Our Love Africa Marketing team believes that the most powerful tourism stories are the ones rooted in people, place, and partnership. This year, we found ourselves working on one of our most significant stories, with our longest partners of 13 years – Semonkong Lodge in Lesotho.
Over 12 months, we have had the privilege of working alongside Jonno and Armelle Halse and their team to bring their story to life through a new short film titled “Rona Re Semonkong” (We Are Semonkong).
Filmed over two seasons across the dramatic highlands surrounding Semonkong, deep in the Maluti Mountains, the project captures far more than the adrenaline-filled adventures the lodge is known for. Instead, the film explores the people who sustain tourism in this remote location, a collaboration between the lodge and the community that has grown over more than three decades.
A story rooted in “Motho ke motho ka batho”
At the heart of the film is the Sesotho proverb “Motho ke motho ka batho”, meaning a person is a person because of other people. This philosophy underpins how the tourism model works at Semonkong Lodge. Rather than operating as a stand-alone destination, Semonkong Lodge functions as part of a broader local ‘ecosystem’ of collaboration and partnerships. Farmers, horse owners, guides, and artisans all play a role in supporting the lodge while these long-term tourism activities sustain the surrounding communities in their own business offerings.
Finding our voices
The realisation of the impact and reach of the lodge was quite profound during our pre-production phase, when deciding which voices to interview for the film. This was quite the task when the list of people under various supporting roles for the lodge was vast, from the potato and vegetable farmers to horse owners and guides.
Driving out to simply film a farmer’s vegetable field was an adventure on its own, making you realise that vehicles are really just a hindrance there, and sticking to the shepherd trails and 4 legged livestock is the way to go.
A fond memory of the project was in June: A 2.30 am alarm, mid-winter, temperatures were in the minus…certainly the earliest call time for a film project in recent years, but worth it. Just on the outskirts of the lodge was the home of ‘Me Maitumeleng Rapotsane – one of the bakers of the famous liphaphata bread. We entered her room, lit by candlelight, warmed by the burners used to bake the bread. We sat quietly in this scene watching her work through this routine – hearing how her baking helped her build her house and put her children through school. The bread is delivered every day by 6 am.
Why we told the story
Semonkong Lodge is one of the longest partners in Love Africa’s own story and journey – our partnership filled with adventure and exploration, sunrises, sunsets, and long discussions over a Maluti. Our time with their team, crafting their tourism and sustainability communications, has been more than collaboration; it has been a learning journey. Semonkong shows how tourism, when done thoughtfully, can create lasting value for people, place, and guests — a true example of the sustainable tourism ideals the industry often talks about, but we rarely see in real landscapes.
Rona Re Semonkong invites viewers to see the deeper layers of a destination: the community, the heritage, and the mutually beneficial relationships that shape a place.
By grounding Semonkong Lodge’s storyline in the philosophy of Motho ke motho ka batho, the film brings to life a visual representation of what happens when a lodge fully relies on its community to sustain its activities.
Semonkong Lodge’s story is proof that when tourism prioritises people and partnerships, it creates something far more powerful than just being a destination.
Watch the film
Film Credits
Production by Love Africa Marketing with Semonkong Lodge.
Film team: Jonno Halse, Armelle Halse, Thabiso Nthotso, Mamatebele Khutlane, Thuso Tlali, Sven Musica, Jordy Johnson, Nicola Gerrard.
Director/ Producer: Nicola Gerrard
Cinematographer/ Editor: Sven Musica
