The 17th Bushfire festival took place during the first weekend of June. Picture: mtnbushfire/Instagram
The MTN Bushfire festival has come and gone and what’s left are the memories.
The festival’s magnitude was complemented by the richness of the performances, the culture and the people who attended it over the 17-year-long run in Eswatini.
The music performances and other activities around the festival are worthwhile, but what stood out for me was the people.
Whether bumping into a friendly drunken French tourist in the lavatory or making a Swati friend while enjoying a performance – the people made it a great festival.
Below are some of the things which etched the festival in my memory.
Speaking with ordinary locals gives one a good sense of the place, and Swati citizens were welcoming. Throughout the festival-from time to time a local would acknowledge your contribution to the Kingdom’s GDP and insisting on your return.
So relaxed was the atmosphere, that two police officers (both Dlamini’s) who were checking if we’re fine as patrons didn’t take offence when one of us joked about how a lot of Swati people use the Dlamini surname.
If it wasn’t the indelible ink on thumbs it was the dialect that gave it away that someone was South African.
South Africans’ strong presence was expected, with many patrons driving to the monarchy just days after casting their vote on May 29 and with many inebriated throughout the festival; it was a seamless conversation starter to chat about who someone chose to vote for.
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As a first-time Bushfire attendee, I had heard of the long queues for a shower, long before landing in King Mswati III’s backyard. The length of the queues for showers makes Capitec ATM lines look like child’s play.
I would advise that organisers invest in a dam perhaps, although this would discourage a lot of people from showering, it would help ease painful morning hangovers under the hot sun in Eswatini.
Surprisingly, there weren’t long lines at bars maybe this was because there was a ubiquity of beverage stalls to choose from.
Because the festival never accepted direct payments, people had to pay using a Howler account through their wristband; there were some queues when one needed to top-up, but just like the bars, there were more than enough top-up stations for patrons.
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The old-age form of commerce comes to life at Bushfire. Bartering thrives in community and a festival such as Bushfire is the perfect platform for the system- one tends to find themselves in need of something, that ironically your neighbour or the person you’re in the queue with has.
These needs can range from a dishwashing liquid to a lighter to margarine or rolling paper for marijuana.
There was ubiquitous of the latter- I eavesdropped on someone speaking on the phone telling a friend en route to the festival that “bringing weed to Bushfire is like taking coal to a coalmine.”
With thick clouds of smoke and the pungent smell of weed in the air, you would swear that the South Africans in attendance were celebrating President Cyril Ramaphosa’s signing into law the Cannabis for Private Purposes Act, which legalises private use of the herd.
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The presence of black campers was a refreshing site. Whether it was the car-camping area that was dubbed Sandton because people were glamping (glamorously camping) or attendees camping in moderate tents, the whole place gave the feeling of a big family reunion.
Such was the feeling that, strolling at night between some of the tents as though at home heading to your room and walking past a bedroom where a handful of cousins are sleeping and be shook by terrifying sounds of snoring.
A gentleman who came with his wife and toddler said he felt carted for in the Family Campsite which was designated for families with at least one child 12 years or younger.
The festival was accommodating to the variety of patrons that were there.
There are numerous people that attend Bushfire through travel agents; The Citizen spoke to one of the many travel agents that were at the festival, Travvela from South Africa.
“Compared to last year the border was not as crazy, they [Bushfire] made extra plans to make sure that we got through quickly,” said Phambili Nkushubana a spokesperson for Travvela, one of the many travel agents that were at the festival.
“Setting up was smooth. We got our electricity set up properly, they pulled lines for us…there was a little bit of a lighting issue but they sorted it out.”
“I left on Wednesday immediately after voting and then the crew [travel clients] left Joburg at 3:30 in the morning of Friday, got to Bushfire around midday and they had little to no trouble at the border.”
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Founder of Travvela Tokazi Nkushubana said there are benefits in booking through a travel agent. “It’s the ease of planning, someone takes care of all the logistics, and you just show up. There’s [also] safety in numbers.”
A report by the Eswatini Tourism Authority in the Times of Swaziland on the recent MTN Bushfire festival has revealed a 50% increase in international arrivals compared to the previous year, with Mzansi as the biggest contributor.
South Africa emerged as the top source of international arrivals at the 17th edition of the Bushfire festival on the weekend of 31 May to 2 June; accounting for an overwhelming 75% of the 22 880 total.
This is indicative of the festival’s strong appeal to neighbouring countries, with Mozambique following closely behind at 11.3%.
Other countries that contributed significantly to the festival’s success include Zimbabwe, the USA, Lesotho, France, Portugal, Botswana, the United Kingdom and Germany.
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