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South African National Parks (SANParks) is starting Tourism Month with a Cultural and Spiritual Weekend at Mapungubwe National Park and World Heritage Site from 1 to 3 September. This is the second Cultural and Spiritual weekend that will be taking place in a national Park. The Mapungubwe Cultural Experience Lecture Series intends to celebrate the richness and diversity of South Africa”s cultural heritage.
A Cultural Festival will be held on 2 September where traditional dances will be performed by the communities that are culturally tied to the area. The festival will be opened by the Director of African World Heritage Fund, Dr Webber Ndoro who will conduct a lecture titled The Culture and History of Mapungubwe and its spiritual significance.
SANParks Managing Executive Tourism Development and Marketing, Hapiloe Sello states, “In 2016 we held our first ever weekend of African Spirituality at Golden Gate Highlands National Park. This year at Mapungubwe National Park our aim is to expose people to the different spiritual significance found in the national parks.”
“The Park not only offers traditional tourism experiences but also spiritual experiences, where this weekend SANParks hopes that invited guests will have an opportunity to connect their spirituality and heritage.”
As part of the celebrations, there will be a gathering at the sacred Mapungubwe Hill to perform a Spiritual Invocation called Mophatlho. Mophatlho is when a community elder who is also a traditional healer seeks permission to enter a sacred space and asks the ancestors for the protection and light.
Mapungubwe Hill is the site of an ancient southern African kingdom that traded with the east before mysteriously disappearing. The Mapungubwe Cultural Landscape is considered a consecrated place by many communities living in the Limpopo Province and across the border in Botswana and Zimbabwe. These communities have developed cultural traditions which they associate with the Mapungubwe Kingdom. These traditions include traditional dances that are unique to specific communities or areas in Limpopo.
The celebration of the Mapungubwe Kingdom would thus not be complete without performances by communities with cultural ties to the area. It will also include performances by a traditional contemporary music ensemble headlined by Azah. Azah”s divergent and all-encompassing musical vision uses organic, indigenous sounds across various genres with a strong focus on culture and spirituality. The lead singer is a cultural activist and their music is influenced by Malombo sounds and the Kiba expressions of the people of Northern South Africa.
The weekend also serves as an introduction to SANParks” annual campaign, South African National Parks Week which grants all South Africans an opportunity to access any national park of their choice for free. This year”s campaign runs from 18 to 22 September.
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South African National Parks (SANParks) Corporate Communications
Tel: 012 426 5170
Janine Raftopoulos
SANParks Head of Communications
Tel: 012 426 5170; Cell: 071 444 3121
Email: [email protected]
Reynold “Rey” Thakhuli
GM: Media, PR & Stakeholder Relations, SANParks
Tel: 012 426 5203; Cell: 073 373 4999
Email: [email protected]