Thirty young Zimbabwean performers are preparing to take the stage in China this year, in what organisers say is the clearest evidence yet of a decade-long cultural partnership built through the Dreamstar Zimbabwe talent platform.
The trip was confirmed on Thursday during the official launch of Dreamstar’s tenth season, held ahead of the competition’s grand finale in August. Managing Director Walter Chanaka said the tour reflects the sustained backing of the Chinese Embassy since the programme’s founding by China-Zimbabwe Exchange Centre founder Zhao Ke in 2015. “We extend our deepest gratitude to the Chinese Embassy, whose constant support has been the wind beneath our wings,” Chanaka said, describing the relationship as one that has grown well beyond the stage. He said past contestants have also benefited from full scholarships to study in China, with some pursuing careers in the arts and others moving into different professional fields altogether. “This is cultural diplomacy in action,” he said, framing the tour as one strand of a broader exchange that has already shaped the lives of thousands of young Zimbabweans who have passed through the platform over the past ten years.
Technical Director Tashinga Madzamba said preparing performers for a stage of that scale requires more than vocal or dance ability, and forms part of the reason Dreamstar has invested heavily in exposing contestants to demanding production environments at home first. “Success in today’s entertainment industry requires much more than talent,” he said, pointing to skills such as stage awareness, camera performance and adapting to complex technical settings as essential groundwork before artists travel abroad. He said the approach was designed with international opportunities such as the China tour specifically in mind. “Whether they perform in regional festivals, international competitions, television productions or major concerts, they will carry with them the confidence that comes from having performed in a technically demanding environment,” Madzamba said, adding that the investment extends far beyond a single night of performance.
Creative Director Mongameli Dhlamini said the choreography being developed for this year’s finalists draws directly on the spirit of the exchange with China, blending local tradition with influences from beyond Zimbabwe’s borders. “We are drawing from the spirit of cultural exchange championed by the China Zimbabwe Exchange Centre, blending local traditions with global contemporary influences to create a visual spectacle that is uniquely ours, yet universally compelling,” he said. Dhlamini, who also serves as Deputy General Manager at Jacaranda Culture and Media Corporation, said the goal was to ensure performers carry a distinctly Zimbabwean identity with them wherever they travel. “We are not just creating movement, we are sculpting performers,” he said.
Organisers say the China tour will run alongside preparations for the domestic grand finale, scheduled for 25 August at the 7 Arts Theatre, where this year’s ten finalists will share the stage with Dreamstar alumni before the touring group departs.
