True/False - Lesedi Cultural Village

True or False

Lesedi Cultural Village

1. Lesedi is a cultural village for only 1 culture.  TRUE or FALSE?

False!  Lesedi Cultural Village has many different cultures including Xhosa, Zulu, Besotho, Pedi, and Ndebele.  There are mini villages for living in inside of Lesedi, each for a different tribe.

2. You can come visit Lesedi in the day or evening, but you can’t stay overnight.  TRUE or FALSE?

False!  You can stay in Lesedi overnight and also come for the day or evening.  You get to stay in 1 of the guest parts of the living villages.  My family stayed in the Zulu village in a guest part called Nguni.

3. The people in Lesedi welcome their guests by singing a song.  TRUE or FALSE?

True!  The people of Lesedi sing a welcome song in one of their languages when their guests arrive.  They clap, stomp, and dance along to the music.  It is a very joyful welcome!

4. You are not allowed to go through the living villages unless you are going to a guest part.  TRUE or FALSE?

False!  In Lesedi, you get to go through a tour of the villages!  The guide will show you the meeting place of the tribe’s village, the huts for living in, the most respected hut, the food, and the people.  You will also learn lots of facts.  We learned that in most clutures, you have to pay 11 cows to marry 1 wife.  The Besotho people pay 13 cows and 2 horses and Zulu people pay 13 cows.  The Zulu people kill 1 cow out of the 13 to make the wedding outfit. 

We also learned the Besotho boys go into a hut for 3 weeks and up in the mountains for 3 weeks.  We also got to go into a Xhosa hut and hear a clicking song.  The girls go in first and sit to the way that the door opens so they will be protected by the door if an enemy comes.  The boys go out first to make sure it is safe.  Molo!  That’s “hello” in Xhosa.  You can also learn words in the languages.  The tour is very informative.

5. The people in Lesedi put on a show for their guests.  TRUE or FALSE?

True!  The people in Lesedi danced and sang in their traditional outfits as a show for their guests.  Each tribe did their own dance – the Besotho people in their mountain hats and blankets to keep them warm and their rainboats for the mine dance to show that they were the first in the mines; the Zulu in their leopard skin and bead skirts; the Xhosa with their faces painted; and the Pedi with their animals in the bush at night dance.  There was also a loud drum, a xylophone to play, and a stick fighting act.  It was a cool show!

6. I had lots of fun at Lesedi.  TRUE or FALSE?

True!  I loved going to Lesedi!  It was such a cool and interesting experience.  I learned a lot, and I hope to go back!