“Rona Re Semonkong” – Our New Film Celebrating the Heart of the Semonkong Community
We are thrilled to share “Rona Re Semonkong” translating to “We Are Semonkong”, the latest film project produced together with our team at Love Africa Marketing.
For over a year, we have been capturing the shifting seasons of our surrounding Maluti Mountains, concluding with the vibrant, green energy of our summer season. We decided to look beyond our lodge and our activities, to showcase the individuals who make every adventure at Semonkong Lodge possible.
Watch ‘Rona Re Semonkong’ Here
Motho ke motho ka batho: A person is a person because of other people
Right from the beginning, we chose not to operate in isolation, but to integrate the lodge into the Semonkong community,; hiring sturdy Basotho ponies from our neighbours, purchasing our vegetables grown by nearby farmers, and employing highly-skilled shepherds to navigate the mountains as hiking guides.
Our film is an invitation to witness a model of tourism where our lodge and community are interconnected and thrive together.
Through “Rona Re Semonkong,” we wanted to introduce the real people behind the scenes, who make everything our guests experience, from breakfast in the morning to lighting your fireplace in the evening.
The film offers a peek into lodge operations, as we meet the individuals who contribute to the lodge’s success. Almost every ingredient on your plate at our Duck and Donkey Tavern is delivered on the back of a donkey or horse, grown on the neighbouring farms, manually harvested, and then proudly transported to the kitchen door (or collected by one of our team members).
The story liphaphatha bread deserves its shroud of mystery. Our film team were told that the only way to capture the bread making process was to be at our breadmakers’ room at 3 am on a frosty winter morning (it happened to be the morning of the winter solstice). Her room was already dripping in condensation, a stack of steaming liphaphatha sitting next to her as they began interviewing her and capturing parts of the process.
“Buttering the warm, soft bread at breakfast time felt very different, knowing the lengths it took for that bread to end up on our breakfast plates. While knowing how the long partnership with the lodge has enabled the baker to put her children through school.” Jordy Johnson, Love Africa Marketing crew.
Our film follows our activities teams, whose livelihoods rely on our pony trekking, mountain hikes, fishing excursions, donkey pub crawls, and the iconic abseiling adventures. The skills these individuals collect from youth are incredibly valuable, and are the reason behind the success of our activities as they navigate the mountain trails, read the weather patterns, and create unforgettable memories for our guests.
“We are excited to show how over the last 35 years, we have grown and developed our tourism industry in Semonkong, alongside our community. It has been a fun and adventurous journey, working together and using all our strengths to create a sustainable industry for everyone.” Armelle and Jonno Halse, Semonkong Lodge.
Taken over in 1990, and situated on the banks of the Maletsunyane River, our lodge has always placed responsible ecotourism at its core. We hope that our film encourages travellers to look beyond the landscape and discover the resilience, heritage, and spirit that defines our valley.
The strength we have felt through collaboration and integration with our neighbours is something we hope will inspire others.
Watch the short film here: Watch ‘Rona Re Semonkong’ Here