Reggae Icon Peter Tosh to be honored at the Bantfu Love Fest in Eswatini
As part of a regional collaboration among SADC countries under the Southern African Nyabinghi Council (SANC), The Eswatini National Nyabinghi Council is set to launch the Bantfu Love Festival, a unique celebration of music, health, Rastafari Culture and honoring the legacy of Reggae Icon Peter Tosh.
Peter Tosh visited Eswatini, then Swaziland, in December 1983 for the Mama Africa Tour and performed at Somhlolo Stadium in Lobamba, Mbabane. It started to rain while he was performing, It hadn’t rained in such a long time, so the crowd saw it as a sign for a change and Peter as a prophet. It is also reported that Peter Tosh allowed thousands of fans who were outside the stadium to get in for free. He also took charter flights from Zimbabwe to Eswatini, just to avoid passing through the then racist Apartheid South Africa. Peter Tosh remains an inspirational figure. His advocacy for marijuana legalization, ital food, and human rights resonated strongly with Rastafarian values and African consciousness.
Coordinator and Event Organiser, Ambrose Zwane recalls how Peter Tosh stood before the Swaziland Royal House, asking that his audience be allowed to smoke ganja freely during his concert. “It was a landmark moment where police permitted it, and the stadium was filled with people from across the continent,” Zwane recalls.
With support from the Peter Tosh Foundation and partnerships with government ministries such as Arts and Culture, Health, Agriculture, and Tourism, Andrew Tosh, the son of Peter, will headline the inauguration of Bantfu Love Festival in honor of his father’s legacy.
The organisers of the festival are planning a promotional Road tour leading up to the grand event in December 2025. The road show will kick off on July 5, 2025 at Polar Rest & Bar in Siteki, Mpolonjeni. Artists selected from these nationwide road shows will form the line-up at the main festival. The aim is to uplift artists and communities through continuous engagement. “Artists in the region, especially in Eswatini, often experience dry spells where there are few platforms to showcase their talent. This project is designed to change that,” explained Zwane.
The Bantfu Love Fest is spearheaded by project coordinator and activist Ambrose Zwane; the grandson of Dr Ambrose Zwane who was among the founders of the Ngwane National Liberatory Congress (NNLC) a political party founded in 1963 and fought for Independence from the British rule.
The Bantfu Love Fest is envisioned as an annual event dedicated to the legacy of the Great Peter Tosh. The inaugural event will be headlined by son of Peter Tosh, Andrew Tosh who will be joined by local acts from Eswatini and around Southern Africa.
“This initiative is more than a festival, it’s a sociocultural movement rooted in arts, wellness, and the powerful legacy of the late reggae icon Peter Tosh.” ~ Ambrose Zwane
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