Swaziland which is now known Eswatini is known worldwide for her unique culture that has withstood the test of time and it is also a home to the last monarchy in Africa . The Mantenga village which is found in the Mantenga nature reserve is one of the villages from where you can learn more about this unique culture. The Mantenga village is open to tourists between the hours of 8:00am to 5:00pm every day and for all those that want to enjoy the cultural dance and singing, these are held from 11:00am to 3:00pm every day.
The Mantenga village is a museum that shows the way of life of the Swazi people even before the colonial times and this is showcased in the way the huts were constructed. When the huts were being constructed, no modern raw materials were used because they wanted to keep them as traditional as possible and that is why you will find that all the huts were constructed using cow dung, mud, poles, reeds and grass. Each hut that is found in the Mantenga village has its own use and purpose and there are sixteen huts in the village. While some are used to act as wind breakers, there are those that are used to keep cattle, showcase the regalia of the Swazi people and others are used as accommodation facilities.
After the village was constructed, the King Mswati III named it the “Ligugu Lemaswati” which can loosely be translated to “the pride of the Swazi people”. the main reason as to why it was put in place was so that tourists from within and outside Eswatini would learn more about the culture of the Swazi people, their heritage while at the same time being entertained through folk songs, traditional dances and all other small gestures that show off the rich culture.
The Mantenga village was constructed to show off the pride of the rich culture that is portrayed by the Eswatini people. you do not need to worry about how you will know more about the village because there will be tour guides taking you around and explaining how the huts were constructed, the traditional activities carried out within the village and they will also help in the translation in order to ease communication between you and the locals.
When you get to the Mantenga village, you will be welcomed by the locals who live in the village and these will be putting on the traditional wear to emphasize their heritage and they always greet in the local language so do not be shocked when you get to hear words like Yebo Nkosi as this is a way of greeting. When it comes to food and accommodation, you do not need to worry about that because there is a restaurant in the village that serves all the local dishes and there are also several accommodation facilities that you can choose from in case you decide to spend the night in the Matenga village.
In order for you to enjoy your stay in the village, you must at least try to engage in the different community activities like grinding grain, help collect the reeds with the locals because that is the best way for you to learn the culture and way of life the Swazi people.
Besides spending your tine learning about the Swazi people and their culture while in the Mantenga village, you can as well take a walk to the Matenga waterfalls and the Mantenga Nature reserve which are also considered to be attractions within the village.
The Matenga falls
The Matenga waterfalls are considered to be the most beautiful waterfalls in Eswatini and they are just a walk away from the Mantenga cultural village. It has the largest volume of water as compared to the rest of the waterfalls in the country and it flows into a series of water pools in the Mlilwane wildlife sanctuary which is not far away from the village. There are guided walks that are organized to the waterfalls and once you get there, you can have a picnic around but do not leave your camera behind as you go to explore the falls.
Mantenga Nature reserve
The Matenga Nature reserve is located next to the Mbabane town and one of the places that you can relax from while in the Matenga village. It was declared as a nature reserve in the year 1991 and it has a wide range of birds and animals that you can see while here and these include the black winged lapwing, the red backed Manikin, the streaky headed seedeater, the Shelley’s francolin, the African Jacana, the Martial eagle, the little grebe, the African Qualiflinch, duikers, klipspringers, baboons and so many more others.
You can go also go for a hike in the nature reserve and get to see all the flora and fauna that is found I the reserve. You are however not allowed to go for nature walks in the reserve if you do not have a tour guide with you.
When to visit the Matenga
There is no better time for tourists to visit the Matenga cultural village because it can be visited all year round. It does not matter whether you go to Mantenga during the dry or wet season, what matters is that you will receive the same warm welcome from the locals all year round.
As you head down for a cultural visit to the Mantenga make sure that you follow all the rules and regulations that have been set up in order to keep the culture alive for example trousers are not allowed and if you are outing on one, you will be required to at least use a wrapper. You should also try and learn a few words in the Swazi language to show the locals that you are indeed interested in learning their culture, traditions and to be able to communicate with them easily even if it’s just greeting,
