By Siphesihle Dlamini
The highly anticipated Standard Bank Luju Food & Lifestyle Festival has unveiled its star-studded lineup for this year’s event, promising a sweeter experience than ever before.
With a blend of music, culinary, fashion, and culture, the festival has solidified its reputation as one of the must-attend events on the entertainment calendar.
Back for its 6th edition, the Standard Bank Luju Food & Lifestyle Festival is a unique and sophisticated African-vintage style festival that continues to celebrate African food, arts and culture with its Afro-centric programme.
A lavish two-day family-friendly celebration, the Standard Bank Luju Food & Lifestyle Festival will be taking place in The Kingdom of Eswatini on August 2-3, 2024.
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.
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Festivalgoers are invited to come to Eat, Sway, Love and rejoice in southern Africa’s heritage and culture.
This year, Luju’s culinary theme is Roots. The theme is about journeying back to the source.
It’s an exploration of the ancestral lands from which we inherit our very identity as emaSwati and as Africans.
To advance this theme, the Standard Bank Luju culinary programme is curated to transform the palette through actively and consciously advancing African heritage.
The interactive farm-to-table demos and workshops explore traditional preparation styles and preservation techniques.
The culinary programme will ensure that there is something for everyone from masterclasses and wine tastings to panel discussions, cook-off competitions and culinary demos by some of the region’s renowned chefs and sommeliers.
Don’t miss the culinary demo by South African celebrity chef and media personality Lorna Maseko, who discovered her passion for cooking on a Celebrity Chef edition of MasterChef South Africa and went on to host the reality cooking show ‘Top Chef SA’ as well as ‘The Hostess with Lorna Maseko’ on SABC 3.
She can be found on her YouTube channel, ‘Lorna with A Pinch of Salt’.
Another not-to-be-missed demo will be hosted by Vusi Kunene, better known as ‘The Tattooed Chef’, who is a culinary entrepreneur who opened the first black-owned sushi bar in South Africa, The Blackanese.
Other highlights include Brew mistress Lucy Corne, an internationally qualified beer judge who will be hosting the Stella Artois Beer Brewing and Tasting Masterclass, while KWV Regional Business Manager Saskia Lesch will host the KWV Wine Master Class and Blind Tasting.
One of the Luju highlights for 2024 is the Luju Fashion Show, held on the Master Card Stage. This is where 14 designers from Eswatini, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Lesotho and South Africa get to showcase their talent in a high-energy show involving over 100 people, including models, hair stylists, make-up 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.
Look out for amazing performances by artists such as Sjava, who released his debut album ‘Isina Muva’ in 2016 – which raced to number 1 on iTunes on the day of its release and received 3 nominations at the 15th annual Metro FM awards – and Louis Mahlanga, unarguably one of the most supreme African artists of our time and a world-renowned multi-lingual singer/songwriter, composer and producer.
Eswatini’s Cleopatra will also perform at the festival. She is the first female country musician to be nominated and invited to perform at the Texas Sounds International Country Music Awards, where she won the International Rising Star as well as Best Duo of the Year awards.
Additionally, Luju will feature performances from Southern Africa including Majozi – hailing from the coastal city of Durban, proudly South African and wearing his heart on his sleeve, he burst onto the scene in 2013 with his catchy debut EP, ‘Marvellous Light’.
The line-up also features Simphiwe Dana, who sings mostly in her mother tongue, Xhosa, and is also known for her creative social commentary and activism through music as a political art form as well as the award-winning group,
The Soil, is a globally renowned a cappella group that fans grew to love with their debut LP ‘The Soil’ in 2011, which became certified platinum by the Recording Industry of South Africa.
Mozambique will also be well represented onstage by Wazimbo, one of the greatest voices of the Marrabenta music genre, a unique fusion of traditional Mozambican dance rhythms and Portuguese Folk Music.
Established as a beacon of cultural expression in Southern Africa, the Standard Bank Luju Food & Lifestyle Festival is renowned for spotlighting the diverse flavours, textures, and talents of the region.
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Revellers can look forward to an eclectic fusion of music, fashion shows inspired by the Luju spirit, culinary experiences, and premium libations that encapsulate the essence of the event.
From captivating celebrity chef demonstrations to fashion showcases that pay homage to African creativity, attendees will be treated to a sensory extravaganza that celebrates the sophistication and elegance of the continent.
Embrace a family-friendly environment brimming with gastronomic delights, high-end fashion exhibitions, exclusive wine and whiskey tastings, live musical performances, and an array of entertainment options catering to all ages.
In a laudable effort to champion local talent and cultivate the Arts industry, festival organizers House on Fire, in collaboration with title sponsor Standard Bank Eswatini, are committed to providing a platform for artists, designers, and artisans to shine on a regional stage.
Aspiring traders in the realms of food, fashion, design, and lifestyle, as well as those interested in participating in the vibrant children’s Beehive environment, are encouraged to stay tuned for application details on the festival’s official website.