17 Oct 2017

At first, Hosanna dancing and singing seemed to be a move born out of desperation for 32-year-old Kefilwe Mokhenyembula of Francistown.

Slowly, people started to appreciate her performance, skill and talent of Hosanna cultural dancing and singing.

Mokhenyembula, who is the leader of Makole-E-Vula group, said in an interview that following support from the public, she was determined to group some Francistown youth to establish a Hosanna dance group.

She explained that her efforts to establish the group bore fruit as she managed to attract 32 youths and managed to establish the group  in January last year.

Explaining the name Makole-E-Vula, she said the Hosanna dance was a popular Kalanga dance used during rituals to pray  for rain hence their name which literally means rain clouds.

She said after the official registration of their association, they did not look back but set themselves goals that they needed to follow in order for them to become legends in their chosen field.

Mokhenyembula pointed out that they desired to be role models to those behind them as well as a challenge to those who were already taking part in the Hosanna dance.

The group leader explained that the establishment of the group was also a move to try to preserve the Hosanna culture for the next generation since the dance was slowly being eroded.

According to Mokhenyembula, the group continues to make a significant change in the lives of participants.

She emphasised that they meet every day in the evening for practices, and that this has kept them busy and helped them stay away from unbecoming behaviour that could negatively impact on their well-being.

Furthermore, she stated that they were sometimes hired to perform at wedding ceremonies, parties and other occasions.

The income they generate helps them as they share the money  equally to try to  make ends meet.

She said it was one way to tackle the worrisome issue of unemployment, which affects the youth most.
 

The group participated in the Presidential Arts Competitions in Masunga under the Hosanna dance category and they managed to attain position seven out of 27 groups.

“We never gave up despite the fact that we were not fortunate to progress to the next level. We were pleased that we managed to beat a large number of groups who were already established in the industry,” she said.

Mokhenyembula attributed their win to the time and energy they devoted during trainings.

She said they were working diligently in preparation for the next coming Presidential Arts Competitions.

She advised the youth that they needed to take advantage of their God-given talent and make a living through it.

Highlighting on the challenges they faced as a group, Mokhenyembula lamented the lack of funds to acquire the necessary Hosanna resources.

She stated that despite the challenges, they were not discouraged and were motivated to achieve their intended goals and ambitions. ENDS