At first glance the name of this tavern along with the castle may make one wonder if you aren't entering a vampire den and if there were any vampires in there I bet they wouldn't glitter. Blood's Tavern is situated next to Njoli Square and is probably named after its owner while the castle sign is the logo of Castle Lager. We stopped for a drink (a Castle for some of the group) at Blood's Tavern while on a township tour…
Fruit vendors can be found all over the townships selling their wares from the side of the road.
While on a township tour with a Argentinian journalist a little while ago we set off in search of a mural, painting or even just graffiti somewhere on a wall that depicted the fight against HIV / Aids. We finally found one on the wall of the Ubuntu Educational Fund's old building in Zwide.
Sniffing about one of the township corner "take aways" that I posted about yesterday, I was invited inside the shack to have a look at the sit down area. Nothing fancy. Wooden benches with tables covered in plastic. No fancy cutlery. This guy was eating out of a tin bowl with a spoon. I often think all white people should go on a township tour to see how the residents of the township really live. Break down a couple of…
I just can't get enough of observing the township corner "take aways" with their pots cooking away. These pots could contain chicken being fried or cooked, offal, sheep heads (smileys) or the inside of a cow's head. The pots are traditional three legged cast iron pots which are very popular with both black and white South Africans to prepare food over the fire. The gentleman in the green shirt is a customer waiting for his meal being dished up.
In yesterday's post I wrote about Aya's Ceramic Studio in New Brighton. Visiting Aya's studio one immediately realises how artistic she is. Her studio, house and garden is one big exhibition area for her art with ceramic pieces scattered and placed all over.
A lot of artists like to settle somewhere close to the coast, in the mountains, a forest or a little town in the Karoo to draw inspiration from their environment to channel into their art. Then there are people like Ayanda (Aya) Mji who lives in the heart of the New Brighton township of Port Elizabeth and who draws her inspiration from the African landscape around her. She uses animals, birds and even her dreams to create some of the most interesting ceramic art…
This township entrepreneur's shop (sic) is situated at Njoli Square in Kwazakhele. I asked one of my colleagues to help me out with a bit of translation for the Xhosa words I didn't know. She wasn't sure what Ntintile means but her assumption is that it's the guy's surname and that Rainbow Ntintile would be the name of the shop. The rest of the sign says: "Chips (that you know), biscuits (that you know as well), isonka (bread), bread (wonder why he…
Unemployment in the townships may be high, but there are many township residents who don't just sit back and complain about it. They rather do something and show they entrepreneurial spirit by starting their own small businesses. Even if its something as simple as selling fruit and sweets on the street.
The Ubuntu centre in Zwide was opened in 2010 and is an over R40 million investment into one of the poorest communities in South Africa. The centre belongs to the Ubuntu Education Fund which is one of the most successful and internationally renowned NGO’s in the Eastern Cape and provides health and educational services right in the township. Due to a lack of space but still in need of fresh vegetables to feed the kids with, the centre has established a rooftop…