the past with the present. Communities which have maintained their past history through establishment of cultural villages have a living testimony, a documented and exhibited history, that promotes global tourism.
| A cultural centre can be described as designated space where tourists visit to acquire an insight into how a particular people or ethnic group used to live in the past. Traditional aspects like dressing, food and family setup would be showcased. |
A cultural centre is a key infrastructure in tourism development since cultural tourism in Zimbabwe offers alternative holiday making to photographic and wildlife tourism. Currently, wildlife tourism is embroiled in a conflict of whether sport hunting should continue or not.
While the Government of Zimbabwe supports sport hunting under the concept of Communal Areas Management for Indigenous Resources (CAMPFIRE), green groups which advocate for the use camera lens to shoot animals than the bullet, are seriously opposing any trade in live wildlife or its products. They have been vocal on platforms like Convention of International Trade of Endangered Species (CITES).
Cultural tourism has no such conflict and is not affected by CITES. Also, cultural tourism is affordable to both domestic and international tourists. Wildlife tourists tend to visit cultural villages after experiencing the wild. Some tour operators have gone to the extent of partnering cultural villages to showcase local cultures.
In such arrangements, a cultural centre offers alternative accommodation to wildlife tourists in case they outnumber the safari operator’s lodges. Such arrangements are done with due care that the tour operator and the cultural village don’t end up killing each other’s business.
A cultural village helps market the arts and crafts industry. The villages can act as a centre for displaying sculpture, art and design, and artefacts. Usually, tourists want to return home with souvenirs. These can be in form of designer clothes (tie and dye), weavings, embroidery, metal work, pottery, handmade beads, paintings, sculpture and basketry. The creative industry thus benefits.
Last Friday a multi-cultural village was officially opened at Boli Mhlanguleni about 110km south of Chiredzi town by the deputy minister of Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services and Secretary of Gender and Culture in the Politburo Honourable Senator Thokozile Mathuthu. She was accompanied by Principal Director in the Ministry of Rural development, Preservation of Culture and Heritage Reverend Paul Damasane.
The cultural village which was constructed by Centre for Cultural Development Initiatives (also known as Gaza Trust) shall be a model for Tsonga communities around the Great Limpopo Transfrontier Conservation Areas (GLTCA) in Zimbabwe, Mozambique and South Africa.
Communities around the GLTCA comprise of the Tsonga, Venda and Ndau people. The communities have a rich cultural background which qualifies them for sustainable tourism.
The Tsonga multi-cultural centre is earmarked for identification, research, enhancement, protection, revitalisation, awareness, documentation and intergenerational transmission of the cultural heritage of the aforesaid communities in the three countries.
With a campsite, conference centre and crafts centre to be constructed, the cultural centre shall be a key spot for wildlife and cultural tourists in south eastern Zimbabwe. Tourists to Gonarezhou National Park, Malipati Conservation Area, and Navasha Conservation Area shall have a chance to experience cultural tourism at the centre.
Speaking at the official opening ceremony, Reverend Paul Damasane said that no culture is more important than another. He urged the Venda, Ndau and Tsonga people to be proud of their identity even in major cities like Harare and Bulawayo.
In her speech, Senator Mathuthu said: “It is encouraging that Tsonga communities are reviving their culture when most people are shunning their identity. I pay respect to Chief Sengwe and his people for maintaining their identity. The world shall flock to this place and therefore benefit our tourism.”
Senator Mathuthu concluded by encouraging people to desist from broadcasting unconfirmed news from social media platforms which has seen Zimbabwe painted negatively and said that such lies peddled via social media deter tourists from visiting the country.
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