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[Information about the
2002 tour f rom
www.zimtalk.com
Inkululeko Yabatsha
School of Arts (IYASA) was formed in 1998 as Mpopoma High
School Drama Club. It grew to unprecedented heights in
Zimbabwean theater and could no longer be confined to the
original school. It then turned professional. Within a year
it had toured Swaziland, South Africa and Botswana. In the
third year it toured Seattle in the U.S.A. In the same year
it released a music cassette entitled Amunati Fela. In 2002
it worked on its second music release and launched its
Africana-Americano CD in New York during its 2002 U.S.A.
tour.
 IYASA
is currently operating five programs which are theater,
dance, music, workshops and poetry. Although these programs
can be treated separately, the group’s productions are
interdisciplinary and incorporate most of these programs in
a single production.
Theater – the
current play is Africana-Americano.
Dance – under the program title of Welcome to
Africa, IYASA does a routine of traditional dances from
Africa.
Music – currently IYASA has made two recordings,
Amunati Fela and Africana-Americano as sound tracks of its
productions.
Workshops – the program facilitates the sharing
of ideas and skills as the group conducts workshops in
African dances and drumming.
Poetry – there is also a poetry program which
often combines with drama skits especially for street
performances.
 Africana-Americano
is an intriguing music and dance love story. Africana is
born in a culturally rich African village. She grows to love
and appreciate her people’s music and dances. When she
flowers she meets Americano. They wed in the village and
leave for U.S.A. Will Africana survive the vicissitudes of a
post-modern space?
 The
cultural heritage dances that form part of IYASA’s
dance program are listed and explained briefly below. These
are high energy up-tempo entertaining dances suitable for
the family.
Muchongoyo
is a Shangani people’s dance found in the south-eastern
parts of Zimbabwe. It is a war dance that demonstrates
fighting skills. Warriors gather before their king and
demonstrate how they would fight in a war. This way the
warriors gain confidence and go into the war as a strong
force. There is also a version of this dance called
Muchongoyo Chingomana, which the warriors perform after
winning the war. This is a kind of a demonstration of how
the warriors were fighting.
Jerusarema
is found among the Zezuru people of central northern
Zimbabwe. The dance is basically an exhibition of sexual
prowess. Individual men and women boast of their sexual
prowess and challenge each other to a "contest". They then
dance the sexual encounter and, more often than not, the men
are defeated by their mates and they stagger away, ashamed
of themselves.
 Amabhiza
is a Ndebele people’s dance found in the south western
parts of Zimbabwe. The dancers play horses. The dance has
militaristic connotations as horses have at times been
associated with military expeditions.
Isitshikitsha
is originally a South African dance of the Zulu people. It
came into Zimbabwe through the northward migration of the
Ndebele people as they escaped Shaka Zulu’s empire to
found their own Ndebele Kingdom under Mzilikazi
kaMatshobana. In the original set-up the dance was performed
at the festival of the first fruits.
Contemporary
African Dance: IYASA also has a highly creative
repertoire of contemporary dances choreographed from the
heritage and other popular dances.
For more information, call
416-239-2057
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