More than 10,000 people from 23 countries around the world, especially the southern region of Africa, enjoyed the “dessert” served by Mozambican music icon Wazimbo, who represented the country at the Luju Standardbank Festival – one of the biggest gastronomy, music and fashion festivals in the southern region of the continent.

The “dessert” of wild fruits (mavungua and mapsicha) that portrays the drama of marital coexistence echoed like a bell to herald Mozambique’s cultural manifestation and the audience vibrated, some asking for the lyrics to be translated into English by the few Mozambicans who sang with the artist from the audience, while others tried to roll around to the canonical beat of the marrabenta.

Wazimbo spared no effort, grabbed the microphone and performed “Congratulations” to his nostalgic rhythm of brandishing the skies, held firm in the beyond by the real mountains, overshadowed by the colorful hue of lights over the House on Fire, located in the heart of the city of Malkerns.

It was a kind of aperitif before serving “Mwahulwana” and closing with “Marozana” – an order for the audience to disperse in search of the last drink, as befits the lyrics of the musical track.

It was two days of diverse delicacies, futuristic fashion and Afrocentric music. Painted faces and hair, clothes that inspire new ways of seeing the beauty and sensitivity of human things, sound, laughter, hugs, kisses, smoke and fumes. Some people lounged on the bench, others danced on the lawn – it’s life, it’s Africa, it’s the future, it’s a party.

The boldness and creativity of the fashions dictated a fusion of cultures from the southern region of Africa, especially Mozambique, South Africa, Lesotho, Zimbabwe, Namibia, Zambia and others from as far away as the Falkland Islands, Oman, Turkey, Canada, Europe and the United States of America.

This year’s Luju Standard Bank Festival featured a catalog of 177 artists from Eswatini, South Africa, Mozambique, Botswana, Lesotho and Zimbabwe, who performed on the Luju Main Stage, the Mastercard Stage, the Buzz Stage and the Stella Artois Beer Garden Stage.

According to the event’s statistics, Mozambican artist Wabimbo, Simphiwe Dana from South Africa and the musical ensemble Sisonkhe Kollectiv from Eswatini had the most engaging performances of the festival.

Among the most memorable acts were Sjava, Majozi and Kelvin Momo from South Africa, as well as Young Zesh from Eswatini, Louis Mhlanga from Zimbabwe, Black Heidi from South Africa and South African group The Soil.

Meanwhile, DJ Mbo from Eswatini and Dlala Tukuzini from South Africa served up the most vibrant mixes of the festival during their performances, almost all of the 10,000 or so people were buzzing around the main stage.

SMEs generate 2.5 million rand in revenue

The Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) that were on site offering their products and services generated around 2.5 million Rands compared to 2 million recorded in 2023, an increase of half a million in revenue.

The event had a total of 91 vendors, 90% of whom came from the Kingdom of Eswatini, and the rest from South Africa, Lesotho, Zambia and Mozambique.

The Standard Bank Luju Food & Lifestyle Festival’s mandate to develop the creative economy, promote sustainability and support the growth of small businesses was expressed in the inaugural Food Indaba and Fashion Indaba.

This program, consisting of two days of capacity-building workshops, insightful panel discussions, masterclasses and knowledge sharing with food and fashion experts from Eswatini and across the South African region took place over the two days leading up to the festival.

Mozambique’s tourism sector continues to demonstrate its potential as an engine of economic growth. During the opening of the 10th edition of the International Tourism Fair (FIKANI), held on Thursday, August 8, the President of the Republic, Filipe Nyusi, revealed that the country had attracted around 59.4 billion meticais, equivalent to 940 million dollars, in investments in the tourism sector during 2023.

The President pointed out that this figure represents a growth of 17% over the previous year, a trend which, according to him, signals good prospects for the Mozambican economy in the medium and long term. “This increase is a reflection of international recognition of the country’s ongoing efforts to improve conditions for investors and raise the competitiveness of our tourism,” said Nyusi.

In his speech, the President also highlighted the progress made in the sector over the course of his mandate, which began in 2020. According to Nyusi, since then, Mozambique has seen the opening of 1088 new tourism enterprises, which include hotels, restaurants, bars and travel agencies. These investments have resulted in the creation of more than 14,000 new jobs, strengthening the national economy.

Another highlight was the training of human capital in the sector, with 11,244 professionals trained to offer high quality tourism services. “The development of human capital is fundamental to providing an excellent tourist experience, which increases the country’s attractiveness as a tourist destination,” added the President.

Filipe Nyusi also emphasized the importance of promoting the country’s conservation and natural tourism areas internationally, such as Maputo National Park, Ponta de Ouro, the Bazaruto archipelago, and Gorongosa and Chimanimani national parks. He stressed that tourism should be seen as one of the essential pillars for the diversification and acceleration of the Mozambican economy.