Lesedi Cultural Village

After leaving Maropeng, our minibus continued on to the Lesedi Cultural Village, where we were greeted by natives dressed in their tribes' traditional clothing. After a short introductory film, we followed our Zulu guide through the recreated villages.

Our guide was wonderful, informative, and funny. When asked what kind of skins he was wearing around his waist, he truthfully replied, "Polyester"! (They often use fake fur as some of the traditional skins would come from animals whose populations are decreasing.)

It was interesting to see the different styles of clothing and huts for each tribe. Mark likened the experience to an African "Old Sturbridge Village". In each village, natives of the tribe

were performing typical tasks.

After a Zulu maiden marries, she wears a special kind of hat and skirt to indicate her marital status.

The people performed their native dances for us in a huge grass hut called a boma. It was tricky to photograph because it was quite dark inside.

Very spirited and athletic, the energy level of the performers was amazing!



 

Then we all went into a large restaurant and were served a huge buffet filled with all kinds of African foods and wild game. Mark was an adventurous eater but I tried to stick with recognizable foods given my sensitive stomach!

 

The people at Lesedi from the different tribes take great pride in their cultural heritage and I really enjoyed my visit. You can actually stay there overnight as some of the huts have been converted to "hotel" rooms, and I think that would be an incredible experience.