Spear-wielding warriors pour over the hilltops to attack a startled red-coat army, in a battlefield re-enactment that hopes to lure World Cup fans away from the stadiums between matches.
South Africa’s 19th-century battlefields gave birth to the Zulu nation, as military genius King Shaka brought a large swath of the country under his rule, only to clash with the British colonizers.
Zulus are now South Africa’s largest ethnic group, at 24 percent of the population, and their history and culture are being turned into a tourist drawcard.
PHOTO: AFP
Anglo-Zulu battlefields and Shaka’s grave and birthplace now anchor a tourism trade in eastern KwaZulu-Natal Province that aims to give foreigners a slice of history and rural South African life.
The province is the most popular vacation destination for South Africans, but struggles to lure foreign visitors away from Cape Town and the winelands on the western coast. Zulu culture has become a key attraction, tourist officials said.
“Cultural tourism has seen a steady rise over the last eight years. We are hoping that the World Cup will expose us to new markets and clients,” said William Adams, a tour guide for Springbok Atlas Tours.
On the Isandlwana Anglo-Zulu warfields, warriors battle red coats in battle re-enactments that show how the British were overpowered in 1879 in one of their worst colonial defeats.
Visitors can try stick-fighting, drink sorghum beer and eat bull’s head meat and intestines.
“Offering something off the beaten track is our major advantage. We are up against all sorts of competitors, so we need to stand out,” said Leo Kroone, owner of Phezulu Village and Safari Lodge. “The Zulu culture is a known brand.”
Marketing Zulu culture is one way of drawing tourists to the tropical coast, where winter temperatures in June and July remain balmy, while much of South Africa is cold, tourist officials said.
Phezulu, which means “high” in Zulu, sits on a hilltop 35km outside Durban, which hosts seven World Cup matches.
At Phezulu, also known as the Valley of a Thousand Hills, guests sleep in modernized thatched cottages, similar to old-style Zulu huts — except for the giant television screen set up in the grounds so fans can watch games.
Some fear that selling an outdated image of Zulus borders on stereotyping and ignores the dynamic reality of South Africa’s increasingly urban culture.
South African President Jacob Zuma, modern South Africa’s first Zulu leader, practices polygamy and wears traditional leopard skins at his weddings.
“Some of these commercial places do not have the interest of culture at heart. They want to come and show the gullible tourists about how the other sides live,” said Sihawu Ngubane, a professor of Zulu language and culture at the University of KwaZulu Natal. “In some cases, historic facts are twisted in a bid to tell the most compelling story. That is exploitation.”
However, KwaZulu tourism chief Ndabo Khoza said the increase in cultural tourism is simply meeting demand from tourists who increasingly express an interest in local life.
“Foreign visitors are intrigued by the rich history of the Zulus, particularly the colonial wars and traditions,” Khoza said.
“The site is popular with British tourists, but locals also come here to marvel at the Zulu prowess,” Khoza said. “We are hoping to build on the success of the World Cup to increase the number of future foreign visitors.”
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