From the moment guests walked into the House On Fire at Malkerns entertainment venue in Eswatini, they were greeted with an African-themed sensory experience.
The fourth edition of the Standard Bank Luju Food and Lifestyle Festival, which took place on Friday and Saturday, did not disappoint as about 7 000 attendees of all ages, races and nationalities gathered for the African vintage styled celebration of culinary exploits, connoisseur-led showcases, fine music, colourful fashion and wholesome entertainment.
On Friday, the festival’s ethos, “A Return to the African Future”, found expression with “HAIRvolution” in the Fashion arena at the Luju Fashion Runway. The best designers and stylists in Eswatini showcased their creations and the hairstyles came out of the Nikiwe Dlova workshop, in collaboration with Swati hair stylists.
The Soweto-born hair artist told The Star that HAIRvolution was special because it encouraged people to express themselves more with their hair and showcase what they can do with it.
“For me, it was all about learning about the past so that we can change or make a difference with our hair, moving forward, not getting too comfortable with just playing it safe because we just don’t know what to do,” Dlova said.
Later that evening, South African musicians Ami Faku and Zakes Bantwini shut it down on the main stage with the “Osama” hitmaker getting everyone on their feet and grooving.
Standard Bank Eswatini CEO Mvuselelo Fakudze described the performance as “electric.”
“I think Zakes Bantwini really got the crowd going when he eventually came on stage and a lot of people came to witness his art on stage, and that was electrifying. So were the other artists (like) Ami Faku, who came before him and the people really enjoyed that,” Fakudze said.
The fun didn’t stop there. On Saturday morning, local celebrity Somizi Mhlongo served as the celebrity food enthusiast and showcased an Afro-fusion dish of his own devising. Two finalists in the Pick n Pay Luju Cook-Off competition also walked away with prizes that will help them take their culinary businesses to another level.
The Amphitheatre, where the culinary programme took place, made a complete shift and turned into a very vibrant and electric dance floor as the Decklife DJs, including Swati DJs Mkay, Thubillion and LU’s amapiano, dance hall and hip hop sets had guests drenched in sweat from dancing.
There were also numerous musicians from across the continent who kept the good vibes going on the main stage.
Soweto-born musician KekeLingo, born Kekeletso Mabusela, from The Muffinz and his label mate and Swati musician and producer Nhlonipho, real name Nhlonipho Dlamini, told The Star after their performance that the energy was incredible from the crowd.
“From Covid, we didn’t have festival in a while so to be out like this and experience this again was just incredible,” Mabusela said. Dlamini added that at some point he felt emotional while performing.
The House On Fire creative director Jiggs Thorne said what sets the festival apart from other festivals is that Luju is about food, fashion and lifestyle.
“Many events are fairly one-dimensional, but we strive to give our guests a holistic experience. Our three main focus areas for Luju are food, fashion and music, and we give each its own space to shine,” Thorne said.
@Chulu_M