#matopo

[missdivalicious]

Matopo National Park | Curio Market | Bulawayo Zimbabwe - Part 2

National Park | MOTH Shrine | Bulawayo Zimbabwe - Part 1 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bc8qW... 

 We travelled a few kilometres into Matopo national park and stopped at this beautiful curios market where locals sell their handmade crafts all made from local, natural raw materials. One of the vendors I spoke to,  told me this is their sole source of income. He carves wood and sells here and he is able to provide for his family and send his children to school with the money he makes here. He is from Silozwe which is 10km away from here. After speaking to a few more it tuns out they are all from local villages which are kilometres away and they walk or cycle to come and sell their products here.  It would be great if this market had a website or social media because the market isn’t well known unless you are going to the park and you stumble upon it. i can imagine how difficult it would’ve been for them when the park was closed during lockdown. [#Matopo National Park Curio Market #Bulawayo #Zimbabwe, #MatopoNationalPark, Curio Market,  Bulawayo Zimbabwe, Matopo,  National Park, Curio Market Bulawayo , Zimbabwe, #Matopos National Park, Curios Market, Matopo, Curio, Bulawayo market]

[frankiekay]

Silhouette - travellers on a scotch-cart

Silhouette – travellers on a scotch-cart

[workinprogress14]

home sick Matopos, Matabeleland South, Zimbabwe

[decorworks]

Eight Australian houses with sculptural shapes and angular facades

Our latest roundup showcases innovative Australian homes, including a house with a fish-pond atrium and a residence with a faceted black-metal extension. Mostly located in Melbourne and Sydney, these eight homes are united by their sculptural designs. While some have unusually shaped floorplans, others use detailed facades, cantilevers, roof cutouts and geometrical aluminium awnings to create eye-catching details. Read on for eight examples of sculptural Australian houses from Dezeen's archive:

Photo by Timothy KayePeninsula House, Flinders, by Wood Marsh Designed to echo Australia's "windswept" coastline, this home south of Melbourne has curving walls of charred timber and rammed earth. Local studio Wood Marsh also drew on meandering paths leading to the site when creating the shape of the house, which has a curving form with long "arms" wrapping a swimming pool terrace and a driveway. Find out more about Peninsula House ›

Photo by Shannon McGrath and Timothy KayeSt Martins Lane, Melbourne, by Matt Gibson This Victorian home in the South Yarra suburb of Melbourne was given a sculptural update with a faceted extension clad in black metal. Architect Matt Gibson decorated the facade of the extension, which contains a living space, two bedrooms, a study and a cascading terrace, with a laser-cut pattern that references the original architecture of the house. Find out more about St Martins Lane ›

Photo by Rory GardinerMossy Point home, New South Wales, by Edition Office A cutout roof animates this fibre-cement-clad home, which architecture studio Edition Office elevated on parallel blockwork walls within a woody area in Mossy Point. The aperture in the roofline, designed to resemble a bird's mouth, creates a sheltered outdoor dining space. A void at the centre of the roof lets natural light into the gabled building. Find out more about Mossy Point ›

Photo by Tom RossMerricks Farmhouse, Melbourne, by Michael Lumby Architecture and Nielsen Jenkins Concrete blocks were used to construct Merricks Farmhouse, a home designed as a "refuge" in an exposed coastal setting on the Mornington Peninsula. South African studio Michael Lumby Architecture and Brisbane practice Nielsen Jenkins gave the home strong geometrical shapes by splitting it into a series of blocks that surround a courtyard. Find out more about Merricks Farmhouse ›

Photo by David ChatfieldTallowood Cabin, Queensland, by Fouché Architects Australian studio Fouché Architects created the angular Tallowwood Cabin to cantilever over its plot on a Queensland hillside. Its top-heavy geometric form, clad in black-cement boards, balances on a concrete plinth. A sloping walkway leads into the house, which is designed to "disappear" into the surrounding bushland. Find out more about Tallowood Cabin ›

Photo by Jack LovelProclamation House, Perth, by State of Kin The innovative facade of this Perth house was created by combining olive-coloured hemp render with aluminium awnings that add tactility to the exterior. It encases a sculptural concrete form with a rounded, sloping roof and is designed to exaggerate the traditional features of local cottages, architecture studio State of Kind told Dezeen. Find out more about Proclamation House ›

Photo by Derek SwalwellHelvetia, Melbourne, by Austin Maynard Architects One of the most unusual designs on the list, this Melbourne home has a fish-pond atrium in its entrance space and also features five distinct garden areas. At its rear, the building has a garage that Australian firm Austin Maynard Architects topped with an "urban farm". This is enclosed with a barrel-vaulted wire mesh to keep out possums. Find out more about Helvetia ›

Photo by Felix ForestMatopos, Sydney, by Atelier Andy Carson Local studio Atelier Andy Carson married a curved bronze facade with a sandstone podium at this home for a gallerist in the Sydney suburb of Freshwater. Called Matopos, the house has an undulating sculptural shape and large windows designed to frame views of the nearby sea. Find out more about Matopos › Read the full article

[afrotumble]

‘Everyone is an artist. We just need to learn how to see’: Zimbabwe’s My Beautiful Home contest | Global development | The Guardian

[panafrocore]

Ndebele house painting

Ndebele house painting is a style of African art practiced by the Southern Ndebele people of South Africa and the Northern Ndebele people in Zimbabwe in Matobo. It is predominantly practiced by the Ndebele women. The art found in the traditional homestead of the Ndebele people dates back to a thousand years and is evidenced by the rock art found in the Matopos attributed to the Khoi-San.

[safariopedia]

Exploring the best places to visit in Zimbabwe and getting ready for an adventure of a lifetime! From the majestic Victoria Falls to the lush valleys of Matopos National Park, this country offers some of the most breathtaking views in Africa.

Know More: https://shorturl.at/cmxQ9

[geohoneyy]

World Best Honey Natural and Organic | Geohoney

The history of honey-hunting involving the live torch dates back several thousand years. Dr. Eva Crane's Book of Honey (1980) contains the picture of a rock painting, near the Toghwana Dam, Matopo Hills, Zimbabwe, of a honey-hunter using fire. But 21th-century man is to mature to do the same and modern man has approach beekeeping scientifically.

Honey Supplements

Geohoney’s World Best Honey is considered to be a significant source of carbohydrates: one tablespoon of honey provides us with 66 calories. Honey is mainly and largely composed of natural sugars - mostly fructose and glucose - with a percentage that ranges between 50-80 calories.

Due to the high level of fruit sugar in it (fructose), honey is deemed sweeter than normal table sugar; it also contains 8-18% water. The less water it contains, the better the quality of the honey is.

As for the rest of its components, honey contains a good amount of minerals such as potassium, calcium, sodium, magnesium, iron and zinc, as well as other types of minerals. It also consists of many vitamins, such as: B1, B2, B3, B4, B5, B6, B8, vitamin C, Carotene and others.

Health Benefits of Honey

Geohoney’s World Best Honey has various healthy traits that benefit the human body. Each kind of honey offers a set of benefits that differ from other kinds, based on the component composition of each, the type of plants, the flowers’ nectar, forest meadows, as well as the climate where the bees fed.

The most important benefits of honey are:

Honey - Source of Energy for Adults and Children

Honey is considered to be a highly nutritious substance. It is used as nutrition for children, as well as for adults. It is the only sweetening substance that is not human-made and its consumption - as nutrition - does not require any recycling or refinement.

Honey - Anti-Bacterial and Anti-Microbial

Honey is similar to antibiotics, as it has the ability to kill many microbes, viruses and fungus. Honey interacts with body cells to produce disinfectants that reduce inflammations and poisoning, curing them by enhancing the body's immunity system.

Honey - Heart and Arteries

Honey being a replacement of refined and manufactured sweeteners, helps contribute to the prevention of obesity, heart diseases and arteriosclerosis. Honey was found to be effective in reducing the level of cholesterol and saturated fats, in addition to killing free radicals.

Honey - Cough Medicine

Based on many documented research papers, honey is the most effective and safest method to treat children who suffer from cough, rather than regular, over the counter cough medicines. Honey helps eliminate mucus, throat inflammation (laryngitis): it also gives relief in cough, asthma, bronchitis, pertussis, pharyngitis and laryngitis, thus honey is a significant component in the manufacturing of cough medicines.

In a Nutshell Honey Is Best for

Source of Energy for Adults and Children

Anti-Bacterial and Anti-Microbial

Prevention of Digestive System illnesses

Preserves Teeth and Protects Gums

Cough Medicine

Enhances Blood Hemoglobin and Increases Its Fertility

Excellent Choice for Athletes

Heals out Wounds and Burns

Honey simply means better Sex

Go to Geohoney and Try Our World Best Collection of Honey!

[missdivalicious]

Zimbabwe|  Matopo National Park| Cecil John Rhodes grave In #SouthAfrica there were protests calling for the stature of #CecilJohnRhodes on the steps the University of Cape Town to be taken down.Students were calling for its removal with hashtag #RhodesMustFall trending. On 9 April 2015 the Rhodes statue was removed. In the UK, The #Oxford statue was also the target of the Rhodes Must Fall protest that argued that Rhodes is a symbol of colonialism and the violence that accompanies Following the protest the University had agreed to remove the statue but angered campaigners and were accused of backtracking on its previous decision to remove it and ignoring the views of an independent commission. Instead of removing the statue the University, added an explanatory plaque on the statue  that says Rhodes was a “committed British colonialist” who “obtained his fortune through exploitation of minerals, land and peoples of southern Africa. Some of his activities led to great loss of life and attracted criticism in his day and ever since.” Rhodes was born in Hertfordshire in 1853, he was weak of ill health as a child, his parents feared he had  tuberculosis, a disease several of the family showed symptoms of.. At 17 His father decided to send him to a better climate in South Africa in the hope it would help with his health. He joined his brother Herbert on his cotton farm in Natal but the land was unsuitable for cotton, and the venture failed. They moved into diamond mining in the diamond fields of Kimberley in Northern Cape Province. After making some money #Rhodes went back to England and studied at Oriel College Oxford where he graduated at the age of 28.  he then went back to South Africa where he got into the Cape Parliament and was a Prime minister of the Cape colony from 1890 to 1896.  He founded the De Beers diamond firm with Rudd & Beit which until recently controlled the global diamond trade. Rhodes dream was to colonise all of Africa under British rule. A plan which was cemented by the Rudd Concession in 1888 between Rhodes King Lobengula and Rudd. This gave Rhodes all mining rights in the the country. Rhodes died in 1902 in Muizenburg near Cape town. He chose Matopo hills as his final resting place so his body was ferried from my Cape Town to Matopo, a journey that took 2 months Rhodes' critics see him as a racist, and one of the people who helped prepare the way for apartheid by working to alter laws on voting and land ownership. In #Zimbabwe, there are still calls to have Rhodes's remains moved to the UK, where he was born. Cecil John Rhodes named this place The Worlds view because it shows a  panoramic view of Matopo national park. Locals that’s lived here called this place Malindidzimu which means the place of benevolent spirits.he #Matopo hills have sacred hills where some tribes go to consult with ancestral spirits . Last year the current present Emanson Mnangawas was calling for the remains to be sent back to England. He told traditional elders that the remains had no importance to the county. He suggested that in return for returning the remains Zimbabwe should get back the remains for the 1st liberation war heroes remains which are believed to be in the British Museum. This includes the remains of Mbuya Nehanda who was a spirit medium and an influential fighter during the liberation struggle. the #Britishmuseum has admitted that there maybe remains that belong to Zimbabwe and apparently there are 20 000 human remains in the museum some of which are currently exhibited. The protest is called #bringbackourbones which is calling for there tun of the 1st Chimurenga liberation war heroes bones to be returned. #Matopos #bulawayo #zimbabwevlog #bulawayo

[frankiekay]

I lost my mummy, wha ha ha ha!

I lost my mummy, wha ha ha ha!

Our cows with small calves, on Anglesea Farm, are kraaled every night. If we don’t, leopard eat them.

The mums, very sedately walk into the kraal (about a kilometre from where they graze.) But the little calves think its a ball!

After lying around all day (usually a group of up to 10 calves with a couple of “nanny” mums to supervise them,) they gambol about, happy to be moving.

Thi…

[equus-swift]

Lil baby with the big ears 🌿

[both-sides-of-the-zambezi]

Gogo - an ancient voice of the future

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Thembi Ngwabi prefers to be called Gogo; ugogo meaning “granny, grandmother” in Ndebele. Even in 2012, when we recorded our first interview at Amakhosi Cultural Centre, the title of the elder and, an ancestral calling was already with Thembi. In 2013, I found her just relocated to the Lupane bush, in search of a realisation for her calling, and with a programme of cultural dance for local women and children at hand. We documented also this encounter with recordings.

The rain rituals have taken over my life...

In the present recording from October 2018 made at CoCont (Cont’s place) in Lupane, you may listen to the story of a demanding calling in Ugogo’s own words and voice. She describes her transformation from a young creative woman grown up in town (Bulawayo), a dancer, bass-guitarist, director of plays and films and of the Amakhosi Performing Arts Academy to a rapidly-aged, traditional rain-dancer in the Lupane bushland who follows spiritual instructions to build a new rain-making shrine which, as she has is linked straight to the Njelele shrine…

Almost everyone in Binga knows Maalila...

I ask Gogo in particular to tell us about her recent research in Binga. She had discovered that the geographically and historically closest rain-maker to her area in Lupane had lived in Binga. They went for a two-weeks research to Binga, and got to know the story of Maalila. He used to perform rain-making rituals at Binga’s hot springs until the Zimbabwe government and National Parks claimed the land as private property. Based on Gogo’s research, a thirteen-episode TV series about Maalila was developed and produced in Binga.

We need to go back to where we lost ourselves...

I also encourage Gogo to talk about her role as a woman in local culture and a woman leader of a new spiritual centre. I’m interested in Gogo’s contemporary open-mind now joint by an ancient voice; and curious about what I hear as a balance between a revival of culture and a celebration of diversity. Gogo ends the interview on a strong call and vision for her people… “we are fake… we don’t know what we are doing… we need to go back to where we lost ourselves...then, we can move on...”

In her career as a bass guitarist, Thembi used to produce rain-dance music in full-band set. “I thought it was just a passion...” she said. At the beginning of the present interview, Ugogo and her girl apprentice perform a traditional rain-making song.

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I felt shy photographing Ugogo… thus the pictures show mainly the dry Lupane bushland… and the trail of what was Cecil Rhodes’ dead-straight road through the bush….

[theroyalhistory]

Queen Elizabeth (Queen Mother) and Princess Elizabeth (Queen Elizabeth II) on the Matopo Hills, South Africa, 1947

(Elizabeth is in stocking feet, having given her shoes to her mother, who had damaged hers while climbing.)

[alicelemarchant]

The Matopos Rhino Walk

On the 11th August 2018 we were taken to the Matopos National Park to see and learn about the white Rhino and how the numbers are ever dwindling.

The day started in the back of a Jeep, as we were all driven by our guide, Jordan, to the Matobo national park. Spirits were high from the prospect of getting up close and personal with the white rhino, of which there are only between 19,666 and 21,085 left in the world. Lots of facts and information were given to us throughout our time with Jordan, but the most shocking of all was when he said that our children's children, or maybe even our children, would perhaps never encounter Rhino at the rate they are being poached.

So after a morose start to the day, we set off, tissues on noses, to see if we could encounter some rhinos. This was the main reason we had spent our precious $125 after all. After some driving we stopped suddenly. Had the moment come? Were the rhino near? These were the questions I had in anticipation as I watched Jordan leap from the driving seat. He bent down and looked at the ground. Footprints perhaps? Instead he picked up a green plant and told us it was Bush man's soap.

Once you add a bit of water and rub it between your hands, this simple looking plant turns into the most amazing moisturiser. It becomes very slimy, but the slime you can use by rubbing it all over your body.

After our little spa treatment from the bush, we continued until we came across two men armed with guns. They were the park rangers. Their guns weren't for protection against the rhino, hyenas, cheetah or leopards in the park. Their guns were to kill poachers on sight. These guys are the people who do the work. Unfortunately if you donate to charities to help rhinos, most of your money (around 60-70%) will go into advertisements and admin; to people sitting at desks, completely disconnected and unaware of the damage that is going on around them. If you want to make a difference with your money you have to give it directly to the people actually working with the rhinos. The rangers told us the rhino weren't far away, so we set off, cameras and sunscreen in hand, through the bush. It wasn't long until we came across a group of rhino; five adults and one baby. We got about 5 yards away, as the rhinos eyesight is really poor, and as long as they don't smell guns, they pretty much ignore you. They are seriously underrated creatures, as they undermine societies' conception of what is 'cute'.

We sat in silence with the rhinos for about 20 minutes, watching them move, until they found a comfortable spot to lie down. Excitement over. The encounter was a lot briefer than I expected it to be, and I wish we spent more time just sitting and observing, but Jordan had to please everyone on the trip, and not everyone is happy sitting in the mud watching animals. So we went back to the Jeep to grab a soft drink and talk about our thoughts. After a drive through the Matopos hills, stopping at various places to see kudu and crocodiles, we arrived at the potato salad. Jordan's potato salad at lunch time is renowned for being super tasty, and an experience in itself! Lunch was gratefully eaten, with the different syrups that were available to drink. In Zimbabwe the cordials are called syrups and you can get different flavours like raspberry (which tastes of cough medicine), cream soda (which is bright green), orange, and peach. I highly recommend the orange one if you don't want to gag, but want to add some flavour to your water.

Plates licked and fingers cleaned, the Jeep's engine was revved up once more in search of cave paintings. We walked up a small hill to go in search of the Nswatugi Cave. This cave contains paintings by the Bush men, a tribe still alive today, and were created about 4000-6000 years ago.

Notice how the animals are exactly in proportion and the people are simple stick figures. It shows how important animals are to the Bush men's culture and way of life. The animals include giraffe, kudu, elephants, zebra, and sables. This cave also has a 'shadow painting' of a woman. Shadow paintings only appear once a shadow is cast over them, and they are said to protect the other paintings from any damage.

The paintings consumed us for about 45 minutes, before we moved on towards Cecil Rhodes' grave at World's View. Jordan gave us a lot of information on Cecil Rhodes - British businessman and mining magnate. I say no more on Rhodes, in fear of  recrimination. What I want to focus your attention on is the sunset at World's View...

This was one of the best sunsets I had ever seen. The sun is at least three times bigger than the sun back home in Blighty. It is an experience which is irreplaceable and I cannot describe it to you in words. You have to go to see for yourself!

The day ended, and we were driven back to Chipangali in the open top Jeep in the dark. My top tips for this journey is to bring a sleeping bag because it gets cold at night in August! Also watch out for any bats that could fly into your face as you're driving a long the road...

[livingandlifestyle]

Lying south of Bulawayo, the Matobo Hills or Matopos consist of a broken and ancient, rocky landscape with a unique natural and social heritage. It has one of the highest concentrations of prehistoric rock paintings in Southern Africa, while the hills are still a focus for local community shrines and sacred places.

The Matobo Hills feature in many of the important historical events that have shaped the modern nation of Zimbabwe. There are battle sites, graves, ruins and relics that date back thousands of years through to recent events. As such this cultural landscape is one of the most important in the country; it captures the soul of the nation.

(via Matobo Hills World Heritage Site - Zimbabwe's Natural Balancing Rocks)

[ordinary-beautiful]

Matopos