Khuluma April 2018

THE DELTA THROUGH THE LENS EXPLORE

kulula.com APRIL 2018 99

Water lion

He may be high and dry now, but during the months
of plenty from June to September there is so much
water in the Okavango that lions like this one have
to move from island to island to hunt. While they’re
accustomed to swimming, it is possible for them to
fall victim to huge crocodiles that lurk in the waters
they have to cross.

100 APRIL 2018 kulula.com

THE DELTA THROUGH THE LENS EXPLORE

Pictures: xxxxxxx

kulula.com APRIL 2018 101





MEET ME IN

Morocco
Dawn Bradnick gets behind the wheel on a dizzying
trip through an ancient world.

104 APRIL 2018 kulula.com

THELMA & LOUISE DO MOROCCO EXPLORE

i t all began rather APRIL 2018 105
whimsically – a text with
the words ‘Meet me in
Morocco?’ Fingers crossed, I hoped
my vriend would be up vor a madcap
adventure, road tripping in a varaway place
that had long been calling my name.
And meet we did, in Casablanca, a city
that exudes history and romance. There
we picked up our rather tinny, rather tiny
green car, lugged our bags into the boot,
wound down the windows to breath in
the North Avrican vumes, and set

ovv into the unknown.

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EXPLORE THELMA & LOUISE DO MOROCCO

We divided our time between

Casablanca and Marrakesh, with a side

trip into the Atlas Mountains and a

spell on the Essaouira coast.

It seemed simple enough. lingua franca
We were equipped with Morocco is the fifth largest

excellent connectivity economy in Africa, and a nation
thanks to the local of 36 million people. The official
sim card I’d been languages are Arabic and French –
even some basic school-level French

handed on arrival will be an advantage. The Moroccan
and had Google Maps dialect – Darija – and Berber are
on our side – except
most widely spoken by multilingual
Moroccans, with smatterings of

for that one time it English in the cities and at
sent us into the ever tourist sites.

narrowing maze-like streets

of the medina. Plus we had a few But, back to the beginning. There to have our days marked out by the
melodic calls to prayer of the muezzin.
dog-eared printouts we’d collected to we were in Casablanca on day one and
Before hitting the road for the
direct us to our Airbnbs and to the best after a walk along the Atlantic seaboard three-hour drive to Marrakesh we took
a delicious high-end lunch at Rick’s
restaurants, and a pocket guide we visited the country’s largest Café, known unequivocally as the
best gin joint in town. It included their
to Marrakesh. mosque, Hassan II, which overlooks the signature goats cheese and fig salad
as well as an aromatic savoury and
All that, an excellent playlist, water and which can accommodate sweet Moroccan stuffed red pepper.
Designed to recreate the bar made
and a literal kilogram of fudge my 25 000 people. It is intricately detailed famous by Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid
Bergman in the legendary 1942 movie,
mother had sent as padkos. Honestly, with a minaret that rises 210 m into the it has passion and political espionage
imprinted on the beautifully restored
could two girls driving Morocco be sky. It was there that we abandoned courtyard-style mansion that hugs
Casablanca’s old medina wall.
better prepared? conventional timekeeping and aimed
With the scene set, our mission was in
clear sight. Off we went into a world of
constant hooting, ignored road markings,
and a rude awakening that the prevailing
style of driving was that ‘rules are
guidelines’. There is no place for sissies
as you navigate highways and squeeze
between livestock laden trucks and
other surprise obstacles, gear down for
endless dirt track hairpin bends and to
dodge road workers, avoid heavily
laden donkeys and children jumping out
to sell herbs and crystals, and

106 APRIL 2018 kulula.com



UNDERSTANDING ALLERGIC
SYMPTOMS AND IgE

Celebrating the 50 year anniversary of the discovery of Immunoglobulin E

Most people are aware that allergic symptoms are caused by the Research in the 80’s
release of powerful signal substances such as histamine that can demonstrated exactly
cause everything from mild reactions such as a runny nose or how IgE binds to other
skin rash to severe symptoms such as asthma, eczema and even compounds, based on a
systemic shock. But it wasn’t until the 1980s that scientists understood how deeper insight into IgE-
these symptoms came about – or the central part that IgE antibodies played receptors, which opened
in the process. the door to a better
understanding of the origin
In principle, allergic reactions are misguided inflammatory reactions of allergic symptoms.
triggered by normally harmless substances from our day-to-day environment –
allergens. An allergen is typically a protein found in for example plant pollens,
animal dander and foods such as peanut, egg and milk.

In allergic individuals, one or more of these allergens may be recognised
as potentially dangerous. On first exposure, their immune system starts to
produce antibodies that can bind to that antigen to protect the individual in
the future. In atopic allergy (the most common type of allergy), the antibody
formed is IgE.

It was discovered that an allergic individual’s ‘memory’ of having first
been exposed to an allergen is stored as IgE antibodies attached side-by-
side on a special type of white blood cell. These blood cells, known as
mast cells, contain the powerful signal substances that on their release
create the inflammatory response we call allergy. On second exposure,
sensitized individuals may suffer a reaction if the allergen cross-links
adjacent IgE antibodies, triggering the release of the inflammatory
chemicals from inside the mast cell.

This is why measuring levels of IgE antibodies in blood is a good way
of determining the risk of allergic reaction, and why IgE-testing is still a
leader in allergy diagnostics.

The rest is history. IgE history.

Visit www.isitallergy.co.za to
download your free Allergy Guide e-book

THELMA & LOUISE DO MOROCCO EXPLORE

THE HAGGLE

Morocco is very safe –
aside from the potential
wedding proposals and
declarations of undying
love you may receive
from the beautiful Berber
men you encounter
along the way, the only
thing you really need to
be careful about is
a pickpocket in the cities
and at crowded markets.

If you’re shopping,
you will need to haggle.
I advise that you decide
on the price you’re happy
to pay, and stick to that,
or work up to it.

swerve to miss camels crossing the We arrived in Marrakesh after Each evening in Marrakesh we
road. And as you go, be sure to keep an dark, something every sensible lingered on Jemaa el-Fnaa Square to
eye out for mad goats feeding in the guidebook warns you not to do. And witness it coming to life with hundreds
upper branches of Argan trees. for good reason, since the setting of food kiosks, musicians and vendors.
sun causes the roads to regress to It was here that I fell for an age-old
There were Europeans in oversized full blown madness. Nevertheless, trick, allowing one of the henna artists
camper vans, ancient scooters and we arrived at our gorgeous Airbnb to fleetingly hold my hand. Before I
convoys of motorcycles weaving with its intricately carved wooden knew it the paintbrush was out and I
between the traffic, not to mention furniture, arched doorways and plush was being decorated in patterned twirls
the wobbly bicycles that seemed to colourful embroidered cushions and flowers, which left me feeling even
appear from nowhere. Police roadblocks and bedspreads. Right on Avenue more like I belonged.
were regular and tricky things too, Mohammed VI in the centre of town,
and it appears a bribe is what the we could watch the world go by We visited the newly opened Yves
officers have in mind, but by simply from the balcony. Saint Laurent Museum, which pays
smiling broadly and saying ‘Afrique homage to the work of the great French
du Sud’, ‘Bafana Bafana’ and ‘Mandela’ After settling in, we hit Café Kif fashion designer and his passion for
we were always greeted warmly Kif’s rooftop bar down the road Morocco, as well as the adjacent Jardin
and sent on our way with a touch for a view of the square mixed with Majorelle. Today one of the most visited
of camaraderie. virgin mojitos. Yes, bear in mind places in Marrakesh, it took French
that even though you may find painter Jacques Majorelle 40 years to
alcohol at some of the international create this enchanting garden in the
hotels and restaurants, this is very heart of the city. It was later bought and
much virgin cocktail and sweet preserved by Yves Saint-Laurent and
mint tea territory. his partner Pierre Bergé.

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EXPLORE THELMA & LOUISE DO MOROCCO

BEYOND THE TAGINE Pictures: Dawn Jorgensen, Mikadun/shutterstock.com, Wi9ard8492/shutterstock.com, Matej Kastelic/shutterstock.com,
dp Photography/shutterstock.com, Jon Chica/shutterstock.com, vivijk/shutterstock.com, sunlight77/shutterstock.com, Murvin/shutterstock.com
Morocco is a place of culinary indulgence
and delight. Traditionally Moroccan
cooking combines the desert nomad’s diet
of mutton, vegetables and dairy produce,
but over the centuries it has incorporated
southern European, sub-Saharan African
and French influences. I recommend the
briouats, deep-fried parcels of flaky pastry
containing spiced meat, fish or cheese.
A favourite chicken dish is djej mqualli,
with preserved lemons and green olives.
Harira, a thick, creamy soup based on
lamb and pulses that is o en served as a
starter. Feast on fish when at the coast and
the delicious ke a meatballs flavoured
with coriander and cumin. And to top
it all, the flat, round traditional khubz
bread is totally addictive.

On the sublime drive that took us movies have been shot – from Gladiator we experienced from all the Moroccan
towards Ouarzazate south of the High and Alexander to Game of Thrones – so people we engaged with.
Atlas Mountains we stopped to capture it’s oddly familiar.
the views of remote villages with their We met local artists, drank mint tea
modestly tilled land, to enjoy ink-black Our next stop was Essaouira, a North with the owner of a jewellery store
coffee and freshly squeezed orange juice Atlantic port with 18th-century city where we were heartily negotiated with,
in the company of ginger kittens and walls. There we stayed with Hamid and shopped for baskets, fabrics and more
hardworking donkeys and to speak to as Naima, a young couple with two sons than our fair share of Fatima’s hands.
many strangers as would indulge us. whose families have lived in the heart
of the medina for generations. Beautiful As we reluctantly headed back to
What we discovered in and around Naima welcomed us as old friends. Casablanca for our last night, we drove
Ouarzazate were evocative kasbahs, city- Our rooms opened onto a courtyard in silence, taking in the bare beauty
fortresses, the most famous of which is and on the table she’d set out oranges of endless barren landscapes, the
the UNESCO-recognised Aït Benhaddou. to juice, mint for our tea, local olives occasional scattering of cows and rural
In the middle of a barren and rocky and freshly baked bread. We sat with homes, getting a glimpse of how the
wasteland, a valley opens in the desert her and shared stories about the place majority of people here live. Dusty, sun-
and weary travellers are welcomed to of her birth and she recommended kissed, window down and wind in our hair,
an oasis of palm trees and streams and restaurants and activities we reflected on how this land of imperial
the mud-brick towers of the kasbah. to enjoy during our stay. cities, ancient villages and welcoming
Established in 757, this traditional fortified They could not do
village was established on an ancient enough for us, and people had crept into our hearts. We
caravan route between the Sahara Desert exuded the warmth had arrived anticipating a road
and Marrakesh. It is also where loads of and generosity tripping gung-ho adventure;
we had instead been offered a
sense of timeless wonder.

110 APRIL 2018 kulula.com

THE FIVE STAR IVORY MANOR
BOUTIQUE HOTEL

Our hotel is conveniently situated just off the N1 (via the Rigel exit), just 30 minutes drive from all surrounding airports. We
offer nine luxurious rooms surrounded by beautiful, tranquil garden settings.

Ivory Manor also boasts various cosy, yet stylish areas that can cater for any function needs. Be it in our opulent Cigar Lounge
for a good single malt whiskey, relaxing in our charming piazza or venturing to our heated swimming pool with a book from our

extensive library selection.
Our renown chef’s gastronomical fair promises to satisfy all guests’ needs. Our offering ranges from a delectable breakfast

spread, à la carte menu options, to a relaxed boma braai menu or formal dining if required.
Our team endeavours to exude a genuine, caring generosity in the service provided and are committed to exceed our

guests’ expectations.
Additional offerings include private picnics in our Forest Garden, the use of our conferencing facilities, our cooking classes, wine
tasting events, the Billiard room, in-room spa treatments and our swimming pool area. We also offer babysitting/childminding

facilities with prior arrangement.
Our hotel also offers a complimentary Wi-Fi facility.
Transfers to and from the hotel are available with prior arrangement.
Please visit our website [email protected] for further information.

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PUT FOOT EXPLORE

pictures: xxxxxxxSpare wheel
NOT INCLUDED

Jeanette Kok-Kritzinger gets to grips with
Africa’s most madcap road adventure

kulula.com APRIL 2018 113

EXPLORE PUT FOOT

All vehicles are welcome – from a barely
road-legal skorokoro bought on Gumtree,
to premium SUVs

A ny vehicle. Any route. No Botswana, Zambia, Malawi and
restriction on the size of the Mozambique – via six checkpoints. The
machine that will turn the assorted cars and their humans cover
rubber attached to your chariot and no around 9 000 km in 19 days, although
prize for first place – this is not a race, it’s the lack of a defined route means that
an adventure. The heart and soul of the it’s possible to get waylaid or add serious
Put Foot Rally are its participants and mileage – intentionally or not.
their incredible, often wacky, colourful
and borderline inappropriate vehicles. It’s a rally that is not about speed. And
From scooters, old school Mini Coopers, although it is testing in the extreme, it is
Bentleys, VW Kombis and Citi Golfs, to more a test of survival and endurance
the latest Land Rovers and Hiluxes, this á la Dakar. Also, says Put Foot founder
rally has seen every car you can think of Daryn Hillhouse, it’s a test to determine
take on an overland journey that would if you have sufficient quantities of the
strike trepidation into the hearts of crazy gene. It’s also an event where your
less-courageous, more rational men and vehicle’s horsepower is far less important
women. But this motley mob isn’t in it than your determination to see wild
for the easy ride – they join to experience animals and traverse wild roads, and to
pockets of the continent they might not find yourself absorbed by the beauty of
otherwise see, plus they join to have a deserts, canyons, mountains, forests,
blast and do some serious good glistening lakes and national parks.
along the way.
Ultimately, all vehicles are
Each year, the Put welcome – from a barely
Foot Rally traverses
six countries – South road-legal skorokoro
Africa, Namibia, bought on Gumtree two
weeks before the start, to
premium SUVs. More

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PUT FOOT EXPLORE

Entries
for this year’s
rally, dhich runs from
17 June to 5 July, closed
on 31 March. Early Bird
registration for next year’s
event opens on 1 June.
putfootrally.com

valued than the cars are the like-minded
people from all over the world who
come together to experience the vibrant
cultures, food and traditions that make
Africa so unique.

The rally affords the kind of adventure
that includes debates over whether to
refuel in one country or try and stretch
the tank until you’re over the border
where the fuel is cheaper. Of course,
that’s if there’s any fuel once you get
there. And, this
being remote
and wild
Africa, you
might find
yourself

HIT THE ROAD reverse gear that doesn’t require coaching to work – reversing
can come in handy when you inadvertently encounter a
is Put Foot Rally is a limited-entry annual rally where protective mama elephant. A jalopy with good brakes and
fun-seeking adventurers are pitted against sometimes wild decent steering is a good idea, too, useful when you need to
and fearsome stretches of road. Sometimes there is less road avoid goats on the road – they’re smaller than elephants, but
than you’d wish for. Anyone can enter – they even accept they’re expensive. And, in the event that your machine has
accountants. And while there are no horsepower restrictions, none of these basic technological ingredients, it’s worthwhile
you do need a vehicle that you’ll feel comfortable in as assembling team mates who will willingly li the entire tin
there will be sections where there are more spaces between can over obstacles in the road, and, in extreme cases, would
the patches of tar than patches of tar. If you worried about be able to outrun an angry elephant and barter with a local
your chorrie’s exhaust scraping on the large speed bumps herder over the cost of a slightly worse-for-wear goat. Don't
that you will encounter, then your chorrie is either too low forget your tent and a sense of humour.
or too precious. Your wagon also needs to have a working

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EXPLORE PUT FOOT

sharing terrain with elephants picking team ‘Skrik vir Niks’, and that group of yesterday. ‘So often we end up overseas Pictures: Nenilkime/shutterstock.com, Supplied
at the trees down the Caprivi Strip or non-millennials calling themselves ‘Born on holidays without having explored in
dodging goats and potholes big enough Before Computers’. our own backyard – or before ever seeing
to be fire pools. The rally is not, say the our neighbours’ backyards. During the
organisers, designed for hyper-organised And, although it is a party, it’s an Put Foot Rally, you build a collection of
types who get nervous when things start event with a giant heart. The Put Foot unforgettable road trip stories shared
to go awry. Out there, schedules are for Foundation raises funds in order to with like-minded travellers. You start
sissies, it seems, and plans are meant to conduct meaningful charity work along out with a vague plan and interrupt the
be remade on the spot. the way, and every team that participates long spells of driving with an ice-cold
beer every evening. Whether we were
A few of the names of teams gets actively involved, too, waking up on the shores of Lake Malawi,
registered for this year’s event so it’s a really unique way of swimming in Lake Victoria or driving
reveals the spirit in which opening your heart to Africa. through the Caprivi Strip, it was
they sign up – there are the an experience of a lifetime – with so
‘Coco-NUTS’ and the ‘Pirates Carri-Anne Jane, who many precious moments.’
of the Car-I-BE-IN’, there’s rode in the rally in 2013,
says she remembers the Hillhouse is clear about the focus
adventure like it happened of the rally: ‘The Put Foot Rally is all
about not taking life too seriously,
relying on your instinct, using a hammer
to fix the unfixable and making roads
where no wheels have travelled before.
Most memorable journeys of this sort
start with an exhaust pipe falling off
after the first gravel road. It’s not about
who gets to a checkpoint first but who
can see and experience the most on
this whirlwind journey. If you’re planning
on bringing a Dakar Rally support crew,
a tow truck, Chuck Norris and a petrol
tanker, you’ve booked into the
wrong event!’

118 APRIL 2018 kulula.com





PIONEERING BEAN MERCHANTS DISCOVER

THE GOOD

ROAST
Babalwa Shota discovers that good
coffee starts with a fair deal

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DISCOVER PIONEERING BEAN MERCHANTS

I t must have been quite something scale coffee farmer he has been sourcing Top left: Bean
to see - a homely aunty in from for more than a decade. There's Jonathan
deep rural Kenya enjoying Robinson (top left) travels
Batman cartoons in her lounge with a ‘When I started visiting Ma Agnes, her to coffee farms across Africa to
bespectacled coffee roaster from South life was very different. On my last visit, meet the people who supply his
Africa; reclining on her plump almost-new she had two cows and a brick house beans. Top right: Robinson with Ma
couches, savouring world class coffee with gutters. We sat on her couches and Agnes (wearing a beret) and her
that literally grows in her backyard. watched television because she now has family in Kenya. Below: Robinson
electricity; she even has an iPhone! She joins in the labour-intensive
This is how Jonathan Robinson has taken control of her own life through
describes his last visit to Ma Agnes’ coffee coffee. That is really exciting to see, and hand-sorting
farm in Ruthagati, about 65 km south it’s what we mean when we talk about process.
of the Equator in the foothills of Mount Fairtrade,’ says Robinson.
Kenya. And this, he says, is what ignites we love. We do this by changing
his fire and makes his work worthwhile. The Fairtrade label is ‘a the way trade works through better
Robinson is the founder of Bean There, simple way to make a prices, decent working conditions and
South Africa’s first roaster of Fairtrade- difference to the lives of the a fair deal for farmers and workers in
certified coffee. Ma Agnes is the small- people who grow the things developing countries.’

Robinson says he started Bean There
because he loves coffee. ‘But I also
wanted to impact the lives of small-scale
producers in Africa. Most people didn’t

know what Fairtrade was when
we started 12 years ago, but
now most are aware of it as a
concept, which is simply about

paying farmers fairly for
their product. We do Direct
Fairtrade, meaning that we

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PIONEERING BEAN MERCHANTS DISCOVER

have a relationship with

the producers of our

coffee. Every year, I visit

our communities to make sure that the

money is getting to the farmers instead of

getting sucked up in bureaucracy. We also

want to buy from the same communities

every year so that we can develop long-

term relationships so that we can see

change. With some farmers, you see the

impact and with others you see dramatic

change, as with Ma Agnes.’

The communities Robinson refers to

are small-scale farms in Ethiopia, Kenya, Bean There operates according to a
five-point ethos that sees it striving to trade
Rwanda, Burundi, Tanzania and the DRC, fairly and reduce its carbon footprint

where the company sources single origin

coffee for its three roasteries in Joburg

and Cape Town.

The company lives by a five-point ethos

that sees it strive to not only trade fairly,

but also be kinder to the environment roast (which is a method we employ when and developing countries.
roasting the beans), fair trade and a sense Educating the consumer is as critical as
by reducing its carbon footprint through of adventure because we go to the most
remote spots on the continent and come paying fair prices to farmers which is why
dealing strictly with African origin coffee. out with incredible coffee,’ says Robinson, Bean There hosts cupping workshops
who lobbies against the exploitation of (coffee tastings) and coffee and chocolate
‘Bean There is about small-scale farmers in under-developed pairings led by Cuth Bland, one of four
Quality Coffee Graders in the country.
Robinson single origin African
and his team coffee, exceptional
believe their coffee is high quality, optimum
imbued with a sense of
adventure - because it’s
sourced from the most
remote spots

in Africa

Pictures: FeellFree/shutterstock.com, sumroeng chinnapan/
shutterstock.com, MoreVector/shutterstock.com, supplied

kulula.com APRIL 2018 125



THINGS WORTH HAVING DISCOVER

&CONNECT COLLECT

1 Mzansi’s hottest designers are 5 Whether you’re looking to refurbish
preparing to showcase their designs for or start from scratch, Decorex Cape
the upcoming spring-summer season at Town is a one-stop exhibition for
SA Fashion Week in Joburg. For five everything from discovering which paint
days, marvellous-looking men and colours are trending to learning how to
women will parade all-new collections put a room together with flair and
from the likes of Esnoko and Palse imagination. CTICC, 27 April–1 May,
(pictured here) and many more. reedexpoafrica.co.za/decorex
Sandton City Rooftop, 10–14 April,
safashionweek.co.za 6 Bain’s Cape Mountain Whisky will be
showcased alongside imported brands
2 BBC correspondent Paul Kenyon has such as Dewar’s, The Macallan, The
written a riveting book about the modern Glenlivet, Glen Grant and Jack Daniel’s, at
histories of African nations. Dictatorland The Whisky Live Celebration, which
– The Men Who Stole Africa is essential kicks off at The Lookout in Cape Town on
reading, a thrill-ride setting out the 12 to 14 April. It’ll travel to Tshwane’s
context of fraught colonial and post- Menlyn Park Shopping Centre in May and
colonial leadership. It’s published by to Durban’s Sibaya Casino in June.
Head of Zeus and is out now. whiskylive.co.za, ticketpros.co.za

3 From HPH Publishing, Vanishing 1 7 Shimansky’s My Girl Diamond
Kings – Lions of the Namib Desert was the world’s first square-cut diamond
is an academically-rich, beautifully 4 Jeremy Loops has been working with a diamond-shaped table – it was
photographed coffee table book that hard in the studio and the results are first developed by Yair Shimansky some
reveals how, in dry Namibia, the kings amazing: He’s finally released his second 15 years ago and is remarkable for its
of the jungle have adapted to harsh album, Critical as Water, and says ability to reflect light from every angle.
desert conditions. The book represents he cannot wait for his fans to get the Find your My Girl diamond and
two decades of intimate research new tracks into their ears. discover its special brilliance at your
undertaken by Dr Philip Stander and is
available from bookstores and online. nearest Shimansky store or
vanishingkingsbook.com online. shimansky.com/my-girl

Pictures: Supplied 2
4

7

3 56

kulula.com APRIL 2018 127



WHY AFRICA’S A HOT INVESTMENT DISCOVER

Af ricaINVESTING IN No, we’re not talkinc about buyinc
shares, we’re talkinc about investinc
in African – art, fashion, travel and
culture. Viva Africa, viva2

M any have predicted an
ASrican Renaissance,
including Sormer SA
president Thabo Mbeki, but the
idea is hardly new. ‘Out oS ASrica,
always something diSSerent,’ said
the Roman philosopher Pliny the
Elder – and that’s a mantra that
still holds true today.

‘Resolution’, ART
a wall-hanging
by Ghanaian artist, El Collecting work by ASrican artists
Anatsui; and Justine is among the most tangible ways oS
Mahoney’s ‘Mighty investing in this continent – and there are
Ndebele’ bronze good returns, too. Imagine buying one oS
Irma Stern’s paintings back in the 1960s
sculpture Sor a couple oS hundred rand, only to sell it
today Sor millions?

But it takes some discernment to know
how to invest. Not everyone recognises
great art when they see it. (This was
clearly demonstrated three years ago by
the idiot who used a Stern painting as a
noticeboard in his London flat beSore an
art expert explained that it was worth a
Sortune – R17.5 million, to be exact.)

‘ASrican art is trending across the
globe as more and more artists Srom
the continent are being recognised
internationally,’ asserts Emma BedSord,
director oS Aspire Art Auctions,
mentioning names like Marlene Dumas,
Ethiopian-born Julie Mehretu and
Ghanaian-born El Anatsui. ‘Investing in
their works benefits both the artist

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DISCOVER WHY AFRICA’S A HOT INVESTMENT

and the buyer, as there is so much THE ART OF INVESTING blanket, a Nesta Nala ceremonial vessel
potential for growth – provided that you or a Zulu beadwork neck collar.
invest wisely, of course, and that means What artwork to buy, if you have…
consulting the experts who can best R10 000 ‘I’d buy a Conrad Hicks R1 million Ah, now we’re
advise you.’ copper bowl,’ says Kate Crane Briggs, talking! What could you pick
describing Hicks’s handmade work up for a cool million? ‘A William
Culture Connect SA’s Kate Crane Briggs as ‘simple yet stunning, contemporary, Kentridge sculpture, a Dumile Feni
agrees. ‘African art is on the up. Top-notch yet harking back to an ancient drawing or a Nicholas Hlobo mixed
galleries, auction houses and museums African material’. For the same media,’ says Bedford. But why stop there?
are proliferating in South Africa,’ she says, amount, Crane Briggs would pick up For R10 million, she says you could get
adding that this upward trajectory is likely a Peter Clarke lino print or an Andrew a Marlene Dumas watercolour painting
to continue, given the opening the Zeitz Tshabangu photograph. or an El Anatsui wall installation. Crane
Museum of Contemporary Art Africa in Briggs knows what she would do with
Cape Town last September. R100 000 For a bit more money, Emma her million: commission four major
Bedford would buy an Athi-Patra Ruga site-specific works by Pierre Fouché. ‘His
tapestry or a Cameron Platter drawing. intricate lacework art is in hot demand,
Crane Briggs would opt for a brightly so I’d have to wait five years!’ she says.
coloured Ndebele beaded wedding

Clockwise
from top left: Mixed
media sculptural installation
by Nicholas Hlobo; Andrew
Tshabangu’s ‘Portrait of a Young
Thwasa’ displayed at Gallery MoMo;
ceremonial beer pot from Nigeria;
Irma Stern’s ‘Arab in Black’ painting
that became a noticeboard; Athi-
Patra Ruga tapestry entitled
‘Uzuko’; and Ruga working

on a new piece.

130 APRIL 2018 kulula.com





WHY AFRICA’S A HOT INVESTMENT DISCOVER

TRAVEL So what’s the draw? ‘The appeal ocean and marine life are the focus.
of Africa lies in her diversity, beautiful ‘Lamu Island in northern Kenya is
Okay, okay – travelling won’t make you landscapes and such rich heritage
rich, but it will enrich you. And there’s no everywhere you go,’ says Bradnick. ‘It’s not special,’ adds art fundi Kate Crane Briggs.
denying it’s big business. According to the uust safaris and beaches, we have ancient ‘Lamu’s Old Town [top left] dates back
World Travel and Tourism Council, this civilisations and great cultural riches, too.’
sector contributed R412.2 billion to to medieval times. It’s got amazing
South Africa’s GDP in 2017, supporting ‘In Africa, there’s always such an Swahili architecture and is favoured by
2.5 million uobs or 13.2% of total incredible mix of influences,’ says YouTuber artists. There’s a small arts festival in
national employment. Sibu Mpanza. ‘Exploring this continent
offers opportunities to learn.’ February – relaxed, lots of music,
‘It’s not only South Africa that relies on Kenyan art, and a smattering
tourism. Other African countries such as And the top destinations right of people from around the
Botswana, Tanzania, Morocco, Egypt and now? ‘Chumbe Island Coral world.’ And no cars – bliss!
Seychelles also thrive on it,’ says travel Park [top right] off Zanzibar,’
blogger Dawn Bradnick (whose latest says Bradnick, describing a
adventure in Morocco you can read blissful eco-lodge where
about on page 104).
sun, sand, warm

Words: Katherine Graham, Pictures: Adam-McConnachie, Athi-Patra Ruga Courtesy Tyburn Gallery, FASHION ‘China is mass production,’ clothing manufacturer. ‘It represents who
Andrew Tshabangu and Gallery MoMo, UnathiMbonambi, one line man/shutterstock.com, he says. ‘Africa is the we are as Africans: it’s not uust fashion,
Tribalium/shutterstock.com, pinana_treeangle/shutterstock.com, supplied African fashion is similarly production for need.’ it’s our culture, our origin and our roots.’
experiencing a revival. ‘
By all economic SA fashion blogger So who are the designers to watch out
prouections, the Aqeelah Harron-Ally for? Sinkwa Sethu’s star is rising: their
21st century will be concurs: Africa’s artisans funky shweshwe prints bring a splash
Africa’s century,’ predicts have turned their lack of of colour to everyday clothes. Staying
Tanzanian designer Sheria resources into an advantage local, there’s Thula Sindi, whose stylish
Ngowi. He points to the growth because it’s made them better fashion strikes a more modern note. And
of the middle class in countries at what they do.’ if you’re after a wedding dress to wow, the
like Ghana, Nigeria, South Africa What makes African fashion designer all the celebs are queuing up for
and Kenya as proof that Africans different is that it tells a story, is Gert-Johan Coetzee.
are demanding better quality says Kelebogile Serake, partner in
products from African designers. Ekares Twilight, a Gauteng-based Further afield, designers like Senegal’s
Adama Paris and Nigeria’s
Mai Atafo are making
waves on global
catwalks. Both
these designers
fuse old traditions
with contemporary
tastes, a hallmark of
African fashion.

kulula.com APRIL 2018 133



AMAZING ALPACAS DISCOVER

Words: Keith Bain, Picture: Christopher Tatzreither CreatureCOMFORT Alpacas also make excellent
herd guards. Being highly
A ccording to the Quechua territorial, they’ll squeal and
people, who domesticated make sharp, noisy inhalations
alpacas over 5 000 years that sound like high-pitched
ago, these adorable creatures are donkey brays to warn off
gifts from god. Since Mzansi’s intruders, and also kick and spit
first small herd was imported as modes of defence. ‘They’ve
from South America in 2000, been incredibly successful at
the local population has
grown exponentially with guarding sheep,’ says Notley.
over 50 local breeders Alpacas also make good
discovering the special companion animals and can
qualities of these near- be led around on a halter like
mystical creatures from a dog, often becoming fairly
the Andes’ Altiplano region. attached to humans. Plus, of
Typically, they’re bred for course, there’s the fact that
their highly valued, luxuriant they’re ridiculously photogenic,
fleece. ‘It’s considered one with lovely big, round eyes,
of the finest animal fibres on colour-coded eyelashes, and the
the planet,’ says Alison Notley, most adorable hairstyles. ‘Not only
president of the SA Alpaca do they have highly individual looks,
Breeders Society. ‘Mohair is but they have individual personalities
comparatively scratchy, while and a sense of humour,’ says Notley,
most alpaca fibre is comparable ‘and they pronk for the joy of it – rather
with cashmere.’ Alpaca fibre like impalas.’
is seven times warmer than You can see just how cute they are on
wool, it’s also lighter, stronger, National Alpaca Day, when alpaca farms
softer, naturally rain-resistant, around the country open their gates to
hypoallergenic, and comes in the public. National Alpaca Day, 5 May,
22 natural shades making it the alpacasociety.co.za
most colour-diversified fibre in
the world. APRIL 2018 135

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