eSwatini: Standard Bank Luju Food and Lifestyle Festival unveils artist line-up

The event has been billed as a unique and sophisticated African-vintage style festival celebrating the continent’s food, arts and culture with its Afro-centric programme. This year’s event will run under the theme Roots, which according to the organisers was inspired by an exploration of the ancestral lands from which “we inherit our very identity as Africans.”

The line-up includes South African artists Sjava, Majozi, Simphiwe Dana, The Soil, Kelvin Momo, Mthunzi, Dlala Thukzin, iPhupho L’ka Biko, Black Heidi and DJ Tibza, as well as Wazimbo (Mozambique) and Ntate Stunna (Lesotho), among others. They will be joined by local acts including Sisonke Kollektiv, Mbo, Ziyawa Kazitha, Cleopatra, Nomalungelo, Young Zesh and DJ Wicked.

“Through culinary showcases by celebrity chefs and fabulous fashion designs inspired by the Luju ethos’ ‘A Return to the African Future’, the festival celebrates the sophistication and elegance of African vintage style, creative design and delicacies,” the organisers said. “Festivalgoers are invited to come eat, sway, love and rejoice in southern Africa’s heritage and culture.”

This year’s festival promises an exciting line-up of activities, including masterclasses, wine tastings, panel discussions, cook-off competitions, and culinary demonstrations by leading entertainment and hospitality professionals from the region such as Lorna Maseko, Vusi Kunene, Lucy Corne and Saskia Lesch. A major highlight of the festival is the Luju Fashion Show, taking place on the Mastercard Stage, where 14 talented designers from eSwatini, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Lesotho, and South Africa will showcase their designs in a high-energy spectacle featuring over 100 participants, including models, hair stylists, makeup artists, and performers.

“This year’s fashion theme, African Futurism, is an artistic and cultural philosophy that embraces African history and heritage, blending fantasy, technology and futuristic concepts to envision a future driven by Africans.”

Tickets to the festival can be purchased here.