July 16th 2015 Here we go~ Linda had heard of
this African Village right here in South Carolina. Really? Yes, Really.
She wants to visit, and of course we need to couple this with a BBQ trip, So,
we look on the trusty BBQ Trail Map. The Village is technically located in
Sheldon, SC. Looks like there are several BBQ masters in this area, the coastal
region of the map in the southeast corner of our state, from Bluffton to past
Hilton Head down to Georgia Line. We picked The Pink Pig in Hardeeville. Now
we normally leave somewhere between 9:30 and 11:00 am. We got an earlier start
this day since it was a couple of hours drive. And, of course, in anticipation
of bbq, we are always hungry, so off to lunch 1st.The Pink Pig is
along Okatie Hwy, in a pink (of course) bldg. on the left. They also advertise
a seafood buffet on their outside sign. Totally cute on the outside and in!
Pink pigs flying everywhere, pink tablecloths, and a pink ATM machine, since no
cc cards accepted….We ordered at the table, no buffet here. BBQ platters for
both of us came with excellent Brunswick stew. Tomato based rich broth full of
veggies and pork. This was one of the outstanding parts of this restaurant. And
this I’ll eat. No hash for me, thank you very much. A little too much of
the innards for my taste…BBQ was smoked well, nice pieces, not too chunky or
minced, though both can be great.. just good flavor. Very nice folks, and as
most places, were excited to hear of our Trail Map adventures… It rates high on
my list, and I want to go back for the seafood! Don’t tell the pigs. Full as
usual, and Linda ordered a plate to take home to Jimmy, of course. So back up
the road to the African Village. An unassuming sign on the south side of Rt 17
showed its location. We drive down the dirt road and come to a gate house as it
were. Linda got out and found someone, who said it’s a private village, but
they would find someone to take us around. At any given time, there are about
35 residents there, men women and children. The Oyotunji has quite a long
history, starting in the 1970’s to honor and preserve the way of life for West
African people in America. It’s technically a Kingdom with the appropriate
hierarchy. They have quite an informative website, www.oyotunji.org.The
man who showed us around was quite proud of his affiliation with the village
and took great pride in showing us all the areas where they live, work,
celebrate, pray and have ritual celebrations and festivals. It needs a lot of
work and he said they do most of the maintenance in preparation for their
bigger festivals…I checked the website and one is coming up in middle May. We
met some women who were sewing some clothes and teaching some children this
craft. Our Guide said they all wear white, pure cotton fabric as their daily
dress. I’m sure it’s easy and helpful in the July heat. Did I say hot? Oh
Yea. so at some point while Linda continued on the tour, I found a place in the
shade to rest and do a little meditation. They had quite a fountain that he
turned on for me, which was very kind, as it added a little breeze to a sticky
day. So once completed, we said our Thank yous, made a donation, and got back
into our car. Thank God for Air conditioning. So another adventure completed…
Who knew?
