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Ringetani Cultural Dance Development Program
Ringetani, is an all African, earthy program which has no Western influence whatsoever. Lodrick Manyathele founded the initiative in 1999, he is an unassuming young man with pure intent and patience one only finds in the bush. He sees the negative influence of first world encroachment, his background is a village life in Mpumalanga, South Africa. He and the group are based in Somerset Village, this name does not in anyway fairly represent the spirit of the location. Lodrick smiles at this and simply explains that the village name must be something that Western people can pronounce and remember, so that they can explain to their friends when they get home. This is a sound piece of logic given that Lodrick has been at this for more than six years. (Ten Years Now!).
Lodrick wanted to provide the local youth with some options other than crime, drugs or alcohol. He had seen many good African children ruined by these and he wanted to try and motivate some of the traditional African values, those he knew and had a respect for, the same values that had served Africans for centuries. There is something fundamentally sad about the demise of a people’s natural culture. We have seen the most amazing technological developments in the past fifty years, transport, communications, healthcare and a host of others.
To the average Westerner these have been the lifeblood of their generations. For the average African they have been responsible for the destruction of their natural environment, culture and community.
Lodrick never subscribed to the wanabe “western” influence, he loves being an African and for him the answer to his communities demise was to go back. Back to African ways and African values, in his own words “preserving of nature, culture, respect & helping the youth.” And so Ringetani was born. Lodrick has founded, pioneered and nurtured his work without the vaguest possibility of reward or return, at least in the fiscal sense. You have only to be touched by his earthy African energy to know he has been rewarded in a fundamental way only few enjoy these days.
And so to the program, African cultural dance is the traditional way to communicate, celebrate, mourn and rejoice. The youth involved with the program have found depths in themselves almost lost and abandoned. Anyone who has seen, heard, smelt and felt real African dance can relate to it’s fundamental nature. The young people have regained their identities and re-grown there souls. Souls withered by liquor, dishonesty, drugs and other abuses. It is not true of each of them of course, but even living and communing with these influences cannot but injure one’s being.
The youth have worked extremely hard at developing their dance group, as an achievement this in it’s self is worthy of note. For Lodrick and the group it is the foundation stone of their entire communities development program. Given their hard work and achievement, they have taken their talent out and marketed their group as entertainers, cultural ambassadors and brought home hugely valuable income which funds the others facets of the upliftment initiative. These self earned funds support the communities job creation, literacy, HIV/Aids education, and other skills development initiatives. These are both expensive and ongoing, although they are working towards being self-funded, they still need a tremendous amount of help, support and donations are always welcome and put to good use within the organisation. Their work is undertaken with Respect, Honesty & Integrity as fundamentals.
We have brought about this website in an effort to assist Ringetani in promoting their fine dance group and to their communities upliftment. We will add more detail as we can extract it from Lodrick, his humility works against him in this regard. What we can say with complete confidence is that if your Lodge, Hotel, Conference or other facility needs some outstanding African entertainment, call or e-mail Lodrick, it’s an effort you will never regret.
In the last four years Lodrick and the Ringetani staff and volunteers have worked hard to add to the existing offer and now also provide the following:
- Ringetani Marimba Band [ Read More ]
- Ringetani Tribal Dance [ Read More ]
- Ringetani Traditional Choir [ Read More ]
- Ringetani Traditional Village Tours
[ Read More ]
- Cultural Village Overnight Stays, Transport & Transfers
[ Read More ]
- Ringetani Four Day Tour [ Read More ]
Please contact Lodrick if you would like more information about any of their programs or services.
Whilst, Ringetani continuously endeavours to be self-sustaining and self-reliant... the needs of the local people, especially the elderly and the many orphans due to the Aids endemic are nearly always more than they can provide.... even though they could easily provide for themselves through their many efforts, they find it a responsibility to help those in need within their local community and whenever, however they can... especially the elderly and orphans in the greater area.
If you would like to help on a personal level or through your business, in any small or large way... be it cash donation, sponsorship or donation of goods, new or 2nd hand, please contact Lodrick if you have questions or require additional information.
Thank-you for visiting our website...
Contact: Lodrick Manyathele:
Cell: 083-734-2963
Tel: 013 737 6566
Email: lodrick@ringetani.co.za
Postal Address:
Ringetani African Art & Culture
Community Development Project
P. O. Box 1851
HAZYVIEW
1242
South Africa
If you have questions or comments about the website, please contact Mands [ EMAIL ] or visit the BLOG [ http://www.ringetani.co.za/blog ]
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