MALKERNS – The 7th edition of the Standard Bank Luju Food & Lifestyle Festival was officially launched on Friday evening, 4th July 2025, with a vibrant celebration that centred around African heritage, culinary revival, and community-led innovation.
Hosted at House on Fire in Malkerns, the launch introduced this year’s culinary theme, The Forgotten Seeds, signalling a deeper dive into indigenous knowledge and sustainability. The Luju Food Experience will feature chefs such as Onezwa Mbola, Masipheke, Imiso and Roushanna, who are each set to reintroduce ancient ingredients and techniques through live demonstrations.
The fashion segment, themed Threads of Time, offered a visual preview of what’s to come in August. From bark cloth to contemporary prints, the showcase included a fusion of historic textiles with modern silhouettes. South African designer Thula Sindi will debut an exclusive collection, alongside a lineup of Eswatini fashion creatives.
Standard Bank Eswatini Chief Executive, Mvuselelo Fakudze, described the festival as a space where culture meets commerce. He applauded the role of micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in driving economic innovation and pointed to the bank’s support for entrepreneurs through platforms like the Grow Beyond Border SME Seminar and discounted Luju tickets via the Unayo app.
A major announcement was the expansion of the bank’s beekeeping initiative, done in partnership with World Vision. Sixty farmers from Luyengo, Lobamba Lomdzala and Ngwenyameni have already been trained in basic beekeeping and honey production. Attendees were each gifted a jar of honey from the farmers, reinforcing the festival’s identity—luju means honey in Siswati—and showcasing the results of grassroots development.
As the project enters its next phase, attention is shifting to scaling production and securing market access. Emlembe Beverages will provide technical support, while new partnerships, including one with Bulembu Honey, are being explored.
Every Luju ticket sold contributes to the beekeeping project, linking festival entertainment with meaningful investment in Eswatini’s rural communities. With just weeks to go before the festival opens on August 1–2, organisers say guests can expect a rich blend of music, fashion, food and future-forward storytelling rooted in African identity.
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