German by passport, home where I feel most alive
Looking closer at Johannesburg (let’s call it Jozi from here on) one can see and even more so feel a change in so many aspects. One of them is definitely the upcoming art scene. So much has happened here in probably the last 2-3 years. Continue reading “Arty spaces “
Wow! Bern was one of the surprises of our trip to Switzerland. Such a gem. So underrated.. or rather not known. It is a truly beautiful city. I’d like to come back and explore more of it, as we basically only spent half a day there. Continue reading “Welcome to Bern – the Swiss Capital”
After having read “One Day” – the first book in ages that actually made me cry – I didn’t think another book can keep up with it in a long time… Well, wrong assumption. Last night I finished “The Help”. I didn’t cry but it touched me deeply. Maybe this is because the story that is told in the novel is not only relevant for Mississippi in the 1960s, but can easily be applied to South Africa in the 2010s, still.
Black domestic helpers are probably still the norm in white households. Raising the kids, often live-in, part of the family. Oh, and I say “black” deliberately. It might be politically incorrect across the Atlantic, but it is absolutely correct to use the term in South Africa. In fact, the up-coming South African upper class is proudly called the “Black Diamonds”.
I didn’t grow up with a domestic. Even today, it is quite uncommon to have a domestic helper in Germany. If people do, then it it’s usually for a few hours once a week. So, I am extremely grateful to have this luxury in South Africa. Not sure if I’ll be able to get someone when moving back to Germany.. There, I’ll probably spend my Saturdays cleaning my flat and ironing my clothes. We are truly living in luxury when we can afford someone to help us do our domestic work..
There are many reasons why you can easily fall in love with South Africa: amazing people, breathtaking landscapes, the best light and colours in the world (that’s why the modelling world is taking over Cape Town in season), unforgettable wildlife impressions, beautiful coastlines, delicious food and tasteful wines. That’s why tourists come to visit South Africa and return home with the most stunning photos taken and evening filling stories to tell.
Then, there are other reasons.. reasons that you might only find out after having been here for longer and seen the prettiness behind the prettiness. What makes South Africa special and loveable for me is the amount of CREATIVITY and OPPORTUNITIES – or rather the opportunities to be creative. South Africa is country with a huge potential of amazingly creative people. It feels like that the country’s regime was prohibiting any sort of creative and innovative projects for such a long time, that now there is a huge backlog demand. The list is long.. from fashion designers who are entering the world stage of catwalk to community beadwork art being sold in fancy shops in Europe.
It goes further.. the buzz-word nowadays being URBANISATION , it seems to me that South Africa is creating its very own urban mosaic and I am proud to spread the word here about one particular project in which one of my oldest friends from South Africa is involved in. I think that this video describes the project pretty good.
http://www.designindaba.com/video/your-street-cape-town-winners-urban-mosaic
The Urban Mosaic project, one of the winners of the Your Street Cape Town Challenge, will be helping to prevent shack fires with a fire-retardant paint. At the same time designers Y Tsai, Porky Hefer, Ashely Stemmet and Matthew Skade aim to beautify the townships with paintings of cultural icons and symbols.
Confessions of a Traveler 