By Jenna Brown:
I can’t believe it’s almost been a full month since Mitch and I arrived in Swaziland! We have been quite busy since our last blog post, so here’s what I’ve been up to.
The SOCGA office is currently organizing Olympic Day for the end of June. The event focuses on getting everyone in the community active, regardless of their age or ability. The theme this year is “Mbabane Carnival”, meant to celebrate the upcoming Rio Olympics! There will be a costume contest, 21km marathon and other fun activities throughout the day. I have been working on some of the marketing aspects of the event, getting together promotional material, as well as writing letters to various businesses and organizations throughout the community. We are also trying to organize cupcake sales that will go towards soup kitchens and social centres in Mbabane to help them with materials that they need.
This past weekend, Mitch and I went with the two Finnish girls at the hostel to Bushfire Music Festival just outside of Mbabane. We were all so excited to see what music festivals were like in Africa; and Bushfire did not disappoint! There was lots of African music and dancing, a market with handmade crafts and jewellery and a food market. One of the highlights for me was seeing the group, Mafikizolo, perform – everyone in the crowd knew all the words to their songs, and everyone had a great time dancing! It is something I will always remember about my time in Swaziland!
We have become good friends with Sanna and Eeva, the Finnish girls, and we have lots of activities still planned! There are various cultural markets to shop at, zip lining and hiking, and a safari in July in South Africa. We are definitely getting the full Swazi experience here! I can’t wait to see what the next couple months bring our way.
South African group Mafikizolo