5 hours Days
South Africa // Pretoria
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Lesedi Cultural Village
 

Lesedi Cultural Village

Experience the spirit of Ubuntu at this Unique Cultural Venue where the people of Lesedi welcome you with music, song and the warmth of Africa.

Let the sound of the Marimbas take you into Musi’s Ndebele Theatre to be transported through South Africa’s history from the Cradle of Humankind to the Cultures of Lesedi.

One of Lesedi’s many differentiating factors is the village’s natural and tasteful incorporation into the surrounding bush, river and forests, with five traditional homesteads including Zulu, Xhosa, Pedi, Basotho and Ndebele. Local families live permanently in each of these five homesteads and visitors are invited to observe the African way of life by either enjoying a short tour of the villages or actually living among these families in guest accommodation, offering all the necessary modern day amenities and comforts discerning visitors are accustomed to.

The Lesedi cultural experience is a destination not to be missed.

  • The Giant Ingoma “Traditional Dance Show”
    • Thrill to the spectacle of the ‘Giant Ingoma’ traditional dances of the Zulu, Pedi, Xhosa, Basotho and Ndebele people. At the end of the festivities you will be invited to join in. Siyabonga!
  • The Ndebele Village, Shop and Theatre
    • Your welcome to Lesedi, Place of Light, commences at the colourful Ndebele village. The Ndebele are the artists of Southern Africa and bring a kaleidoscope of colour and beauty to their mud walled homes for which they are now world famous.
    • Your orientation begins in the fascinating African Theatre where ‘Musi’, the story teller, introduces you to the ancient tribal legends and the story of Lesedi.
  • The villages of the Zulu, Basotho, Xhosa and Pedi – a walk through time
  • Zulu
    • The Zulu life in hand crafted beehive huts, erected around the central cattle enclosure. ‘Isivivane’ is the good luck stone. Zulu custom dictates that when going on a journey the traveller must spit on a stone and throw it on the ‘isivivane’ so as propitiate the spirits and bring good fortune on the journey. The same applies before visitors enter the village.
    • ‘Isibaya’ is the cattle enclosure. In the Zulu culture wealth is measured in beautifully coloured Nguni cattle. Cattle are also used for ‘ilobola’, the dowry or bride price. The dowry for a commoner is eleven head of cattle.
  • Basotho
    • The Basotho people are from the mountain kingdom of Lesotho and have a wonderful history with their conical hats, colourful blankets and skilful horsemanship. Their founder, King Moshoeshoe gave refuge during the great wars to scatterings in his mountain fortress and in doing so created the Basotho nation. Ever fearful to attack, the King was grateful for every sunrise which he would greet with the words ‘ke bona lesedi’ which means ‘I thank the light’ and so this place is aptly named Lesedi, place of light.
    • The ‘Lekotla’ is the Meeting place. This enclosure is where we Basotho meet to discuss community matters and to hold traditional court of which the most serious offence is witchcraft for which the penalty is death to the entire homestead.
    • The Basotho huts are built of thick thatched roof supported by well insulated walls, which are suitable for the extremely cold conditions of our mountain kingdom.
    • King Moshoeshoe was the great leader. By lighting torches at this great shrine, a tribute is paid to King Moshoeshoe, the founder and great leader of the Basotho people.
  • Xhosa
    • From the beautiful hills and coastline of the Eastern Cape come the Xhosa with their painted faces, blankets, pipes and chest beating dance. It is from these people that our hero, Nelson Mandela, emerged to lead ALL people of South Africa.
    • ‘Inkundla’ means the welcoming place. It is at this place that a future bridegroom’s family will negotiate with the bride’s father over the Lebola price. The father will call for the mother to display her daughter as proof of her identity as the chosen one.
    • ‘Indlu-nkulu’, the reeded fence. Like the Zulus the Xhosa do also build beehive huts but with an early European influence. The huts feature permanent conical roofs and mud walls which are decorate with whitewash and colourful natural paints. The floor is smeared with cow dung and men sit to the left and women to the right of the central fireplace. Maize is crushed in a whole in the ground that is reinforced with stones. Crushed maize is called ‘umnqusho’ after the sound it makes during the crushing.
  • Pedi
    • From Sekukhuniland in the Northern Province hail the Pedi with their unusual architecture, horn whistles and great drums. Legend has it that in the wars against the British, they saw Scottish highlanders approach in kilts and refused to fight what they thought was an army of women. As a result, they were defeated and to this day wear kilts as a remembrance of that ‘trickery’.
    • No person is permitted to enter our Pedi village without first arriving at the kgoro (entrance or meeting place), traditionally used by the men of the village.
1/2 Day : Morning or Afternoon (± 3 hours, departure times may be changed to suit customers )
Clients will be picked up at the OR Tambo Airport (Johannesburg) or their accommodation in Johannesburg or Pretoria.
NB.: an additional R350 per vehicle for each pick-up/drop-off in Johannesburg OR Tambo Airport/Sandton.
Lunch is not included.
 

Included:  

  • Guided tour in Air-conditioned vehicle, conducted by a SA Tourism registered guide.
  • Entrance fees, fuel

Tour Info:

  • Tours are generally conducted in English. Surcharge applies for foreign language guides.
 
Underground Tours can also be arranged on special request!
 

CAN ALSO BE COMBINED AS A FULL DAY TOUR WITH:

Johannesburg City Tour         
Apartheid Museum    
Liliesleaf Farm
Constitutional Court   
Gold Reef City
Pretoria City Tour
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