Visit the Motseng Cultural Village

Visitors to the ever-popular Sun City Resort in the North-West Province of South Africa have the opportunity of gaining insight into the culture and traditions of eight of the county’s indigenous ethnic groups at the Motseng Cultural Village. Launched in January 2004, the Motseng Cultural Village is a living museum where different tribes share their customs, traditions and history with visitors through songs, poetry, stories and dancing, offering a truly African experience.

The village reflects the different architectural styles and social structures of each group. Crafters display their skills, which have been handed down through generations, in producing items that are both practical and decorative. Basket weaving, wood carving and bead work are just some of the traditional crafts available for visitors to buy as keepsakes.

Visitors can sit down with the local sangoma to have their future foretold by the throwing of the bones. Taken from the Zulu term for ‘diviner’, in the past the term sangoma referred to the spiritual leader of the community who would rely on divination to solve the physical and emotional problems of their clients. Today, the term is also used to describe practitioners of divination and traditional African medicine which may include plants and animal parts in their ingredients.

The village boma is the center of all cultural villages, as this is where the elders of the tribe gather to discuss the welfare of the community. The boma at the Motseng Cultural Village is used for special occasions, while the shebeen offers a casual venue to enjoy a drink and a game of pool, accompanied by the unique and rhythmic sounds of kwaito.

The majority of the staff members at Motseng Cultural Village are from local communities and they take pride in presenting their culture to visitors, while at the same time earning much needed income. In a speech at the opening of the village in 2004, the North West Province Premier Dr Popo Molefe noted that the Motseng Cultural Village will give visitors an authentic taste of African tradition, going on to say that the province is establishing its share of the tourism market by building on its strengths, among which is its unique offering of both cultural and natural heritage.