Dancing into victory

With rhythmic drumbeats and powerful footwork, the girls’ school dance team commanded the stage at this year’s UMISSETA national arts and sports competition, clinching first place in the Arusha region and ranking third overall in Tanzania’s traditional dance category.

UMISSETA (Umoja wa Michezo na Sanaa kwa Shule za Sekondari Tanzania, or Union of Sports and Arts for Secondary Schoolsin Tanzania) is a major national event that brings together secondary school students from across the country. Organised by the Ministry of Education, the competition aims to identify and nurture young talent in both sports and the performing arts.

Led by their squad captain, Faith, a Form 4 student and entertainment prefect at The School of St Jude, the 25-member team advanced through the different stages of the competition with unwavering dedication.

“This competition started in May and we started at the regional level, where we had a competition with other districts in Arusha. We had two districts competing, Mount Meru District and Arusha City. It was here that we qualified to go to the national level,” says Faith.

Rehearsals started back in March, with Mr Samson, the school’s music and arts teacher and team coach, organising twice-weekly after-school practices as they prepared two traditional dances.

“Each school has to prepare two traditional dances, one from their own region and one from another part of Tanzania. As a group we picked the two we wanted - we chose a local Datoga dance from Arusha and the second was the Msolopa dance from the Mwera tribe in the Mtwara region,” says Mr Samson.

The national competition took place in late June and saw the team face off against representatives from 25 regions across Tanzania. Their remarkable third-place finish highlighted not only their dedication and skill but also marked a historic first for Tanzania’s northern region.

“It’s the first time Arusha has brought this trophy back here. In fact, no other region in the northern part of Tanzania has ever brought this trophy home. We are proud to be the first,” continues Mr Samson. 

“When they were announcing the results, they started from the bottom and went to the top; by the time we reached the top five, we hadn’t heard our name and thought they may have forgotten us. But then we got to the top three and heard our names called and we couldn’t believe it.”

Faith recalls the team bursting into cheers and excited squeals as their achievement was announced.

“Everybody was cheering and yelling. We were so happy and were very proud,” says Faith.

“I want to say thank you to everyone who was happy about our news. It shows that you really love us and you really support us. I say thank you to everyone who was really committed and happy about our results.”

The award was formally presented at a national ceremony by Honourable Dr Festo John Dugange, Tanzania’s Deputy Minister of Health under the President’s Office for Regional Administration and Local Government.

For Mr Samson, the experience meant far more than trophies and ranking.

“It’s not just about the trophy or the ranking; my favourite part was seeing these students so happy when the results were announced. I also loved seeing how much their confidence has grown. After all, it is the happiness of teachers to see their students succeed.”