More than100 young Vhavenda and Vatsonga boys and girls attended an eight-day culture school at the Happy Homes Lodge near Ha-Tshikonelo village, where they were taught about heritage, culture, pride and values.
The Indoni National Arts and Culture Skills Development Schools Culture Programme, presented by Indoni SA, is attended by young people throughout South Africa between the ages of 12 and 25 years during the school holidays, with 12 culture camps in nine provinces.
The culture school was established as a direct response to various social ills faced by young people on a day-to-day basis, including crime, lack of respect, lack of bankable skills to allow people entrance to sustainable jobs, HIV and AIDS prevalence among young people and the impact thereof on their lives, drug and alcohol abuse, unemployment and teen pregnancies.
The programme started on Sunday, 26 June, and on Saturday, 2 July, everyone gathered at the Malamulele Information Centre to select the representatives of the respective kingdoms for this year's Indoni King and Queen 2022/2023 among the youths who attended the culture school.
"We are trying to restore culture and instil knowledge to the young boys and girls in our communities," said Mr Hlanganani Mabasa, one of Indoni SA's board members. "Nowadays, young people don't know how to respect their elders; girls don't know how to sweep, wash the dishes or even cook traditional foods, because they spend too much time on social media, like WhatsApp and Facebook, forgetting how things used to be done by their forefathers."
Mabasa was joined by some of the men and women who assist in teaching the youths. The young Venda and Tsonga King and Queen representatives will ultimately be competing for the crown in December. The event will be held at the Durban Beachfront.