On a tour with Dlala Nje last weekend, I visited some high-rise rooftops in Berea.
I’ve written about Jozi’s rooftops before (read here and here and here). And here’s the thing about these rooftops: They’re the greatest places in town to enjoy the city, and yet a huge proportion of the city’s population never visits them. Because the best rooftops tend to be in the parts of town where people are scared to go to.
Several months ago a bunch of residents in Westdene, a quirky Joburg suburb just west of my own quirky suburb of Melville, decided to beautify their neighborhood with graffiti.
With help from some passionate graffiti champions, Westdene homeowners who were keen to have their exterior walls decorated were paired with graffiti artists keen to decorate said walls. Hence, the Westdene Graffiti Project was born.
When I was invited to attend the World Tourism Forum in Istanbul, I decided to stay on for an extra week. I bought a guidebook, consulted with friends, and made plans with Meruschka, who was also traveling to Istanbul for the forum. A week should be plenty of time to explore the city, I thought – visit all the best tourist attractions and maybe fit in some locals-only activities. Right?
A few days ago I found myself in a place called Lawley, a township 40 kilometers south of Johannesburg.
When one thinks of Joburg townships, Soweto is the first place that comes to mind. But while Soweto is the biggest and the most well known, Joburg is ringed by dozens more townships extending far out into Gauteng Province. These townships, where a majority of residents still live in poverty with inadequate public services, are the legacy of apartheid.
