Once again, we were blessed with clear skies and moderate temperatures, perfect weather for an interpretative walk with the highly skilled Ubungani field officers. Delegates were treated to the wonders of the veld (the South African word for bush); where we learnt that you can never see nothing in nature. Ubungani’s officers were quick to point out the intricacies of a termite mound, the medicinal uses of various trees, explain the sound of a mysterious bird etc. All agreed that an appreciation for the smaller, often overlooked creatures were fostered, and although some were lucky enough to see blue wildebeest and giraffe, everybody thoroughly enjoyed this walk.

  

 

Lunch at the dam turned into a hilarious ‘canoeing’ session, where delegates tried to get each other as wet as possible! Nobody really focused on the art of canoeing, but rather on the highly skilled task of dragging one another into the water and trying to submerge each other. Everybody joined in the fun, whether it was as a victim of the drag-and-drop brigade, or as a spectator (and instigator) from the sideline!

 

Back at camp delegates were given a short time to pack, and then we departed for a sleep-out at a Pedi Village, the indigenous tribe of the area. After an interesting talk about their way of live, which was even news for some of our South African delegates like Kelebogile Maphatlane, who is a Tswana; it was time for the fun to start…

 

The beautiful, rhythmic sounds of a local Pedi quire kick started the events of the evening which would soon become an experience delegates will talk about for many months to come. Everybody soon joined in the singing, and when the drumming and dancing began, it turned into a real party. Delegates were laughing, kicking up dust, trying new songs and dance moves until well into the night. Cultural boundaries seemed to diminish, no they were non-existent, as we all became part of the ‘rhythm of Africa’.

It was South Africa’s turn to provide dinner, and the pap, marog and meat stew were thoroughly enjoyed by all. Traditionally the African people ate with their hands, and delegates agreed that this method of eating really increased the enjoyment of the food.

When at last we came to rest, delegates had to find themselves sleeping space in the Pedi huts, and this is where the experience of the evening were talked about, and once again discussed in detail until much later. Sang Bin Hong from Korea remarked that this was a much needed opportunity to reconnect with friends and reflect on the past few days, and just share the many emotions experienced since their arrival on African soil.