Mantenga Cultural Village

The cultural village is a living museum of old traditions and represents a classical Swazi lifestyle during the 1850’s. The building material is strictly traditional: poles, grass, reeds, leather stripes, earth, and dried cow dung. The Mantenga Cultural Village is a mini complex of sixteen huts, each with its own specific purpose, kraals and byres for cattle and goats, reed fences that serve as windbreaks, and various other structures. With the traditional artifacts 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 visitors from all over the world as well as Swazis from all corners of the country to visit it and to maintain a positive interest in the Swazi cultural heritage, including language, customs and practices, rituals, dance, music, folklore, arts, and crafts.