welcome party in Lubanzi This weekend is a report on the latest news from Lubanzi. Next week we are back again with news from Mpame ...
So. In Lubanzi we have bought a house that we now repurpose into a backpackers. Unfortunately, there is only the house, and not the land on which it stands. The land belongs to the Xhosa, the local people. And here you can not just buy land, because here rules the tribal law. To be granted the land, we must first reach agreement with the tribal elders. Then we need the stamp of Headman on our contract of buying a house. We then go to Tribal Authorities, the meeting of all Head's in the region. There, we must obtain from all the heads of the authorization and the Tribal Authorities stamp. And with all these stamps, we will wear our contract to Land Affairs, where we apply formally for our piece of land. The processing of this application takes three to you as eight years. It was supposed to last three months, but the wheels of bureaucracy turn very slowly here. However, once our application is deposited, we can sometimes soothes the hands rub. For the next three to eight years, no one can dictate to us what we are officially "under request. Ha.
The first step is to obtain a stamp from the Headman. Which one gets only if the community agrees. So we must first know the community and ask for permission to whether we are allowed to operate a business in their village, and whether they agree that this piece of land around the house belongs to us. Friday before a Week we had a first meeting with the people from the immediate surroundings and the Vice-Headman. At this meeting we were told that we, according to the Xhosa tradition, as new residents have to throw a party for the whole village. This is part of the recording process in a rural community. Aidan and I swallowed once empty. Party on how many guests are we talking here? Must we slaughter a cow? This is expensive ... But the village council was merciful to us, and they have written the same the whole shopping list. Ah, just chicken, no cow, thank God. And a couple cases of beer and two bottles of cognac. That we can cope. It was agreed that the large village meeting and the welcome party on Friday 7. May, should take place. The women would then pick up the morning shopping with us and prepare the food, so we do not need us to care. Wonderful.
On Thursday we drove to Mthatha, to withdraw money and make purchases. At the entrance to the city was again ne police check, and they waved me to get out again. What are they all just against my Beetle? But anyway, I've now finally have a valid license. The policeman looked at the glue on my windshield (the license), and then said, yes ma'am, but have not the license plates the same number as the license is recorded. Sip. What, how, where? Even Aidan was lost for words. I told ui sorry, you know, I'm a tourist, I can describe the car papers just on my name and I did not know that it changes the identification number. The policeman said, ok, take the number plates now on the same, and now you are in Mthatha new signs. I said, yes, yes ok thank you, and we were without number plates from the dust. Arrrgh. Thank God I knew where you could get number plates, just to give us yet again there first traffic department sent a copy of my car documents to request, and so half the day passed until we finally, new, and properly marked, make our purchases.
The 2 bottles Cognag and the 12 loaves of bread we bought in town in the supermarket. The rest we bought in a department store: 40kg of chicken, 2 cases of beer, 3 beer crates local brand (in Tetra-Pack), 24-2l bottles of soft drink (Coke, Fanta, etc.). So my old VW Beetle was as full as it could only be. The local beer ferment in Tetra Pack is still on, and every time we rattled over a pothole, hissed the beer packs to us. It sounded as if we had a bunch of snakes in the car. Well we were not far, after about 10km rose suddenly from the engine. As the matter now?! Aidan jumped out of the car and opened the hood and shouted, quickly disconnecting power to the battery! I said, very funny you joker, as are written on grade 5 cans of beer and 40 chicken! He said, then give me a rag, fast, Fire! Oh, that again already. A week ago we have already blown a cable. Now another cable caught fire - once any short circuit. Fortunately we had just bought a new cable (to the other completely melted thing to replace, we had simply been wrapped with tape), and so Aidan could repair the damage an emergency basis. Then we had to push the car, however - the starter was broken. But driving the car, and we managed to get home. Huff. The hissing of beer in the garage, and finally relax.
On Friday was then so instead of the party. Sun at eleven clock times we walked slowly to the kindergarten high, but there were not many people there. The members of the newly founded village council took Aidan and me aside to again to discuss our business plan, and what jumps out for the locals. We told them that is not expected in the first three years to really be an asset and a profit-sharing, therefore, hardly makes sense, but that we can offer you job offers, for example, their handicrafts here sell Backpackers or the local fishermen contact if we score here want to have like a leader. The village council agreed to this. When enough people had gathered, they opened the meeting, and the village council told the people what we do here and that we want to work with them. Then she serves the drinks we had bought, and said that all food and drink come from us as a gift for the villagers. All were enthusiastic. One by one a few people were on to also say something, and most of them were statements like "since they now belong to us they are our relatives and we must preserve and protect their home and their things." And so it goes here. Then the meeting ended and opened the party. Drinks were distributed, distributed beers, and the old men went with the Cognac bottles through the crowd and handed shots. I sometimes sat with the women, sometimes with Aidan, sometimes with Sabelo, our translator. People were drunk and intoxicated, and the more they drank, the louder they became. The women began to clap and dance. The food was handed out two pieces of bread and two pieces of chicken on a paper plate. The men were served first, and what they did not they passed the children. Clock to half past four in the afternoon we sat in front of the children's garden on the hill and talked to people. And so we are now officially the village community. The party has given us the edge was 1500 (150 €), and it brings us to protect and support and acceptance of local residents. I think the It is definitely worth it. :-)
One of the village elders will now go to the Headman for us to pick up the stamp. As soon as I stamped my documents, I'll take care of the meeting with Tribal Authorities.
