Steve Ephraem is a passionate Zimbabwean film producer and communications expert with over 25 years of experience. Through his productions, he champions sustainable community development, focusing on community-based natural resource management, climate justice, disability inclusion and the promotion of cultural tourism. His work leverages the power of storytelling to drive cultural and environmental change.
Category: Year of Rituals
Business Wave Africa News: Bikita youth adopt Jaka, small grains
Business Wave Africa News: Svoboda steals the limelight at Bikita Seed and Food Festival
Business Wave Africa News: Return to traditional seed keeping: Earthlore Foundation
One Woman’s Vision Builds Community and Heals the Land
Thandi Mkhonto’s story My name is Thandi Mkhonto. I am a farmer and I live in Julius Mkhonto, Elukwatini, Mpumalanga, South Africa. I am passionate about farming and I try to make a positive difference in my community. Before EarthLore came to Elukwatini, we used to have so many challenges.…
2024 – A Year of Significant Milestones
Who could have imagined that a seed smaller than mustard would contribute to the revival of important rituals and ceremonies that have been dormant for a total of over 200 years! When Finger millet, or Rukweza in Shona, was revived with other millets as a staple crop in Bikita, Zimbabwe,…
First Uluma (first fruits) ceremony in Tshiavha, Venda, South Africa, Blessed by Rain
In most cultures and traditions it is customary to give thanks before eating. The Uluma is an annual ceremony that gives thanks and asks for the blessings of the ancestors and opens the way for the whole community to harvest the crops in their fields for eating. For the first…
Suko Seed Blessing ritual, Venda
Suko Seed Blessing ritual revived in Mazwimba, Venda, after 40 years “Seeds hold great cultural significance by representing new beginnings and the promise of generous harvests. The purpose of this sacred seed blessing ceremony is to invoke, inform and request the ancestral spirits to bless the seed, to process the…
Ukwetfula and Ihhula Rituals to Celebrate and Prepare for the Harvest – Mpumalanga, South Africa
The following article is about events in March last year. We decided to publish it as the communities will be performing the Ihhula ritual on 18 February at Steenbok. In the heart of Elukwatini, a community, strongly connected to the Swati culture and proud of its heritage, is keeping…
HuMFOZ: How seed fairs help small scale farmers revive long lost, first generation seeds
