About
In Chivanhu culture, Ndima refers to a woman’s rightful inheritance—her ancestral connection to land, lineage, and legacy. Ndima YaMai reclaims this inheritance through ritual performance, reconnecting us to the land, to ancestral practices, and to one another.
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This work honors the sacred roles of Zimbabwean women and the rituals that only they perform. It serves an invocation—confronting trauma, fostering healing, and restoring power.
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Through movement, voice, and collective memory, Ndima YaMai reflects pathways to liberation. It reaffirms women’s spiritual authority and cultural sovereignty, reminding us of the sacred inheritance that lives within every Zimbabwean woman.
About The Co-creators Soukaina and Rujeko
Rujeko
Dumbutshena
Rujeko is a Zimbabwean born dancer, teacher, cultural arts community organizer, and performing artist of African dance practices. She received her MFA from the University of New Mexico and is currently an Assistant Professor of Dance at the University of Florida. Her creative research develops collaborative performances as ritual spaces for artistic embodiments of liberation. She conducts community based participatory research to promote sustainable development projects through cultural arts production. Rujeko has participated in artist residencies at Williams College, the University of Rochester, and Duke University. She was an original ensemble member in Bill T. Jones’ Broadway musical FELA!
Soukaina
Marie-Laure Edom
Soukaina Marie-Laure EDOM trained in Guadeloupe (FWI) and continued with the “Académie Internationale de la Danse” (AID) in Paris, France, then in New York City at the Alvin Ailey Dance Centre and Joffrey Ballet School. She is presently the Founder/ Director of AfriKera Arts Trust; and of The Arts Gathering (TAG) Festival and served as the Dance Curator for the Harare International Festival of the Arts (HIFA). She has a Master in Arts & Culture Management from the Rome Business School and certificates from Université Senghor/ Alexandria - Egypt, on management of cultural activities and facilities.