Applications are now open for the all-new Standard Bank Luju Food & Fashion Indaba! This year, the Standard Bank Luju Food & Lifestyle Festival reinforces its commitment towards creative Micro, Small, Medium Enterprises (MSME) development with this new, innovative and impactful initiative open to entrepreneurs in the food and fashion industries.
An indaba is a conference that brings together a broad range of stakeholders to discuss topical issues around a specific theme. This indaba will be a dynamic two-day programme of capacity development workshops, insightful panel discussions, masterclasses and knowledge sharing on industry best practices with food and fashion experts from Eswatini and across the Southern African region.
The Indaba will take place prior to the main festival opening. The Fashion Indaba takes place on 1st August, 2024, and the Culinary Indaba on 2nd August 2024, both at House On Fire.
Application forms for the Food Indaba and the Fashion Indaba can be found on the Standard Bank Luju Food & Lifestyle Festival website, lujufestival.com, as well as all festival social media platforms.
The sixth edition of the Standard Bank Luju Food & Lifestyle Festival will be held from 2– 3 August 2024. An annual two-day regional showcase of culinary exploits, future-forward fashion, fine music, and wholesome entertainment inspired by the festival ethos, “A Return to the African Future”, Luju celebrates the sophistication and elegance of African heritage, cuisine and creative design.
The Standard Bank Luju Food & Lifestyle Festival platform is consciously used to develop and promote the creative economy, sustainability and small-business growth through a series of workshops, demonstrations, mentorship opportunities, industry workshops, cultural exchanges, and the promotion of sustainability best practices.
Culinary Theme
This year’s culinary theme “Roots” (atibuye emasisweni) is about journeying back to the source and explore gifts of the land, unearthing the power of plants and free-to-roam meats as a sustaining source of health and heritage. We uncover the staple foods and age-old cooking techniques that keep us rooted in who we are.
Through this theme, we decolonize our palates to consciously reclaim and advance indigenous knowledge, skills and techniques.
Culinary Indaba
The Culinary Indaba will be held on Friday 2 August 2024, from 9am-2pm.
The Culinary Indaba invites applications from culinary industry influencers and food enthusiasts, including aspiring and established restaurateurs, chef associations, relevant industry regulators, health practitioners, food retailers, suppliers and distributors, producers and farmers, to name just a few.
The program includes interactive panel discussions on pertinent issues around local food sovereignty and healthy supply chain from farm to table. Attendees will also enjoy kitchen and dining skills demonstrations for improved local industry and service excellence.
The Culinary Indaba is sponsored by Standard Bank, Mastercard, Stella Artois, Rhodes Food Group, Unifoods, Pick n Pay Lojaf, KWV and Mongi Botanical
Fashion Theme
Luju’s fashion theme for 2024 is “African-Futurism”.
This year’s fashion theme is African Futurism. Luju is celebrating the revolutionary power of Fashion with this artistic and cultural philosophy that embraces African history and heritage, blending fantasy, technology and futuristic concepts to envision a future driven by Africans.
African Futurism draws inspiration from a variety of sources, including traditional African clothing, futuristic designs, as well as retro and avant-garde fashion movements.
Fashion Indaba
The Fashion Indaba will be held on August 1,2024, from 9am – 1pm in the House on Fire Amphitheatre.
The Luju Fashion Indaba invites stakeholders from Eswatini’s growing fashion industry to participate. Local fashion designers, Fashion and Creative Industry business professionals, consultants, local finance and education institutions, government agencies, local NGOs, and others with a stake in the future of fashion in the Kingdom are invited to apply.
This year’s focus is “Scaling your Brand”, featuring panel discussions and networking opportunities that address the critical issues and challenges encountered by fashion designers in Eswatini. The panel discussions are aimed at empowering the fashion sector to tackle common challenges, reveal growth opportunities and share knowledge. The Fashion Indaba is sponsored by Standard Bank, Mastercard, Kulture Xchange, Zyle Clothing and Dala Spaces.
