!Khwa ttu San Culture and Education Centre is situated 70 km north-west of Cape Town and introduces visitors to the descendents of the first indigenous people of southern Africa – the San. !Khwa ttu aims to educate the general public about the world of the San and to restore San heritage through socio-economic and cultural activities.
!Khwa ttu practices responsible tourism by providing training and education to the San people involved with the centre in a number of areas including hospitality skills, heritage management and cultural tourism, craft shop management, English communication and literacy skills, as well as supporting the production of San crafts. San trained directly by !Khwa ttu are encouraged to share their newly acquired skills and knowledge with the wider San community.
The rehabilitation of the fynbos and renosterveld flora and fauna has been one of the other priorities of !Khwa ttu San Culture and Education Centre since its inception in 1999. The business has focused on the eradication of invasive alien plant species as well as the introduction of indigenous fauna to the land. The Centre has also established a garden trail, which is a place for learning, information sharing and entertainment for visitors as well as a living classroom for up and coming San tourist guides.
“It is an honor to be part of the FTTSA family! We anticipate that our involvement and commitment towards Fair Trade would inspire us and others to continuously reconsider our role in shaping a more responsible attitude. Right from the first instance we have felt that FTTSA is a partner that can guide us with wisdom and experience.” — Michael Daiber, CEO of !Khwa ttu
Commenting on !Khwa ttu’s achievement, FTTSA Executive Director Jennifer Seif stated that “FTTSA is extremely pleased to welcome !Khwa ttu to the family of FTTSA-certified establishments. This is a unique, community-based product that delivers on the national imperative to offer tourists authentic cultural experiences while simultaneously empowering a community that has been marginalized through colonialism and apartheid and remains on the margins of the mainstream South African economy. !Khwa ttu is an inspiring initiative that will be attractive to people looking to experience and understand the challenges as well as the opportunities of the New South Africa.”
Blogger Muzi Mohale
I’m Muzi Mohale, based in Roodepoort (South Africa). Blogger with www.travelwires.com. Love Travelwires.com since I get to travel our beautiful country through blogging and get first hand tourism experience.
