Re-member Brewers of Traditional Afrikan Beer

Southern African Native Nations’ Collective Biocultural Heritage

Umqombothi is known for its opaque, light tan color and distinctive gritty texture. It’s typically crafted from maize meal, crushed corn malt, crushed sorghum malt, and water, with yeast traditionally derived from the fleshy root of the moerwortel plant (Glia gummifera). The brewing process adheres to traditional customs that vary slightly by region, with recipes often passed down through generations and prepared over an outdoor fire.

Umqombothi plays a crucial cultural, social, and spiritual role. It’s used to celebrate the homecoming of young men (known as abakwetha) after initiation and ritual circumcision. It’s also central to connecting with ancestors (amadlozi) and is a fixture in many celebrations and life events, including weddings, funerals, and imbizos (traditional meetings).

The Xhosa people settled in the Eastern Cape region after migrating southward from the Great Lakes regions of Central Africa. Historically, they were primarily cattle farmers, also raising goats, sheep, and poultry. Their main crops included sorghum, millet, pumpkins, beans, and maize. Umqombothi is not unique to Xhosa people though: across Africa, in Zimbabwe, Lesotho, KwaZulu Natal, there are different expressions of traditional Afrikan beer umqombothi.

When European farmer settlers arrived in Southern Africa, in the late 18th century, conflicts erupted as groups competed for agricultural land and water. These wars spanned approximately 100 years, gradually impoverishing the indigenous peoples and leading them to migrate to urban areas in search of work.

The ancestral practice of brewing was violently disrupted by the colonial and apartheid state. As early as the 1900s, Black women who brewed traditional Afrikan beer were criminalized, raided, fined, and jailed. Municipal monopolies stripped them of their economic agency. Sorghum beer was degraded as “native beer,” while the right to consume European alcohol remained reserved for white populations until 1962. It was illegal for black people to drink any alcohol although it was part of their tradition. Black people were only allowed to drink umqombothi, but it had to be produced by the local government and consumed in beer halls, therefore allowing it only in a context in which the government could profit from it directly.

An Unwanted Legacy

These policies resulted in significant overcrowding, poverty, and social disruption within Black indigenous communities. Consequently, younger generations have lost touch with their pastoral roots, increasingly preferring fast food and an urban lifestyle, which has led to health issues such as obesity and diabetes.

The legacy of apartheid continues to affect Black communities, particularly women, who remain highly vulnerable to unemployment. Colonial and apartheid governments used brutal violence to repress these women, while paradoxically profiting from their indigenous knowledge to further fund their subjugation. Today, homebrewers continue to face marginalization due to historical and ongoing legal restrictions, as well as societal perceptions that favor commercial beer production. While homebrewing for personal consumption is legal, restrictions on selling or bartering homebrew severely limit economic opportunities. Furthermore, the dominance of large commercial breweries, notably

SAB (South African Breweries), founded in 1895, has further marginalized smaller-scale brewers and traditional practices.

A Social Venture for African Women Created by a Young African Woman

Kwela Brews operates in two townships: KwaLanga and Kayamandi. KwaLanga, established in 1927, is Cape Town’s oldest township. It was created under the 1923 Urban Areas Act, a discriminatory apartheid-era law that enforced racial segregation and restricted the movement of Black Africans. Although the name Langa means Sun, the name is actually derived from the name of King Langalibalele who was a chief and Hlubi rebel against the colonial Natal government. Despite its oppressive origins, KwaLanga became a focal point for resistance against the apartheid regime and has evolved into a vibrant community of significant cultural and historical importance.

Kayamandi, a suburb of Stellenbosch in the Western Cape, is the second oldest township in South Africa. It was originally built to house exclusively Black migrant male laborers employed on farms in the Stellenbosch area. Kwela Brews is currently based in Kayamandi and was founded by Reitumetse Kholumo, a Sotho-Tswana woman whose grandmother and great-grandmother were homebrewers. Reitumetse, who is not yet thirty, studied bioprocessing and developed a curiosity for indigenous African beverages. She learned to brew from her grandmother. Later, a humanities elective on how engineering impacts the broader public, particularly its role in engineering apartheid, shifted her perspective. As she recently told a journalist from Forbes Africa, “I then looked at things a bit differently, being conscious of the fact that if I become a brewer, I’m just one brewer, but there are so many African women who are brewing on the ground, and the engineering solutions that exist do not address their problems.”

Re-membering and empowering

Kwela Brews functions as a distributor, purchasing beer from the women and supplying them with ingredients, while also helping them access new markets. The venture also organizes events and activities, including brewing and malting workshops facilitated by homebrewers, tours of KwaLanga and Kayamandi, pottery workshops, and more.

As a social enterpreneur primarily focused on providing resources to homebrewers to help them reach wider markets, Reitumetse recognized a deeply embedded stigma against homebrewers of traditional African beer. This realization led to the creation of the Re-member project, in partnership with Xilalelo Experiences. The project aims to confront the invisibility of brewers in present narratives and those about colonialism, to revive biocultural heritage in segregated communities, and to provide market access for homebrewers in low-income areas. Reitumetse says, “In our history, women across Southern Africa would brew. In the Eastern Cape region, they were mostly Xhosa; in Johannesburg, Basotho; in the Northern Cape, Batswana; and in Natal, where the first beer hall riots were recorded, Zulu. Highlighting this is important for recognizing solidarity. Kwela Brews is still small, and most of our brewers are Xhosa women because of the region we are able to support. However, in 10-20 years, we hope to build a movement that champions all women in Southern Africa, and even Africa, who rely on brewing for their livelihoods.”

The Re-member project is funded by the Slow Food Negroni Week Fund which supports individuals and projects making a significant impact on food sustainability and education worldwide. Thanks to this funding, Kwela Brews has carried out initiatives involving over 100 people and generated income for local small businesses and homebrewers. They’ve also initiated municipal food safety certification to expand market access. Participants reported feeling their heritage was finally honored, and homebrewers gained visibility beyond their townships, attracting interest from the tourist trade.

by Paola Nano