mbulelo smpofu
Sipepisiwe Moyo, moyosipepisiwe@gmail.com
VISITORS flying into Zimbabwe had a taste of the country’s culture, and this was particularly evident at Joshua Mqabuko Nkomo International Airport yesterday.
With each flight landing at the airport, visitors to Zimbabwe experienced a royal welcome as Khaya Arts sang and danced for them.
Their colourful outfits brought festive cheer to visitors, leading them in traditional dances such as Isitshikitsha and Muchongoyo. Some visitors could not resist joining in the dances.
This was part of a drive by the Ministry of Tourism and Hospitality Industry and the Zimbabwe Tourism Authority, collaborating to welcome visitors at all points of entry through the “The Meet and Greet Programme”.
Some lucky visitors were given national dress fabric as they were greeted by Tourism and Hospitality Deputy Minister, Tongai Mnangagwa, who was present to welcome the visitors at Joshua Mqabuko Nkomo International Airport.
The initiative sought to provide incoming visitors with information on tourism and accommodation facilities available across the country.
Many visitors expressed their excitement about returning home. Michelle Dube, a Zimbabwean based in East London, South Africa, shared her anticipation.
“I can’t wait to get home and eat our traditional food. It’s been a long time since I last heard some of the songs, which the group here is singing, and I am reminded of how good and peaceful our country is,” she said.
Another visitor, Nozipho Ndlovu, who flew in from South Africa, shared that meeting the cultural group was a wonderful experience for her.
“I had seen cultural groups perform before and loved the showcase of our traditional dances, but this was my first time seeing a performance at the airport and I liked it. This performance reminded me of how good it is to be back home,” she shared.
Rumbidzai Muzhange, who also came from Durban, expressed her excitement and sang along with Khaya Arts.
“This was very exciting, ‘kumnandi.’ I did not expect to find people from the tourism ministry welcoming us, let alone a traditional dance group. I enjoyed the performance, and I took it to be a free Christmas gift,” she said.
Speaking on behalf of Khaya Arts, Hazel Zigandi, the group’s secretary, said they were grateful to have been considered to join hands with the Ministry of Tourism in welcoming the visitors.
“We were grateful, and we felt honoured to be chosen to showcase our culture to the tourists through song and dance. As Khaya Arts, we were proud of our culture and being there meant a lot to the growth and level of the group.
“Most visitors were excited to see us, as some were even joining us on the dance floor. Some of them were taking videos and sharing them with others who were not there. This also helped in marketing the group,” she said.
In an interview, Deputy Minister Tongai Mnangagwa said it was important to give visitors a taste of Zimbabwean culture as they entered the country.
“As we welcomed and greeted visitors, we let them taste our culture through song and dance. This was very important because Bulawayo is the cultural hub of Zimbabwe, and therefore visitors should instantly meet the cultural groups upon arrival.
“Another thing is that you would find that most visitors had never seen cultural groups performing live, and this would always be a highlight of their visit to Zimbabwe. They would go back and share the experience with their families back home, and this may also encourage more visitors to come. That was why we included cultural groups in the Meet and Greet Programme.The group showcased our culture, and all their dances were traditional, giving a true African feel to the visitors.
“We also wanted our visitors, especially the diasporans, to explore different tourist sites and contribute to the economic growth of our country. The main aim was to meet and greet all the tourists, and the largest group we saw was Zimbabweans coming back for the holidays. We encouraged them to visit Matopos, Nyanga, Great Zimbabwe and other iconic sites, to help boost our economy,” he said.
“We were at every point of entry across the country as ‘Team Tourism,’ encouraging them to visit their places of interest with their loved ones to ensure that our economy could benefit from their homecoming,” he said.
Deputy Minister Mnangagwa said that from his engagements with visitors, many of them were also excited about the national fabric, which they were marketing. Some of the lucky visitors received the national dress fabric as a gift.
