Eziko Heritage Day Event by Around The Fire.
Monday, 3rd October 2022
“Our heritage should be celebrated 365 days a year, heritage is not an incident it should be mainstream,” said Malwande Bebeza
In celebration of Heritage Month Akhona 'Bhodl'ingqaka' Mafani and Malwande Bebeza businessman & motivational speaker, organised the ultimate heritage camp experience 'Around the Fire'. The theme of the event was ' The Preservation of our Heritage through Ubuntu and Self-identity'. It was an experience to remember! On arrival, we sat in a circle for introductions. It was refreshing to listen to people introducing themselves in their clan names and we realised that we are all related, siyazalana!
The whole weekend was very informative. It was attended by talented young people who could sing and do poetry. It was stimulating to be around young people who were self-aware. The event reminded us of our inherent wisdom, and we reminisced about the old days where people used to sit in a circle and tell stories. One of the attendees mentioned the importance of a circle, saying in a circle you can see everyone’s faces. In that way it’s easy to identify people’s strengths and weaknesses.
On Saturday morning there was a walk of self-discovery; a two-hour curated walking trail where young people were taught about different plants and the history of Makhanda. The walk was filled with motivation, poetry, and music. It was soothing to just sit silently for one minute just admiring nature and hearing beautiful sounds from different types of birds.
At the start of the main event, Akhona welcomed everyone. He thanked everyone who helped in making the event possible and those who attended. One of the speakers was Professor Albert Bisasu who is a lecturer at Rhodes University. During his speech he showed us different musical instruments, some of the instruments were over hundred years. He mentioned that he was offered a lot of money for the instruments by different museums but turned them down because he wanted to continue informing people about Uganda’s history. It was very interesting to find out that we pronounce “umlilo” which means fire the same way as the people of Uganda.
During his speech, Malwande Bebeza said “Our heritage has been discounted for a long time, it should be celebrated on daily basis. We should start with our kids; self-identity is very important”. Different speakers highlighted the fact that we should value ourselves, and it should start with us as young people.
The heritage weekend presented by Around The Fire (Eziko) is expected to happen every year. They also have different events throughout out the year, so if you want to be informed, entertained, and fulfilled don’t miss the next one. For more information you can contact Malwande Bebeza on 074 733 7712 or contact Akhona “Bhodl’ingqaka” Mafani on 063 026 1173.
Blog contributed by Siphokazi Mtana
