Gatecrash the friendliest province

The festive season is already in full swing and a lot more activities have been lined up, leaving those perennial gatecrashers spoilt for choice.

Of all the action happening, the initiation season in the Eastern Cape is one of the most celebrated events, especially if one is to speak the language of meat and beer.

Thousands of boys will have undertaken the precarious journey from boyhood to manhood this season, as evidenced by the explosion of mushroom-like structures  in the bush and on the mountains, the homes of thousands who could barely wait to join the demanding world of manhood.

Well, if you are an amateur gatecrasher craving huge chunks of meat and frothing traditional beer this festive season, let me teach you how to spot events taking place in your area.

The first thing you need to do is keep both ears to the ground for information about  the boys undergoing initiation this month. Such information comes easily as many people proudly proclaim that their children went to the mountain on such a day, so it’s no secret.

Once you have a healthy list of these boys, the rest is very easy. All you have to do is be at the right place at the right time when the aroma of steaming meat from huge pots and the fermenting smell of traditional beer begins to waft through the air.

The best part of these gatherings is that you will not find a security guard with a dog at the gate; instead, you will be greeted by the biggest chunk of meat you have ever eaten in your life, washed down by a frothing mug of beer.

And even better, you get all this for free!

No one will ever ask you whether you are a member of the family.

If you are a member of the community you are welcome.

I can guarantee you that you will be able to drink your fill of frothy beer and bury your teeth in tasty meat to your heart’s content.

The good thing about these occasions is that there is always a return leg – when the boys come back as men. There are even more festivities to welcome them back so you treat your taste buds to a double whammy.

It is such events and the warmth of the people of the Eastern Cape that make it one of the most charming provinces in the country.

I always feel that the friendliness and warmth of the people is underrated as we tend to focus on the negative things that happen in this beautiful province.

For example, many people condemn the Eastern Cape as the poorest province in the country and highlight the negatives that come with that, but the warmth of its people is seldom mentioned, including in the media.

I have experienced the province as one with the most welcoming, warm-hearted people, something that is valuable in a country sinking deeper into negativity.

Let me take this opportunity to invite holidaymakers to come and experience the hospitality of this motherly province this season.

And let them come and join us  welcome thousands of young men home who will have successfully completed the uncertain journey from boyhood to manhood.