Langalakhe Mabena
Centre for Talent Development (CTD), has created the Arts in Education Festival, which will see the theatre organisation perform various Literature set books on the syllabus for Ordinary and Advanced level students.
The newly crafted festival, meant to equip both Ndebele and English Literature candidates with a vivid picture of specific important scenes from the set books, will run from 23 to 27 September, with Eveline High school and Bulawayo Theatre hosting the activities.
For the festival, CTD partnered with the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education. Other partners are the authors of the works that we will be showcased. Ndebele set books that will be presented on the stage are Umhlaba Lo, Kodwa Mama as well as Ugqozi Lwezimbongi.
There will also be a thorough session on discussing thematic concerns as well as characters during the festival. Literature in English set books that will be portrayed on stage and presented include I Will Wait, Shadows on the Horizon, The Tribe of Graves and Every Stone That Turns – an anthropology by Thomas Bvuma.
To spice things up, the festival added an aspect of the History in Zimbabwe discourses as they will perform two plays based on the country’s history. These include King Lobengula (Colonisation of Zimbabwe) and Ihloka –The Ndebele Uprising Response to White Occupation.
Thabani Hilary Moyo, who is the co-founder and patron for CTD said the festival was conceived out of a passionate belief in the transformative power of arts and humanities in education.
“Recognising the crucial role that literature and history play in shaping critical thinking, cultural awareness and empathy, as the festival’s founders we seek to create an event that would bring these subjects to life for students, educators and the broader community.
“The festival was initiated to address gaps in the traditional curriculum, offering a more immersive and interactive approach to learning about literature and history. By focusing on Ndebele and English works, the festival highlights local cultural heritage while also engaging with the globe.
“The idea stems from a desire to create a community-centred event that encourages lifelong learning and fosters a love for the arts. By involving learners from various schools, local authors, historians and educators, the festival aims to build a bridge between academic knowledge and community experiences.
This Festival is also in line with the new thrust of the Heritage Based curriculum, which encourages learners to come up with projects, thus, the festival on its own gives learners innovative ideas,” said Moyo.
He said performance-based learning, particularly through watching plays and engaging with other art forms, has shown to be a highly effective educational approach, which helps learners remember important aspects of the set books.
“Watching plays and other performances transforms passive learning into active engagement. Students are not merely recipients of information; they become participants in the learning process.
Many students are visual and auditory learners, so performance-based learning caters to these learning styles by providing visual and auditory stimuli, which can help in better understanding and remembering content.
Discussing and analysing performances encourages students to think critically about what they have seen. They learn to interpret characters’ motivations, plot developments and underlying themes,” said Moyo. The festival is still open for sponsors and donors to come on board and make the event a success.
