Mantenga Cultural Village

The cultural village is a living museum of all things traditional and represents a classical Swazi lifestyle during the 1850's. The building materials are strictly traditional: poles, grass, reeds, leather strips, earth and dried cow-dung.

The Mantenga Village is a mini-complex of sixteen huts, each with its own specific purpose, kraals or byres for cattle and goats, reed fences that serve as windbreaks, and various other structures. With the traditional artefacts on display, the village illustrates many facets of the ancient Swazi way of life: social, economic and religious.

The objective of the cultural village is to enable Swazis from all corners of the country to reach to it and to maintain a positive interest in their cultural heritage, including language, customs and practices, rituals, dance, music, folklore, arts and crafts, as well as showing our cultural achievements to other people. It is hoped that such an institution will enable Swazis to gain valuable knowledge and understanding of the culture that constitutes our nation with a view of enhancing national awareness, identity, solidarity and social tolerance, which inheritance can also be used to attract tourists for cultural interaction.

After the official opening, it was named by His Majesty King Mswati III, "Ligugu Lemaswati" meaning "the pride of the Swazi People".

Sampling the Culture Program

The tour of the village includes different activities that are found in a typical Swazi Village and different forms of craft work.

Facilities | Tariffs
History of the Swazi People | Swazi Culture | Swazi Cultural Village photos