A NEW dance competition WoKadzi that had been pencilled for this year has been pushed to next year due to the effects of Covid-19 pandemic.
The competition, a brainchild of United Kingdom-based creative Enisia Mashusha from Mambokadzi group, is meant to cushion local female dancers in the wake of the pandemic.
“Female artists are the most affected group in the wake of Covid-19 pandemic. Generally, our society favours the boy child hence we are coming in to try and address the imbalance by presenting some of the opportunities to the girl child,” Mashusha said.
The dance competition on the cards will run under different themes, ranging from gender-based violence (GBV), child marriages, environmental justice and brain drain among others.
“I have already engaged the best brains in the land on this initiative. It is my wish the competition will go a long way in promoting the girl child,” she said.
Popular for leading Mambokadzi, an all-conquering female ensemble back then, Mashusha said dance plays an important role in people’s lives and health.
“Dance is our escape, it is our refuge. It’s our mental therapy and physical celebration of our pain. Dance is our protest. It is our expression of the freedom we have never known; dance is our language and medium communication. We shall simply celebrate, tell our tale of pain, joy, fear, excitement, worry, anxiety and lack of breath through our great stage performances,” Mashusha said.
The show comes at a time when women pressure groups such as the Musasa Project have recorded over 1 000 cases of GBV during the national coronavirus lockdown period alone.