My fire has been brought-en

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Over the final weekend in May I had the opportunity to attend an event in Swaziland called Bushfire.  Bushfire, now in its 11^th year, is a celebration of arts, culture, and music.  The festival takes place at House on Fire in Ezulwini Valley.  Ezulwini is siSwati for Heaven, and the valley and festival were indeed heavenly.  All around us were signs that told us “wemukelikile” which means “welcome,” and were we ever made to feel welcome.  Thus far this event may top the list of amazing things I have done and seen since coming to Africa. 

Getting to Swaziland took six taxis over two days, with an overnight in Nelspruit.  Luckily Ben, the taxi driver who always assists me in Nelspruit, was able to direct me to the appropriate taxi that would take me across the border and into Mbabane.  Thank goodness for people who know what to do!  I crossed the border at Oshoek, which was a bit confusing, but I was able to get through fairly quickly and without any issues.  From there the driver took me to a taxi rank where I was able to catch another taxi to Legends backpackers where I was staying.  Many of the people who attend Bushfire camp, but a backpackers is pretty much the limit I will go to when roughing it, especially with night time temperatures dropping into the 40s Fahrenheit.

Day one of the festival began on Friday at 6pm and went until 4am.  Very well planned out, there were shuttles available to take us to and from the festival every hour on the hour to keep people from drinking and driving.  While waiting for the shuttle there were even musical performers entertaining us at the pick-up spot.  From the pick-up point and into the festival there was such a good vibe.  People were so kind to one another, just so relaxed and having a good time.  There was amazing food all over the place, and three different stages with live music.  While I definitely wanted to stay until the very end that night, the long days of travel caught up with me and I had to find my way home around 2am (the Vegas girl in me was a little ashamed of the early out).

Day two began with a lovely breakfast at Mugg and Bean, and arrival at the festival around 1pm.  The festival was already in full swing by that time, so friends and I found a nice place to park, relax, listen to music, and (my favorite activity) people watch.  I made several visits to a food stand that offered “American” corndogs and fried oreos…can’t get enough of that greasy carnival food!  I also made my way to a booth for Condomize Swaziland, where I made a condom into a discreet pin covered with fabric (others made earrings) and answered a quiz question to win some pretty sweet swag (a scarf and sunglasses that say “condomize” in hot pink).  The booth was providing excellent safe sex education in a country that has struggled with HIV for years.  I heard a man say that he was so surprised by all that he had just learned about condoms, and that he was very excited to try them out that night.  Night two ended just a bit early for me due to rain, but was awesome nonetheless.

Day three was more low key than had been the previous days.  The music had a jazzy vibe, perfect for relaxing on the grass and eating cotton candy and more corndogs.  The weather was a bit finicky due to the previous night’s rain, so I purchased a toasty sweatshirt that should be nice to have now that winter has descended upon us.  Day three was a perfect way to wind down the wonderful festival that brought people together from so many countries and cultures.  Even the transport hiccups inevitably encountered on the trip back could not bring down my spirits.  Bushfire was a fabulous event, one that I would highly recommend to anyone in Southern Africa at the end of May, and Swaziland is a beautiful country to visit anytime!