Crop Circle

The SEC (Swaziland Electricity Company) Cultural Crop Circle

The Cultural Crop Circle is an outdoor sculpture garden within the Bushfire festival grounds. The space will offer a Swazi and trans-cultural showcase of tradition over the entire Bushfire weekend. Following a previous activation of the Swazi Cultural Village at the festival, we hope to revisit the project by building on previous successes. We will create a cultural showcase platform that allows us to celebrate and reinvigorate our Swazi culture and traditions. The Cultural Crop Circle is a space dedicated to offering the festival-goers a sensory experience, exposing them to the flavours, aromas, songs, and structures of Swaziland.

The Cultural Crop Circle stage will host traditional Swazi dances and music throughout the weekend. Some of the acts will be:

·         Ummiso: A dance of might, performed by girls and sometimes women. Filled with singing and contrasting gentle stepping, this dance is normally performed in groups of about 5 or more.

·         Ingadla: A girls’ dance in which strength and power are displayed by the kicking and stomping of feet.

·         Sibhaca: Performed by men and boys, this iconic Swazi dance is vibrant and requires much strength and precision.                          

·         Emajaha: Performed by men, it is defined by the strength with which the body and feet can follow a particular rhythm; the dance is led by the precise pointing of sticks.

·         Makhoyane: This is an old traditional Swazi instrument played mostly by women and girls in remembrance of their loved ones.

In addition, the Cultural Crop Circle is a space dedicated to engaging with MTN BUSHFIRE and SEC’s aim to develop an energy efficient or “green” festival.  The Cultural Crop Circle will showcase alternative energy solutions with the assistance of Swazi-born Dr Sam Duby. A specialist in low-cost renewable energy technologies, Duby works in Kenya where he has established Access:Energy, an organisation that aims to provide financially sustainable, renewably-sourced electricity for rural communities.