This year’s Buganu festival in Eswatini was graced by Ghana’s Foreign Minister Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey.
King Mswati III presided over the ceremony in Hlane, accompanied by the Queen Mother and Madam Botchwey. Dressed in traditional Lihiya attire, the distinguished guest exuded a festive atmosphere with a vibrant orange colour.
Apart from participating in the festival, King Mswati held private discussions with Madam Botchwey and hosted a banquet in her honour at the Hlane palace. She also conveyed a message on behalf of Ghana’s President.
The festivities were not just for onlookers, as Madam Botchwey and Eswatini’s Foreign Minister, Pholile Dlamini-Shakantu, joined in the celebratory Lushango dance under the festival’s illuminating lights.
The festival’s highlight was the Marula fruit, which serves as the foundation for Buganu, a traditional Swazi alcoholic beverage, and the renowned creamy liqueur, Amarula.
About Bugunu festival
Marula-fruit beer is each year brewed by rural women who first offer their fairly potent brew to Their Majesties.
A ritual that begins at the Buhleni Royal Residence Arena is open to the public and gives citizens the green light to celebrate this unique fruit.
Like other traditional events of significance, Buganu is a seasonal fruit, that is ready from January until June. The Buganu festival is celebrated from late February until the end of March.
Expressing her appreciation for the people of Eswatini, the honourable minister took to her official Twitter page to write:
It was an honour to participate in the Buganu festival, as special guest, in Eswatini on Saturday. My dear colleague and sister Hon. Pholile Dlamini-Shakantu, made sure I was adorned in the beautiful and colorful traditional Swazi attire for the annual festival.
