Malawicked!

Tomorrow I will be going on an adventure with my friends Tuva, Kimberly and J.B. We'll be flying to Lilongwe (Malawi) and then travel on to Mangochi which is on the shore of the magnificent Lake Malawi (which is one of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites).

Sunset on the Lake

The main reason for our trip is the Lake of Stars festival. 'The Lake of Stars' is the nickname for Lake Malawi coined by David Livingstone.This name came about due to lights from the lanterns of the fishermen in Malawi on their boats, that resemble, from a distance, stars in the sky.

Amazingly rich biodiversity in the lake

Q Magazine, the UK’s leading music magazine dubbed Lake of Stars: ‘Simply the finest festival in the world’. Am I excited? Oh yeah!!!

After the festival, We'll be spending lazy days at the shore of the lake, as well as kayaking, snorkeling and visiting the Liwonde park and in general backpacking around for a week.

It's going to be dancing, partying, dancing and more dancing, chilling, laughing, dancing.. it's going to be Malawicked!!!

Fly sticking ability

Yesterday evening a colleague and I went to the Goodman Gallery in Joburg. It was the opening a SWAT, a new exhibition by Willem Boshoff. The gallery writes about him that "The ambiguities of words, playful provocation and grave disquiet are ubiquitous elements in the work of Willem Boshoff."

It might be hard to see it, but the letters in the word SWAT above are actually plastic flies glued to the map-background. A friend of a friend helped preparing the exhibition and asked us to come and "assess her fly sticking ability". I think she did great. My favorite piece though, was a photo of a cracked tar road that looked exactly like a baobab tree.

Have a great Friday!

Spriiiing!

Yay! I'm so happy today! Finally, after a few VERY cold months, spring seems to have arrived in Joburg. Whilst my friends in Norway have started to complain about cold weather and autumn being around the corner. I'm getting ready to put my summer dress on and have a glass of Sauvignon Blanc with ice cubes (the SA way ;)

I know... winter here is nothing compared to what I'm used to from Norway. However, houses in Norway are actually built for winter with insulation, double windows and central heating. Here, it seems like winter cones as a surprise every year (OK, I've only spent two winters here..). I've basically been hiding under my blanket for a few months now, drinking tea with my housemate. Now, it is about time that I get out and about!

There are many reasons to celebrate today: Spring, weekend, Lovely friends visiting from Musina..

The Friday will kick of with sun downer drinks at the 12 Decades Hotel downtown Jozi.

Have a lovely weekend!

This is the rooftop bar. The view from here is AWSOME

African Traditional Wedding

This weekend I went to a traditional African wedding in the village of Kwamhlanga in Mpumalanga about an hour south of Joburg. What a celebration! The whole village participated in the singing, dancing, praying to the ancestors, eating, drinking, more dancing and late night partying. So much joy and life! I feel really privileged for having gotten the opportunity to take part in such a great event. Let me just say: WOW!

The bride, beautiful Charlene

Getting ready

Final touches by stylist Thabo :)

Looking good Line

at the venue

Traditional dresses

Thabo and the girls waiting for the bride to arrive

Line and the head of the family

Bride has arrived and is dancing with the groom

cheers for the happy couple (home made ginger beer)

Tim and Charlene <3

Rocky

singing and cheering

Thabo and Arild

There was soooo much food! overwhelming!

Derelict, Art Deco, Multicultural, Gigantism - Keywords from a tour through Hillbrow

A few days ago I went on a guided tour downtown Joburg in the areas of Hillbrow and Berea. Now, you might think "guided tour, really?" And yes, it felt strange. A group of 30 white people, in which 27 of them  were in their 70's and dressed in khakis (my friends and I being the only ones under retirement age) walking through the roughest neighborhood of downtown Joburg taking photos with their expensive cameras. Indeed very very strange.

4 guards joined the guided tour
 to keep the khaki-bunch safe

These areas were originally the most posh parts of Joburg where only the richest of the white people lived. Hillbrow is situated, as the name says, on a hill with a nice view of the rand of the gold mines -the steroid on which this African metropole has been build. In Hillbrow one can find typical Art Deco houses side by side with gigantic living-machines, the 54 stories high Ponte tower and the once so fashionable "see and be seen" place Windybrow theatre, once home of Theodore Reunert a romantic Bavarian-styled mansion which is now part of a theatre complex.

Windybrow theatre

I chatted to one of the elderly ladies in our group who told me that she actually grew up in Hillbrow. Today, that seems almost to strange to be true. Hillbrow version 2011 is far from the Mayfair like (that's the expression the guide used) 'whites only' area it used to be. Due to poor planning, its infrastructure could not cope with the rapid population growth. This, together with lack of investment led to an exodus of middle class residents in the 1980s and the decay of major buildings, leaving in its wake an urban slum by the 1990s. Today most of the residents are immigrants from different parts of Africa. One of my South African friends told me that "you won't see a South African living in Hillbrow any longer". I don't know if that is all true, but one can surely feel the multi ethnic atmosphere.

Gigantism 1

 Gigantism 2: Built in 1975 to a height of 173 metres (54 floors),
the Ponte tower is the tallest residential skyscraper in the southern hemisphere.

Gigantism 3, this building is called Highrise

Curious kids in Hillbrow

There is actual a lot of public art in Hillbrow.
This piece is symbolizing a waterfall that was once at this spot

Respect the weather

Thunderstorm in Joburg

The dark grey clouds are gathering up and pushing the boiling sun away. One of Jozi's infamous thunderstorms is on it's way, and I'm as excited as a child on Christmas Eve. I love the thunderstorms and the exceptional atmosphere they leave behind. I'm kind of used to this phenomenon by now though, and I'm not really scared of getting struck by lightning (180 cm tall, I guess I'm an easy target)... However, reading about the tsunami in Japan today, and the one likely to reach Honolulu in 45 minutes makes me think about the forces of nature, and how powerful they are. It reminds me of the Norwegian fjellvettreglene . "Vis respekt for været og værmeldingene" applies in the big cities as well as in the mountains.

I just remembered that in November last year, after having experienced my first Jozi thunderstorm, I read in the news the next day that a man had been struck by lightning and killed 100 meters from where I live. Tragic!
I think I'll try to get a ride home from work today...

Have a good weekend everyone!

Fall in (love with) Jozi?.. a mixed feeling

Coming back from 10 days of "winter holiday" in Norway, stepping out of the airport in Joburg felt like a sauna. Still, I cannot help but feeling that fall is coming Joburg's way these days. Is definetly drier and less green than a few weeks ago, and the air is somewhat different. It might also be that I'm extremely sensitive for the sentiment of something coming to an end. Job hunting in Norway has made me very aware of the fact that my year in Jozi soon will be over. A strange feeling really.

What is it with Jozi that makes me unable to explain my relation to it/her/them? One thing is for sure, Jozi has grown on me. I believe this city needs time to reveal it's secrets and it's many good sides. And I'm not quite "there" yet that I've joined the inner circle of those who relly can call Jozi their home. However, I'm a curious and excited guest who continues to be amazed and thrilled.

I hope that this feeling will last and develop for the 85 days that I have before I leave Jozi.

Am I there yet?