By Jacqui Thompson

Our city has so much to offer. There is a multitude of cultural, adventure and educational activities suitable for curious guest. It’s unlikely your American Gran-in-law would want to power swing across the Soweto cooling towers, or your surly teenage nephew admire the turn of the century architecture in Jeppe. But if I have visitors to Jozi who are only in town for a few days and want to get a feel for the place, these are the spots I take them to. (more…)

A delicious feast

It’s a feast of colours and flavours: Ask any South African what his or her favourite food is, and you’ll be blown away by the diversity of local choices: A braai (barbeque) is a big favourite, with meats like lamb, beef, wors (a type of sausage) being piled high on plates. Koeksusters (a sweet treat made of deep fried dough and syrup) rank high, as does melktert, another desert made with a delicate milk custard.

Travels around the country will offer you indigenous delicacies like pap and gravy, bobotie, biltong (a dried and cured meat treat), curry and rice in various temperatures, roasted mielies (corn on the cob) and even peri-peri chicken livers.

Because South Africa has so many diverse nations making up its colourful culture, there’s little in the way of food that can’t be found here. If your delight is African, Portuguese, Indian, Italian, Asian, French or any other, you will find a meal that caters to you tastes. (more…)

Talk about cultural alphabet soup: South Africa is a phenomenal mix of cultural diversity, with 11 official languages (and many unofficial) and skin tones that range from the deepest ebony to vibrant, sunburnt pink.

It’s a potjie of culture, with surprising ingredients and delightful surprises, its rich flavour coming from centuries of mixing and melting!

From archealogy to Zulu, take a look at South Africa’s alphabet soup . . . (more…)

By Nqobani Khumalo

Dancing Couple

I went to my friend’s church the other week because she said there were lots of Africans.  For ‘Africans’ read: Black people from anywhere in Africa except South Africa…ja. Anyway, the church was one of those huge, high-ceilinged shells black people love for their religious gatherings, with warm sunlight flooding the place through the huge windows and doors lining one side of the hall. (more…)

By Phathu Ratshilumela

Durban-born Nkosinathi Maphumulo, aka Black Coffee, has been on the music scene for many years and is one of South Africa’s most prolific producers, remixers and club DJs.

At a young age, this multitalented DJ and producer sharpened his musical skills by being part of a school choir while learning the keyboard. After Matriculating, Black Coffee went on to study music in Durban. The reason he enrolled for a music course was his need to deepen his musical knowledge, develop listening skills and advance his knowledge of music theory.

In 2003, this talented individual applied for the Redbull Music Academy and was selected to attend. He joined 20 other participants at the Red Bull Music Academy in Cape Town with fellow attendees under the teaching of music industry legends such as Hugh Masekela.

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By Florence Modikwe

I know I am late, but I also need to say this: HAPPY SPRING everyone!! (more…)

It’s a country that is home to some of the most ancient and beautiful art in the world: The Stone Age rock art of the ancestors of today’s San Bushmen.

South Africa also has a long and distinguished artistic tradition in more recent times and is currently the scene of vibrant and challenging contemporary artists creating new and important work. (more…)

It’s jazz and kwela, missionary hymns, mbaqanga and bubblegum pop . . . whether local or adapted from other countries, it is the music of South Africa and has a flavour all its own. (more…)

In one field in particular, the new freedoms of post-apartheid South Africa have brought new life - dance has became a prime means of artistic expression, with dance companies expanding and exploring new territory.

Music and dance are pulling in new audiences and a number of home-grown productions, particularly those aimed at the popular market, have taken South Africa and, in some cases, the world, by storm. (more…)

The theatre scene is buzzing in South Africa, with more than 100 active spaces all over the country offering everything from indigenous drama, music, dance, cabaret and satire to West End and Broadway hits, classical opera, and ballet.

Venues range from the staid and monolithic homes of the former state-supported performing arts councils to purpose-built theatres, a converted fruit market, country barns, casinos, and urban holes in the wall; from a gracious Cape wine estate to a rural railway station. (more…)

South Africa has a rich and diverse history of literary output. Until fairly recently, realism dominated the production of fiction in South Africa, with authors possibly feeling bound to capture the country’s turbulent history and the experiences of its people.

While fiction has been written in all of South Africa’s 11 official languages - with a large body of work in Afrikaans - this article focuses primarily on English fiction. (more…)