“Our 100th Birthday is coming up… I know it feels like 2026 is a long way away, but it will be here before we know it. We need to think about what we are going to do to celebrate it.” These were the words of Bronwyn Varty-Laburn – Londolozi’s Creative Director –  almost as an afterthought on a normal Tuesday in 2022 as we went about our business as custodians of the Londolozi brand and story.

And so, as it is with small family-run things, we assembled a tenacious team of artists, designers, filmmakers and storytellers and went to work.

A lot of time has passed and I can finally share the secret that we have been keeping…

Planning our 100th year – early creative strategy meetings in 2023

Three and a half years ago, we embarked on what felt like an impossible task: to capture 100 years of Londolozi in a way that honours both our past and speaks to our future. In the telling of our history, we’ve grappled with which stories to tell, how to be pioneers in the art form of storytelling while remaining authentic, and how to stay close to our knowing. Ours has been the collective story of families within families, wildness returning, animals who teach us things that humans never could, and members of a shared community woven together over 10 decades.

We are, by nature, a group of fireside storytellers stewarding a very old magic. An ancient art form that is best experienced in person, as the Scops owl calls late into the night and the wood disappears into coals – licked by golden flames. But, over the years, we have learned that tending our “digital fire” is vital in order to give a voice to wild things and places. We are also deeply grateful that our global Londolozi family remain connected to the home fires in this special way. And, as storytelling is in our blood, we decided to try our hand – with the help of a magical team at Fell and Company, our creative partners on this project and master storytellers in their own right – at bringing together the story of 100 years of Londolozi into a documentary series.

I have to pause here and express my gratitude to Shan Varty who has made my job co-producing this series easier and infinitely more enjoyable because of her knack for archiving. Her intuitive knowing over 50 years has nudged her to collect, preserve, and lovingly safeguard the archives of this 100 year adventure. Each new storage box or folder held so much, and without these artefacts, old letters, family photographs and historical accounts, we wouldn’t have been able to truly dive into the depth of the history of this place, and take you all along with us, in such a full and complete way.

Across this three-part documentary series, we share a story of restoration, a story of resilience, and a story of heartware – honouring a century-old story told by those who have lived it. 

This docu-series is our never-ending campfire story made visible – it’s an invitation to each of you to come and sit at the fire with us and share what 10 decades of the Londolozi Family have learned, protected, and loved since 1926. This series is just one of the ways that we are holding the light this year – by celebrating our journey – trials, tribulations, failures, successes and all that comes in between. 

Don’t miss the release of the full series. With each part going live on our Centenary Website, the home to all of our 100-year storytelling, we hope you will make note of the release dates and join us as our story unfolds.

If you are a die-hard Londolozi fan, you love receiving Londolozi updates and want to be the first to know about new releases, sign up to join the Londolozi 100th Club below. Join us to be part of Londolozi folklore and get the insider scoop delivered right to your inbox.

And, if you haven't already,  follow us on Instagram so that you don't miss a thing when it comes to our 100th Birthday.

As with most creative endeavours, work like this cannot happen in isolation. It is the collective spirit, accumulated wisdom and mastery,  and the abundance with which this is given and shared, that allows us to create art such as this. I am deeply grateful for each person, friend, colleague, guide, writer, filmmaker, photographer, family member, animal, and sunset for their intricate parts in this. Magic is made when collective energy is poured together... and goodness, did we pour.

For now, we are honoured to share our humble stories here with you... and we hope you will follow along and engage in our online community.