A Cultural Experience in Namibia
As the world continues to develop, traditions begin to fade around us. Teachings of the environment, ceremonies celebrated for milestones and religious purposes are slowly skipping generations in some communities.
Our foreign guests and even our local Namibians are mostly unaware of the traditions which the Zambezi region offers.
The Sijwa Village was built to demonstrate the years of passed down dances, songs, survival techniques, medical plant uses and food. Creating this experience brings greater knowledge to the world, for instance how a simple beat of the drum can be played to sound a birth in the community, to chase elephants from their crops and even to create vibrational frequencies for medicinal ailments.
When a Sijwa trip is booked, our guests are able to observe a personal story being told.
What is The Sijwa Project?
It’s the re-purposing and re-inventing of all recyclable waste from the African Monarch Lodges; Nambwa Tented Lodge and Kazile Island Lodge, on the Kwando River of the Zambezi Region of Namibia, and from the local community, into exquisite saleable craft and art.
It’s also an organic permaculture nursery to supply food for local people and lodge guests (mitigating the air and road miles lodge food usually travels). The sandy soil is enhanced by composted food-waste and super-strength worm juice, given a boost by the occasional dollop of elephant dung!
It’s a cultural village, artisanal skills training center, a free-range egg scheme and it’s an indigenous tree nursery for guests to buy and plant a tree to offset their carbon footprint, looked after by a local ‘tree guardian’ to ensure a better chance of survival against nibbling antelope.
A holistic balance between conservation, community, culture and commerce exists at The Sijwa Project. African Monarch Lodges, as part of their continued endeavour for their brand to be sustainable and give back to the community and conservation, launched The Sijwa Project in November 2018. It is here where guests will be entertained and enriched with local culture and can interact with the local communities while they practise their artisan skills taught at the project. Guests will be encouraged to walk through the permaculture plants, recycling workshops where waste such as plastic, glass and cans are turned into beautiful artefacts for sale.
The Sijwa Project has a broad vision of empowering the local community by creating jobs, preserving traditional knowledge, teaching skills and conserving the surrounding environment through a variety of proposed recycling and innovative activities. With the highest rate of unemployment in Namibia found in the Zambezi Region, African Monarch Lodges carefully structured a project that will address these problems through a holistic approach. This bold project is multi-faceted and will in the end be self-sufficient. The Sijwa Project aims to employ 60 community members (each member supports up to 12 others in their village), even more if funding allows, and educate close to 182 scholars from the local secondary school through its Junior Ranger School and Junior Sewing School. 12% of all revenue generated at the project (entrance fees, sale of all artefacts manufactured, sale of vegetables and eggs to the lodges and surrounds and sale of garments manufactured) will be paid to the Mayuni Conservancy monthly.
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