Today, we skipped our evening safari drive because we had been invited to a Zulu village in Pongola. The village was very different than what we experienced in the townships of Johannesburg and Cape Town. Over a 1-hour drive from Mkuze Falls, it was situated in the most remote area of KwaZulu Natal. The village was mostly made-up of traditional beehive huts. When we arrived, many of the local children had already gathered; they had heard of our visit and were looking forward to the dance performance that we had come to see.

As the sun was beginning to set, a group of young, male dancers emerged from the tall grass behind a few of the huts. The group of about 12 high-school-aged boys entered singing, while three men played a heavy drum pattern. They wore traditional Zulu warrior clothing made of animal skins and danced with a passion and energy I had never seen before. Zulu dance (and other South African dances) represent or celebrate an event. Dance is an important way to remember and preserve their unique culture. The dance performed was one used by warriors before battle. It was an honor for me to take part in this traditional aspect of their lives.

Once the group had recovered from their athletic display of dancing, we were treated to a performance of the South African national anthem. It was beautifully sung. While they proudly sang, I stood with my hand over my heart.

Once the dancing had finished, we met some of the children who had come to watch. We had also brought some stickers with us, just in case some young children came out for the performance: lucky for us! We got into a sticker frenzy! Every child wanted to be covered in stickers. Of course, we were happy to oblige. Once we were done, there were stickers on foreheads, stickers on arms, and stickers on cheeks!

As we left, we said ‘Siyabonga’ (thank you in isiZulu) for welcoming us into their community and sharing their culture with us.

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