Swaziland Day 4 – A cultural day
Written on March 19, 2010
After a couple of days spent doing some project planning for next week’s work we took a day to explore Swaziland. Mantenga Swazi Cultural Village is just minutes away from where we were staying so we decided to pay a visit and catch the morning dance performance – truly a sight and sound to behold.
Dance at Mantenga Swazi Cultural Village / Photo by Stephen Chapman
Following the performance we toured the village, learning about how men and women have separate areas and the wives have three kitchens, one of which is used solely for the preparation of beer! We also watched the grandmother weaving a grass mat and making an innovative use of old batteries.
Grandmother weaves grass mat in Mantenga Swazi Cultural Village / Photo by Stephen Chapman
From here we visited the Swazi candles workshop and Gone Rural, two great Swaziland products. The journey took us past Swazican, a canning factory that’s home to many of the Tesco tinned fruit products sold in the UK.
A drive out through Manzini took us into Game country. Hlane Royal National Park is one of three in Swaziland. We saw plenty of Gazelle and Impala on our way in to the camp.
Our accommodation for the night was in Bhubesi Camp about 20kms in along the dirt tracks which we booked through Swazi.Travel. These self catering lodges are located on the edge of a river and offer great opportunities for spotting/listening to the surrounding wildlife. We certainly heard the roar of a lion or two after darkness had fallen. Much of the evening was spent trying to light a fire outside in the fire pit using some damp wood, we had little success.
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Swaziland Day 4 – A cultural day
After a couple of days spent doing some project planning for next week’s work we took a day to explore Swaziland. Mantenga Swazi Cultural Village is just minutes away from where we were staying so we decided to pay a visit and catch the morning dance performance – truly a sight and sound to behold.
Dance at Mantenga Swazi Cultural Village / Photo by Stephen Chapman
Following the performance we toured the village, learning about how men and women have separate areas and the wives have three kitchens, one of which is used solely for the preparation of beer! We also watched the grandmother weaving a grass mat and making an innovative use of old batteries.
Grandmother weaves grass mat in Mantenga Swazi Cultural Village / Photo by Stephen Chapman
From here we visited the Swazi candles workshop and Gone Rural, two great Swaziland products. The journey took us past Swazican, a canning factory that’s home to many of the Tesco tinned fruit products sold in the UK.
A drive out through Manzini took us into Game country. Hlane Royal National Park is one of three in Swaziland. We saw plenty of Gazelle and Impala on our way in to the camp.
Our accommodation for the night was in Bhubesi Camp about 20kms in along the dirt tracks which we booked through Swazi.Travel. These self catering lodges are located on the edge of a river and offer great opportunities for spotting/listening to the surrounding wildlife. We certainly heard the roar of a lion or two after darkness had fallen. Much of the evening was spent trying to light a fire outside in the fire pit using some damp wood, we had little success.
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