Bee Africa Travel & Tours Owner Briony Leigh Smith and Tourist Guide and Traditional Healer Bongi Thabede discuss exploring Cultural Tourism and Sustainable, Accessible Travel, with a deep dive into responsible tourism practices.PICTURE: NTUTHUKO MLONDO
Durban — A discussion between different cultures took place at Africa’s Travel Indaba on Wednesday, with the purpose of providing sustainable, accessible travel within eThekwini and KwaZulu-Natal.
Thursday (today) marks the conclusion of Africa’s Travel Indaba which will end with a reflection on the Indaba as well as awards given to exhibitors for demonstrating excellence in various categories.
Wednesday’s discussion was aimed at preserving and promoting the diverse cultures of the city. It was also aimed at addressing issues of sustainability and an eco-friendly environment.
Bee Africa Travel and Tours owner Briony Leigh Smith spoke on the diverse food culture in Durban. Smith said when it came to cuisine in Durban, there was a huge diversity of influences.
She discussed the origins of a Durban favourite – bunny chow. She said, “Bunny chow was made in Durban. When the husbands were working, and wives did not have containers to carry curry, they hollowed out half a loaf of bread and sent it off instead.”
There was a large portion of restaurants that catered for Indian cuisine, shisanyamas (braaied meat), German cuisine (especially in Westville) and Portuguese cuisine, she said.
The influence of the Zulu culture was strong internationally, she said, because when one referred to the Nato phonetic alphabet (Alpha, Bravo, Charlie ... ) it ends with Zulu.
Smith spoke about travel and the impact it had on the environment.
“South Africa is a long-haul destination and sometimes it can take two days to get here. Then you have vehicles’ carbon emissions, etc.
“Glass bottles are not allowed on tour vehicles due to safety. One of the ways to mitigate this is that all the plastics are gathered and then they get recycled.
“Sustainability and carbon footprint are a personal journey. As much as we can educate people on better practices, it depends on the individual,” she said.
As a company, it was their responsibility to set better policies to ensure sustainable, eco-friendly experiences on the ground, she said.
Tourist guide and traditional healer Bongi Thabede said culture and heritage were her passion. Thabede graduated as a traditional healer in 2011 and two years later she opened her consultancy. Thabede said that culturally, conservation was important for Zulus.
“When we harvest medicine – different types of plants – we do not just harvest. For us, you respect what the universe has provided for you. When you consume it, it should be done responsibly because if you don’t do that, it means the invasion of sustainability of mother nature,“ she said.
“We need to be very respectful and very sacred. The same for wildlife/animals. When working with communities, I make sure their ethics are good and that we’re on the same page,” she said.
Thabede trained her neighbours to assist her with tours within Umlazi, south of Durban.
Thabede accompanies tour groups around the city and ensures they get authentic experiences. As a traditional healer, she organises tours to share that experience with visitors in Umlazi.
“That on its own means that they are able to support their own families. I have also assisted a team of small crafters and provided them with opportunities to come and market their products.
“When you support the locals, it means that you are stimulating the local economy and that’s the reason for sustainability,” Thabede said.
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