LTA board chairman, Andrew Dipela drinking the marula beverage. He says the Marula Festival is a major building blocks in the economic development initiative
IN keeping with their tradition of doing things their own way in making sure that the Marula Festival remains an experience to remember, Limpopo Economic Development, Environment and Tourism (LEDET) and Limpopo Tourism Agency (LTA) will once again stage this annual event in the small town of Phalaborwa envisaging scenes of unlimited frenzy.
The festivities of the 18th edition of this flagship event will commence from 26 April to 4 May.
The Impala Park Stadium will be the venue where all and sundry will explode into a state of merriment as music will be plenty, featuring Winnie Mashaba, Lloyiso, Pleasure Tsa Manyalo, King Monada, Malwela, Motlanalo, Makhadzi and Master KG during an open air concert on 4 May.
The activities will range from family marathon, cultural parade, Marula Golf, District build-up in collaboration with the provincial Department of Sport, Arts and Culture to unearth artists talents, Small, Medium and Micro Enterprises flea markets which will be spearheaded by LEDET, theater and film festival.
Marula Festival always attracts top government officials, successful business people and corporate executives alike.
It is a heritage practice that precludes any drinking of the marula beverage before traditional leaders have blessed the season. According the LEDET MEC Roggers Monama, Marula Festival injects millions of rands into the local economy.
“The Marula Festival aims to use the various activities to attract the multitude to the event, which results in a critical mass that contributes towards economic growth, drives domestic tourism and enhances local trade that results in the creation of new job opportunities, thereby contributing to poverty alleviation” emphasised MEC Monama.
Monama added that government seeks to use the festival as a draw card to increase domestic, regional and international tourism.
He said LEDET has made a purposeful economic intervention by developing the Limpopo Mukumbi Industries as a viable business industry within the province, taking advantage of the vast concentration of marula trees found mostly in the sub-tropical parts of the province.
LTA board chairman, Andrew Dipela said as the agency responsible for the promulgation of tourism in the province, they value the Marula Festival as one of the key building blocks in the economic development initiative.
“It is our incredible and often undervalued driver of economic development of our artists, whom to us we value as SMME’s in their own right. It is through this festival that we provide a platform for our artists to connect with their fans so that they take advantage of the opportunity to observe what their fans like and don’t like. Marula also provides artists with a platform for networking and exposure, where artists can have a chance to get their music heard or loved by a whole lot of new audiences” said Dipela.
The event culminates into conceptual promotion of a series of marula products manufactured by Marula Cooperatives.
The festivities also ensure a grand showcase of exhibits and an array of products that will be sold to the markets.
Since its inception, the Marula Festival has been used as a draw card to increase domestic, regional and international tourism, create strong partnerships between the beverage brewers, hospitality industry and corporates to enhance marketability of Marula products.
The festival also promotes economic, cultural and heritage diplomacy through participation of regions of the world with which Limpopo has historical ties.
This year, LEDET will collaborate with the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture to host joint district build-up events that will showcase the talent of local artists, which presents a wonderful opportunity for local artists and cultural groups to display their talent and partake in the festival activities.
LEDET MEC Rodgers Monama emphasises that the festival is a draw card to increase domestic, regional and international tourism.