International students from various universities in the United States and from the University of Cape Town (UCT) were treated to a cultural festival last weekend that they will never forget.
The students were part of a Homestay cultural-exchange programme. They were doing research on ecotourism in the Makuya area and were housed at the Tshulu River Camp, situated on the banks of the Mutale River at Guyuni village in Ha Makuya. The camp is owned by well-known businessman Mr Prince Phandavhudzi.
The festival, which saw the students and the local community engaging in various cultural activities, took place at Guyuni Royal Palace on Saturday, 5 March. Among the esteemed guests was the senior traditional leader of the area, Thovhele Lavhelesani Makuya.
Phandavhudzi, who revived the camp after it had collapsed as a result of the Covid pandemic, said he regretted that the 11 students and support staff of six could not be housed with families to learn more about the native way of living, as had initially been the idea, but that they had tried to make up for it by presenting the cultural festival. "The students and their lecturers completed their research in the area, but we felt it would not have been fair to them if we did not expose them to the local cultures. That is where the cultural festival came in. It also served well as a farewell to them, as it was their last day at the camp," he said. "The day was well spent, with different traditional dishes and different traditional dances, much to the amusement of the students, who also took part in the activities."
Thovhele Makuya told the visitors that his area was one of the most interesting tourist destinations in Limpopo. "As a village we are blessed to have a camp like Tshulu, and we extend our words of gratitude to Mr Phandavhudzi, who has gone all out to revive the place after its collapse. To our visitors we say, this is your home, and you are welcome at any given time. Your presence here is highly appreciated. Please go back to your homes and speak well about our area," he said.
Representing the students, Dr Lisa Nupen thanked everyone who took such good care of them during their stay at the camp for their generosity. "We have learnt a lot in this short time we stayed here. We will certainly give a good report about this area."