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…
It is my pleasure to introduce myself as Patrick Thwala. I live at Nhlazatshe no 6 and am a young farmer in Elukwatini, Mpumalanga, where EarthLore works. Throughout my childhood, I was passionate about bees. As a child, I spent countless hours observing their behaviour and learning about their critical…
Joyful celebration and resilience are apt words to describe the annual Bikita Seed and Food Fair, hosted this year by Chirambaguyo Garden, Mutsinzwa village. A large gathering of more than 780 people arrived at the venue on 5 September 2024, slightly down on the 800 plus people who attended last…
On 5 September 2024, EarthLore gathers together farmers, friends and family, traditional leaders, government officials, partners, the media, supporters and allies, for the Bikita Seed and Food Fair, where our theme this year is Celebrating the Resilience of Traditional Seeds. The event will be hosted by Chirambaguyo Garden in the…
As a traditional healer and sangoma, it has been painful for Xolisile Themba to observe how residents have polluted the Eskubeni river, a tributary of the Inkomazi River that flows through Steenbok. Many traditional healing ceremonies and rituals take place in rivers and streams. In addition to being the…
March 2024 was a busy month for sangoma Xolosile ‘Xoli’ Themba, who is EarthLore’s main link with the work in Steenbok. At last, after 27 years, the community of Steenbok had agreed to revive the Ihhula (marula) ceremony, also known locally as Emaganu and Ubuganu. The Marula tree has deep…
During 2023, EarthLore successfully celebrated the Year of the Millets, declared by the UN Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) with many activities, celebrations and ceremonies focused on millet and its diverse properties and uses. Millet, particularly Finger millet, is considered a sacred seed and communities along the millet belt in…
On the day after the Mazwimba Seed and Food Fair on 12 October 2023, there was great excitement about the planned visit to Lake Fundudzi, an important Sacred Natural Site for the Venda people. The visit was led by Vhutshilo Netshiavha from the Tshiavha community, a young man from…
A major highlight of this year’s Mazwimba Seed and Food Fair, in October 2023, in the South African province of Limpopo, was the opportunity for farmers to display produce from their fields and gardens together with wild fruits, foods, herbs and medicinal plants. There were a few displays of individual…
