When I first decided to move to Johannesburg, I had vague fantasies about going out on the town here and “experiencing” jazz. The idea of listening to jazz in a cosmopolitan African city appealed to me. Joburg is known to be a hotbed for jazz musicians.
Jailhouse Photo Exhibition
Yesterday I put on a photo exhibition. In prison.
No really, I did. These jail cells are adjacent to the atrium where my photos were displayed.
Strange, but true. Constitution Hill is a National Heritage Site. The 120-year-old fort/prison on Constitution Hill – which is just down the road from Melville, in Braamfontein – has played a pivotal role in South African history, from the first Anglo-Boer War through the apartheid struggle and beyond. Many important historical figures were imprisoned and tortured there, as were thousands of others whose lives and stories have long been forgotten. It’s an eerie, beautiful place – a good place for displaying photos.
Read More
A Very Furry Birthday at The Plaza
I’ve written several times about Joburg’s Oriental Plaza – a giant Indian shopping mall in Fordsburg. “The Plaza”, as locals call it, is one of my favorite spots in town. So when my friend Anita called me up on her birthday and invited me to go to The Plaza to pick up a rabbit fur coat, I dropped everything and complied.