IBUYAMBO YAMAMPONDOThe
Ibuyambo YamaMpondo is a
cultural heritage festival held in
South Africa that focuses on
Mpondo culture, not only as tradition, but as a
tool for the future. It’s not an event designed to look back, but to
connect identity and personal growth, especially among young people.
The festival’s main goal is to
empower young people, helping them make
informed decisions about their lives, their bodies, and their role within the community. Through
education, values such as
self-love,
respect, and
responsibility are reinforced, always from a cultural and collective perspective.
During the event,
traditional ceremonies, educational activities,
music festivals, and contests like
Miss & Mr Inkciyo take place, aiming to create
positive role models and promote
self-esteem,
leadership, and
social commitment.
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Squats.
AMATEUR FLESH: MARIELLEI genuinely believe that
ALRNCN doesn’t get the international recognition it truly deserves. And I’m not saying this out of ego, but out of perspective: we’ve been doing this for
over 23 years, curating
photos and videos on a daily basis with a level of
quality and
criteria that very few websites still maintain today. You only need to look at material like
Marielle’s to understand what I mean.
Very, very few sites remain
active after all this time. And even fewer manage to do so without losing their identity, without turning into something else, or without giving up along the way. We don’t know
how much longer we’ll last —with the current landscape of
constant changes,
lack of investment,
censorship, and
control— but as long as we’re allowed to,
we’ll be here. As always.
That said, I’ll also be honest about something else:
I wouldn’t want to be on everyone’s lips. I prefer a
low-profile approach. A space where we can
do things our own way, without constantly being in the
spotlight or judged at every turn. Massive visibility comes at a cost, and it
doesn’t always pay off.
So that’s it — have a
great weekend.
If all goes well,
see you on Monday.
I’ll leave you in good company:
Marielle.
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