Camp with friends at Monakeling Farm
LINEO MABEKEBEKE
MASERU – People love experiencing adventure with friends and making new ones along the way. So, organising a group of friends for a camping trip is a great way to leave the screens behind and spend quality time together – whether it is a large group of friends, couples, extended families, or neighbours.
What would camping be without the campfire?
Some travellers believe in the gathering place in the evening for cooking and relaxing, while most groups of friends have at least a few people who enjoy cooking, a chance to let them show off. Thabiso Mascopino Matšoele says they are going to have bonfire, dubbed ‘Takalimane-mollo-tai’ a two-day experience which will commence on October 2 to 3.
This is an all-night fire at every motebo (cattle-post) with a group of friends and family. Set to take place at Monakeli Farm, at Ha Setene in Leribe, Matšoele said their target is circles of friends and families who wish to experience outdoor life at motebong. “We shall be cooking outside and having litšomo (folklores) over machechisa (roasted maize) and braai by the fire,” he said.
They will also be cooking traditional meals such as likhobe, sebera, litapole on fire, braaied meat while also listening to litšomo and lilotho. Matšoele is a teacher, who has turned out to be a farmer dedicated to promoting small scale farming and agri-tourism.
He has been in both duck and free-range poultry farming for over seven years now. His aim is to see Basotho make a little more money from backyard farming, and also promote their ways of farming. Backyard farming is about maximising the space to benefit, growing what is right for oneself or family, and enjoying being outside and contributing to a greener and healthier earth.
One can be a backyard farmer and only grow one type of plant, and can be a backyard farmer and have animals, making home a homestead, hence there isn’t a wrong way to be a backyard farmer. He started a few farming groups on social media to push the spirit of farming among Basotho.
Monakeli Farm is a rabbit and duck farm situated at Mahobong, Ha Setene, in Leribe. It also provides metebo for outdoor life and eating out. “We serve from-farm-to-table meals for our clients and also offer self-service camping at our farm.” They started agro-tourism farming operations this year.
