African Indigenous Music Instruments Expo a hit

The African Indigenous Music Instruments Expo was held at the Bagdad Shopping Centre last weekend, and offered a rich culture experience for attendees of every creed.

Hosted by Mbombela Experience, various traditional African instruments and dances were on show while small business owners hosted stalls with their items for sale.  Items on sale included beautiful beaded jewellery, wooden and granite sculptures, peri-peri sauces, clay figurines and tea sets as well as handcrafted bags and carpets.

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The Sweet Dreamers Marimba Band, that mostly consisted of children and young adolescents, put on a lively show for visitors, and had onlookers clapping and cheering to the catchy beats.  Other performers included traditional siSwati dancers and drummers from the group Siyathokoza.

The organiser, Netto Maluka, said the idea behind the expo was to expose the youth to indigenous African instruments so that they do not die out, and also to encourage the community to celebrate local culture and heritage.  He said the stallholders were invited to participate to empower local business owners and inject finances back into the Mbombela economy.

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The expo was supported by the Mpumalanga Department of Sports, Arts and Culture and the KLCBT.  Maluka said they hoped to make it an annual event.

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