Likoma crowns best traditional dancers

Despite making bold headlines for various letdowns, the Likoma Festival (Li-Fest) was a cultural exchange that never disappointed on traditional dances.

College Boma was crowned the best dance group for outsmarting three others after a thrilling contest that acted as a perfect dessert to a three-day carnival during the Easter weekend.

Disco, booze and live music performances characterised the event on Friday and Saturday. But Sunday was a slow day as a lot of revellers were spotted nursing hangovers.

And the traditional contest was the best tonic for them.

At 2pm, the curtain was raised. Daggers were drawn. And the rules were clear: the best group in dressing, time management, dancing styles, organisation and message would be crowned champions.

Zomba Boma, College Boma, Zululand and Yaya Boma took turns to showcase their dancing skills in malipenga and chioda. But the judges chose College Boma as the best whereas Zululand and Yaya Boma were tied on second position.

According to one of the organisers, Peter Chiwaula, the event was organised to celebrate culture.

“One of our core objectives is to preserve the island’s cultural heritage. We noticed that cultural values were eroding at the island and in most parts of the country. So, we just want to keep something for the future generation,” he said.

Chiwaula said they have put in place various strategies to make sure that such contests are organised on a regular basis.

“We can say we have exceeded expectations. To make it even bigger, we plan to introduce special weekends for traditional dance competitions especially during summer. We will be asking groups to compose new songs,” he said.

Winners went home with K15 000 whereas the second-placed were given K12 500.