A new tourism product, Kore Kore Cultural Village (KKCV) will showcase Zimbabwe’s cultural heritage and is set to be launched by year end in Chinhoyi in Mashonaland Central Province.

Work on the village, which was constructed by the Zimbabwe Tourism Authority (ZTA) and the local community, is now complete. There are traditionally built, thatched and decorated huts (kitchen and bedrooms) with floors made from cow dung; traditional granaries; cattle kraals; and fowl runs. Traditional cooking utensils and cutlery, mortar and pestle and a quern-stone (used for hand grinding) are used at the site.

There are also displays of cultural music and dances at the village.

KKCV Chairperson, Francis Nyahwa, says: “We want to showcase… how we live in a traditional way without the inclusion of any Western civilisation. We are packaging our culture as a tourism product that must be enjoyed by tourists without even reference to any physical features or wildlife. We want tourists to appreciate Zimbabwean culture and visit us for that.

“Tourists can actually participate in whatever is being done at the village,” adds Nyahwa

ZTA Director of Domestic Tourism and Strategic Research, Sophie Zirebwa, says the KKCV has been established to diversify tourist attractions in Chinhoyi. “Instead of tourists  coming to Chinhoyi to view the Chinhoyi Caves only, they can also spend more time in the town visiting the village.” She adds that KKCV “is a live-in village where tourists can book and spend some days at the village sleeping on the floor on reed mats, enjoying storytelling.”

Individuals and groups can be accommodated at the village.

Other attractions in Chinhoyi include Chinhoyi Caves and a recreational park with lions and other wild animals.