The creative spirit of Limpopo is an unparalleled mix of vibrant artistry that blends the different shades of Tsonga, Venda and Shangaan cultures in the province. The Ribola Art Route showcases the expressiveness and talent of the people of Mbhokota. Our morning gets off to an inspiring start with a short drive to Mbhokota Village, where Twananani Textiles has been making cloths, pillowcases and traditional clothing for some twenty years. Combining Batik, block printing, embroidery, beading and painting by hand, the ladies that work here create colourful textiles decorated with iconic Tsonga and Venda patterns and animals. The room quickly fills up with laughter as Ma Florence as well as the young Amu, Molly and Tsakani teach us the art of textile design in an interactive, hands-on way. The lesson works up quite the appetite and before we make our way to the next stop on our tour we nibble on an Amagwinya / Vetkoek snack to keep the creative juices flowing.

We’re soon driving along the dusty village roads maneuvering our way around the traffic of livestock and taxis to Mukondeni Pot Village. Here, the Matriarch, Sarah Munyai, has taught the women of the village to make clay pots in the age-old fire pit tradition. The pots, platters, vases, fire-pots and water filters are adorned with traditional patterns and symbols using ochre and graphite collected from the Luonde Mountains. Florah Randela shows us how to make our pots and teaches us to appreciate the feeling of clay working its way between our fingers. We marvel as our lumps of clay slowly take shape and become bowls and pots that we get to take home.

En route to our next creative workshop we stop off at a roadside restaurant to catch our breath and to enjoy a delicious flame-grilled chicken, pap and marogo lunch. It’s not long before we resume our creative immersion. At this point during the tour we’re given a choice between two distinct experiences: either the home-gallery of Patrick Manyike OR the jewelry-workshop of Phyllis Movani. Patrick is a talented young sculptor who breathes life into wood with his homemade tools and his skillful hands. Sitting under a shady tree, high above the river crossing, Patrick cuts a patient figure that pays careful attention to teaching us how to work with wood. His quirky sense of humour and easy-going personality is infectious and before we know it, our time spent with him comes to an end and our sculptures become the souvenirs of our time spent together.

Phyllis Movani has a home-workshop specializing in unique jewelry pieces. Phyllis is inspired by the legacy of talented bead-worker, Hlamarisa Vuma, and along with her team, she fashions necklaces, earrings, traditional bead wear and a range of other accessories. Phyllis is a quietly confident teacher, whose pride and care shines through in her magical pieces. But she is also a talented teacher who shows us just how fun making your own jewelry can be. She walks us through the planning and making of our own unique pieces of jewelry traditional Tsonga dolls. Like all our other stops on this colourful immersion into the creative spirit of Mbhokota we walk away not just with physical reminders of the amazing time we enjoyed, but also with a newfound gratitude of the melting pot of cultures that make Limpopo the artistic hotbed it is.