ATTENDING a fabulous dinner at the French Embassy, DIANE DE BEER lost her heart not only to the fantastic food and spectacular wines, but especially to the savvy of her French hosts and the sassiness of her fellow South Africans:
A small but pretty selection of the garden as you enmter the residence grounds.
It was the French Embassy’s Goȗt de France dinner that again reminded me of one of our best attributes – our people.
Myself with the stylish Itumeleng Makhoi; and above right, First Lady of Lesotho Mrs Mammusa Masekoalane Majoro and Namibian olympian hockey player David Britz.
Here we were in all our diversity from two soon-to-be Olympian hockey players (one representing South Africa and the other Namibia, but we claim him because he is studying at UJ) to a fashion designer whose calling card was her fabulous style on the evening, a stylish young gentleman who imports champagne for local enthusiasts, a sassy lawyer and a smart landscape architect.
Two chefs, Mpho and Mohau Seshoene (aka The Lazy Makoti) with the French Ambassador H. E. Mr David Martinon , and on the right, landscape architect Mosa Seshoene and Adv. Kutlwano Motla (or The Boujee Traveller, a travel content creator) PICTURE: French Embassy/Aldina Mujkanovic
And that’s just a handful. There was the woman with the red headpiece and the sexy red stilettos who turned out to be the First Lady of Lesotho Mrs Mammusa Masekoalane Majoro and it wasn’t just her style that was exuberant, her personality was a perfect match. But the same could be said of the two young lasses (above) also at our table, the one a landscape architect and the other a lawyer, both of whom had as much sass as they had style.
A predictable but splendid welcome
It has always been one of the French Embassy’s secret weapons. There’s someone there who knows how to put a spectacular group of South Africans together. This time the current ambassador H.E. Mr David Martinon noted that because of the upcoming Olympics in Paris, they had hoped to combine food and sport but that wasn’t always achievable.
But what they did manage was to showcase people who displayed our most extraordinary strength – diversity.
French Embassy chef André Ahiba (left), who has served nine Ambassadors with his staff in the kitchen. PICTURE: French Embassy/Aldina Mujkanovic
All of this was also reflected by the charming Ambassadorial couple, H.E. Mr Martinon and his wife Karen, in the food on the night which was the brainchild of the embassy chef, André Ahiba, who has served nine ambassadors and celebrated French cuisine in marvellous fashion.
A melange of seafood
The starter was a mini seafood combo with a prawn poached in its own bisque paired with a beautiful panfried scallop. It was delicious and a fine launch into the rest of the meal.
Slow-cooked Karoo lamb shank with imaginative accompaniments.
This was followed with slow-cooked Karoo lamb shank which paid homage to produce from a specific region and then similarly, to sustainability. The accompaniments included pomme dauphine and julienne courgettes. But the piece de resistance was a morille farcie, which my chef partner said he knew about but had never eaten. When looking for a translation, stuffed mushrooms pops up, but the best I can do is to say that the chef noted it was extremely expensive and the taste was that of mushrooms, very intriguing.
Brie truffe Brioche, the cheese course.
This was followed by their cheese course which again displayed a wonderful individuality of thought. What could have been easier than presenting us with a selection of French cheeses. Everyone would have been wowed. But again the chef imaginatively presented us with Brie truffe Brioche (a brioche with truffle brie is my translation) which I loved, served with a salad, it was different and tasty.
A sweet surprise.
The other nod to South African produce was a Rooibos white Valrhona tart with a red fruits and a biscuit financier (which has its name because of the shape reflecting a gold bar!).
What I liked about the menu was that it felt pared down in the best sense of the word. Every dish had some extraordinary qualities but in conclusion, one left the table replenished yet comfortable.
The food was complemented with phenomenal French wines. I am by no means a wine specialist but from the apéritif served with the most delicious foie gras squares brightly decorated with rose leaves out of the spectacular embassy garden, Champagne Gobillard rosé 2016, followed by Chablis Cru Domaine Long-Depaquit 2022 and the most amazing of all, the Château SIRAN Margaux Haut Médoc 2017, and then the Petit Ours Blanc Domaine Matthieu Barret 2014 and finally yet another fantastic Champagne Mumm Olympe demi-sec.
When countries want to show off their quality and they do it this well, those of us invited to participate in the tasting, cannot but go overboard with the praise.
And in the final analysis it was the full package that gift-wrapped this evening so magnificently. From the arrivals which take you through some of the prettiest gardens to the entrance where you are met with a glorious ensemble of citizens hosted by an enchanting ambassadorial couple who as a bonus also have their young daughters meet the guests and show off some French charm.
The staff are magnificently dressed with gorgeous smiles as they gently see that the guests on the night are suitably cared for.
And then my fellow South Africans introduced to me by the French ambassador. I think I have said as much as I can and can simply add that it was an evening that I couldn’t have been more proud to be South African.
Stellenbosch singer/songwriter Luna Paige will be in Pretoria and Philadelphia for rare performances to celebrate the launch of two new albums; the one in Afrikaans (Dis die Dors), the other in English (Harmony). DIANE DE BEER chats to the singer whose career she has followed from her early days – with admiration:
Storielied Reunion.Picture: Pierre Rommelare
For singer/songwriter Luna Paige the last few years has been a sharp learning curve. Since her early start in the industry (late 1999), she has been one of the most dedicated artists I know – and she usually does it all herself.
Her first look-in was when she was invited to record three of her songs on a compilation album alongside Lesley Rae Dowling and other female artists at the time. “It is what catapulted me into a music career,” she says. But driven as she is, and one has to be when you drive your own career as she does, she would have found a way.
Since those early days she has released five solo albums and one SAMA-nominated collaborative album. And since 2015, she has released numerous songs digitally and she believes, she has come into her own this past decade. That is until Covid struck.
She established her own music production company which developed music-driven productions, hosted and organised, concert series and co-ordinated music workshops five years ago. In her capacity at Iluminar Productions, she also represented other musicians and musical groups.
She found herself collaborating with many artists and produced shows such as Her Blues, Korreltjie Kantel and Smeltkroes. She also played a supporting and promotional role in the popular My Miriam Makeba Story featuring the luminous Sima Mashazi.
Because her business was still young and primarily focussed on servicing art festivals and live entertainment venues and clubs, the pandemic was disastrous as for so many other artists who depend on audiences.
Luna knew it was time to join the workforce and between 2021 and 2024 she worked as a marketer and fundraiser for Paul Roos Gymnasium, a prestige Stellenbosch school. But she’s back in the music business, armed with many new skills and ideas she wants to implement in the music industry – as well as two new albums.
During Covid she had time to reflect, and, coming out of the pandemic, her thinking and that of the world around her, has changed. That is also what her songs reflect; her collaborative intent as well as the fast-paced changes in our society. “The last time I released an album, the world looked a lot different. The digital era is now in full sway. It has affected everything outside of us, but also our own internal way of processing information, and life in general.”
And that is exactly what she sings about.
When you ask Luna about her life, she speaks about the difficulty of packaging herself. “Let’s be honest, I am so many things!” She is a singer-songwriter. She writes in her mother tongue but also in English. She doesn’t compose in a specific genre. “For me, the song, and the story behind it, dictates the genre the song needs to be in. I find my influences from a wide array of genres.”
But then she is also a social worker, an altruist and an organiser. She feels she is a catalyst of sorts. “I know how to bring an interesting group of people together to do great things.” And with those words in mind, I predict exciting performances in the future.
Luna has always had to fight for her place in the industry. Performing isn’t an easy way to make a living. Music is her life, and she has always known that’s where she wants to be. Armed with new skills and insight, she believes that private investment in the arts is essential for its survival. “I believe artists have a huge responsibility to not only expect funds, but to also give back to their own communities. And the causes they believe in.”
While fundraising and marketing something other than herself, she became aware of her own different facets. “I have always seen them as separate things, one not having anything to do with the other. But now I know it’s the combination of these elements that makes me unique.”
She’s excited to explore what she calls “fusion of self”, how it will unfold and the kind of creative endeavours it will lead to.
These two latest album releases also reflect her new-found knowledge, showing the different sides of self.
“My Afrikaans side and my English side. Why? Because I do express myself differently in these two languages. It is interesting to me how I almost have a different voice in each of them,” she explains.
And speaking of voices, Luna also does different voices when she speaks and when she sings. If you have a conversation and have never heard her sing, it sounds like a completely different person.
On her Afrikaans album, Dis die Dors, she pays homage to two iconic poets – Jeanne Goosen and Antjie Krog. Their poems, which she puts to music, touch on the subject of either loneliness or aloneness. “It’s a theme I am quite interested in – especially the difference between the two. The power of the one versus the sadness of the other.” Both poets, she notes, also touch on our thirst – for something meaningful in what can be a challenging world. “I sing about purpose, about nature’s generous supply of lessons, and about the labels we embrace for our own self-preservation.” She also addresses online nastiness and real-life kindness, and borrowed time.
And as always with the soulful singer, the genres vary from gypsy jazz and world music to folk rock, rock ‘n roll, troubadour-style songs and one typical Luna-style piano rock ballad.
On the English album, Harmony, she included some of the songs released digitally during 2021 and 2022, as they didn’t reach enough people. She believes they deserve a good resting place. She describes the album as bolder in sound and voice. “I am sharing ideas that I have never previously introduced in my music. Ideas about a lot of –isms. In my song Whose life is it anyway I am encouraging freedom of expression, of individualism, freedom from whatever the mainstream demands. In Circle of witches she addresses the sensitivity towards feminism (even from women themselves). “It is a modern take on feminism and why I believe it is still relevant.”
Not one to stand on the sidelines, Middle Class Shoes is dedicated to May 29 when we stand in line to vote for our next ruling party. “It is a song about classism – something we don’t acknowledge remotely enough when talking politics in SA,” she says.
Luna Paige. Picture: Nardus Engelbrecht
Real news that feels like fiction, alcohol abuse, the power of owning aloneness as well as her love of the continent all feature. And there’s much more.
What she does with her music is speak her mind. All she asks is that we take the time to listen. And I certainly can’t wait. She has a voice that melts your heart and touches the soul. And she offers wisdom and wit with her thoughtful lyrics.
Much thought and research went into producing these albums and how to package them for this digital age.
What she has decided is to release her music in USB-format.
The 2024-USB will include the two new albums, poster art, lyric sheets and two music videos. The Full Collection-USB, will offer all her releases since 2003, multiple videos and live footage. She will also be selling personalised Luna Paige notebooks – with lyric extracts inside.
Her first performance was in Stellenbosch this past weekend and these two follow in Gauteng and Philadelphia:
Sunday, 14 April. Moonshot Café. Pretoria. 2.30pm. Tickets cost R200 at Quicket. Ticket link: https://qkt.io/tR9Nhd. On stage: Luna Paige and Mauritz Lotz.
Wednesday, 17 April. BV Hall. Philadelphia. 8pm. Pre-drinks and dinner at The Pepper Tree from 5.30 to 7.30pm (Reservations: (+27) 84 707 3177. Show time: 8pm. Tickets cost R200 at Quicket. Ticket link: https://qkt.io/DAlG8G. On stage: Luna Paige, Mauritz Lotz, Schalk Joubert, Kevin Gibson.
And then she’s off for the rest of the year as she recharges her creative instincts and inspiration. She will be visiting places she has always dreamt of like Italy, Greece, Spain, Portugal and possibly Slovenia. She will be walking and writing, researching business ideas and checking in with artists who work in a social impact sphere.
CAST: Paul Giamatti, Da’Vine Joy Randolph, Carrie Preston and Dominic Sessa
Let’s start with a confession. I went to see this movie mainly because of Paul Giamatti as well as Da’Vine’s acceptance speeches. It was obvious that she was special and that’s not even on screen!
Halfway through the film, I sat back with the thought in my head that this was a comfortable movie and it was strange to get that word foremost in my mind with an Alexander Payne movie. He’s someone who deals mainly in characters and relationships and these are never comfortable.
Sideways, Nebraska, Citizen Ruth and About Schmidt are some of his best and when you look at the casting, he is obviously an actor’s director. His choices are always smart and often quirky, like Carrie Preston who one feels should now be given a starring role. She’s got the chops and has done her bit as character actor.
Boys having fun: Michael Provost, Dominic Sessa and Brady Hepner.
But back to the movie. After a rather sluggish start, it suddenly gets life. It’s not that Payne goes into overdrive but he shows why he chose these specific actors to tell this rather subtle and slow-paced film.
It’s a story about three oddball characters thrown together and how they move backwards, forwards and sideway to see how it can work. There aren’t any surprises. You know from the start that things will turn out well. It’s the way they get there and the how Payne softly nudges his actors to tell this story.
If you hear that Giamatti’s tough-toffee character is given a wandering eye as well as a lingering body odour, it already gets a smile but it also explains many of his character traits.
Paul Giamatti (centre) with a few schoolboys including Sessa (left).
While Da’Vine’s award season has been quite dramatic, her character is a much gentler yet really wise woman. As a large black woman living in a country where colour is barely tolerated, you know she knows how to make herself invisible and how to survive without compromise. She’s that gal. She knows she has to look out for herself, no one else will.
But she also has a heart that is large enough to keep a watchful eye over all the broken-winged creatures in her vicinity.
Giamatti plays true to form. He isn’t capable of a bad performance that’s why I try never to miss a movie. His films are always all about the characters and he knows how to fill those out delicately but with kick when needed.
The newcomer also does a fine star turn. He has strong competition but youth is on his side and he holds back and gives when the story or character demands.
Payne says he wanted to make a good, old-fashioned 70’s film with no CGI razzmatazz and that’s exactly what he achieved. Catch it at the one off cinemas that are still screening it.
In Gauteng you can catch it at Ster Kinekor’s Rosebank Nouveau and in Cape Town at The Labia Theatre
With Vrye Weekblad and journalist Deborah Steinmair establishing new book festivals in the wake of their success in Stilbaai, followed by the first one in Gauteng in Cullinan earlier this year and most recently in Clarens in the Free State, DIANE DE BEER, invited as an interviewer at the last two, gives her impressions of book festivals in general as VWB announce their next Cullinan festival from 10 to 12 May 2024::
Pictures: Deborah Steinmair
A man and his dog cartoons by Dries de Beer (Fatman).
Getting together a crowd of book lovers is no easy thing in these days of social media and streaming – there’s just too much on offer – but if you choose your specific book festival well, take the time and spend the money, it is a glorious get-away where you get to mingle and meet like-minded people and listen to a handful of authors talking about their latest work.
While my preferences won’t sound objective, as I was invited to participate as an interviewer at the last two festivals, what appealed to my sensibility was the curation of the festivals.
In conversation with two illustrators, Hanli Deysel, myself and Angela Tuck
First off, smart of the powers-that-be at Vrye Weekblad to know that Deborah, someone with a fantastic knowledge of books, an author herself, and a brilliant columnist, also has a deliciously quirky sensibility which then becomes part of the programme.
If you’re having a festival in the Free State, Antjie Krog is a name that would be impossible to ignore. But then to ask her to read from her latest delightful Vetplant Feëtjies (Vetplant Fairies), creatively written and illustrated, together with some poetry from her latest collection Plunder (also translated and published as Pillage) was genius.
It’s obvious why she won the Herzog Prize for poetry twice, most recently in 2017.
Just selecting at random:
It no longer comes to me
Everything is iron everything has congealed
I read how others write:
Clove brown, Prussia blue, and creamy, creamy your neck
Your long, long, long legs fill me with fury
But to me?
To me it simply no longer comes
once I belonged to the ones on fire
now my voice wants to drift
it trembles repulsively clammy with care and forgiveness
For me, personally, she should never stop, with a mind that’s razor-sharp, older yes, but that also makes it even more wise and witty. What does she have in mind next?
And, cleverly, Deborah knew how to pair two wise journalists. It was a great idea to get two Free State born journalists/writers Max du Preez and Antjie Krog talking and reminiscing.
Max du Preez and Antjie Krog in conversation.
Both grew up in Kroonstad and Antjie spent more of her time there, while Max talks about missing this part of the world, while also celebrating his home city of Cape Town, where he says everything works.
And then he launches into a few famous authors who have left the country, some, he says, with a Nobel Prize under the arm …
And Antjie wonders about living in a country where no one knows who Gerrit Maritz is.
Max, who had passed through Winburg on his way to Clarens, wishes to become the champion of this neglected town.
But Cyril, they say, has said that the people shouldn’t be treated like charity cases. Everyone has something to give. Yet Max laments the process of Africa that is slowly engulfing the town, even if not quite done yet.
Antjie suggests that if you want to change or fix a problem, you have to bring the township with you. But Max questions how to criticise this country while contemplating the damage you might have caused. Even if you joined the struggle. You still have the privilege of whiteness which is something everyone needs to acknowledge.
As is obvious, it was a conversation between two people who know one another, who have similar backgrounds so that they can exchange thoughts and grievances without too much explanation.
And they progress…
“Wonderful things are happening in Afrikaans,” says Antje while sympathising with the Indigenous languages that suffered under apartheid.
We all have to acknowledge that we had more of everything: more Afrikaans radio stations and TV stations, more magazines and newspapers than any of the other languages. Now we have to do it for ourselves.
Joylyn Philips
And it is happening with Vrye Weekblad and these kinds of book festivals. And again Deborah’s special touch emerges as she includes young poets and authors like Joylyn Philips, who launches into song when starting her poetry presentation.
Bibi SlIppers
Or the bright-eyed Bibi Slippers who cunningly whets the appetite with readings from her then soon-to-be-published poetry book, which was recently launched.
Dianne Du Toit AlbertzeIn performance.
Yet, no one can rattle the rafters like the gloriously fragile Dianne Du Toit Albertze or, as they would say, Lady D. It was joyous to see them perform almost randomly dressed to kill in a shattering red dress which immediately screamed attitude, and then to back it all up with the talent of someone who knows they can take a stage while speaking in tongues … and they do.
This fresh breath of youthful exuberance during the gathering of the poets as the final salute of the weekend, captured it all. The dazzle and dare of Deborah is what makes you an ardent fan of her outspoken columns, all of which you wish you had said. And she brings that same flair and fanciful fanfare to a book festival – which is why these Vrye Weekblad festivals are worth watching out for. And a grand addition to the Afrikaans literary scene.
Yes, I know it’s mostly in Afrikaans, but Deborah knows about diversity even when limited most of the time, to a specific audience.
So get booking on Quicket for the next one, you won’t be disappointed and it’s in driving distance from Pretoria and Joburg!
Last year’s festival at the stone church in Cullinan.
PROGRAMME: The Vrye Weekblad-CULLINAN-BOOK FESTIVAL 10 – 12 May 2024
Will be held @Church venue. Books to be sold by Graffiti on the premises, food and drink will be on sale. Book at Quicket.
17:30: En tog die deuntjie draal (and still the music plays): Gielie Hoffmann chats on the birthday of singer/songwriter/poet Koos du Plessis with his wife, Mornay, about Erfdeel. His songs are also performed.
11:30: O, die vrolike, O die SALA! (Oh the happiness, oh the Salvation) Diane de Beer in conversation with Onke Mazibuko about his celebrated YA novel, The Second Verse.
16:00: Zonderwater en ver van die huis: (Zonderwater and far from home):Deborah Steinmair talks to Karen Horn about her novel about Italian prisoners of war: Prisoners of Jan Smuts
17:00: Psigopatiese nasie:(Psychopathic nation): Anneliese Burgess speaks to Karl Kemp about his book Why We Kill.
18:00: Kopstukke (Think pieces): A sizzling political debate about the election and other topics of the day with Piet Croucamp and JP Landman.
That’s what happened to Miles Kean Cilliers Robinson when they hit puberty. What they know now is that they have been battling to identify with the gender assigned to them at birth.
In a documentary titled Call Me Miles –Brutally Honest, available on Netflix and a must-see, they tell their story with an openness and vulnerability that’s sometimes painful yet highlights the issues of growing up in a world that doesn’t make sense to them.
Finding myself battling with many of the concepts simply because the words including the way to use pronouns is unfamiliar to me, and I am someone who embraces differences as well as acceptance, I can understand how frustrating it must be to navigate a life that seems so foreign to many.
I found their guidance and explanations extremely educational. We are living in a world that is more fluid than it has been my whole life and having no children, I don’t often have to face any of these issues. But I could see that Miles didn’t appreciate any of my blunders. And I agree. It is up to all of us to inform ourselves and I suspect, that is why Miles always knew that they wanted to share their story. They knew from the age of 16 that they are non-binary and needed to find a way to align their body with their personal identity, their sense of self.
With two parents in the newspaper world, they have always been aware of the importance of facts and getting the right stuff out there. And in this era of fake news and easy targets with social media available and anonymous, even more so than before.
The only time Miles was unaware of their predicament was in that time when little boys and girls are seen as just kids. And they are blessed with parents that always treated them simply as another human being. Their problems started when the outside world started intruding.
Still in primary school, a young classmate told them that it is time for them to start wearing a bra. “I was incensed,” they say, “how dare she?” Nevertheless it had to be addressed and their mom took them shopping with the advice that a sports bra would be the most comfortable option.
Miles with Dad Deon .
Their life however changed overnight when their mom decided to send them to one of Tshwane’s prestige schools, Afrikaanse Hoër Meisieskool Pretoria. They are an exceptional achiever regarded as highly intelligent, and Mom wanted the best possible education for her child. In retrospect they (and I suspect their parents) believe that this was the worst possible environment for them.
Overnight they walked into a world where the scholars were referred to as “ladies” (dames) and of course, had to wear dresses. Another public shaming exacerbated their emotional dilemma. During a swimming exercise, the girls spotted that they didn’t shave under their arms and they were ridiculed. “I couldn’t believe that they (his fellow scholars) didn’t want more than simply being the perfect little girl.”
And on that day, their obsession with their body, in particular “being fat” became part of their daily obsession. Telling their story they couldn’t emphasize enough how distressing this became. It completely dictated their life.
I met Miles more or less at the age of 14, and I can clearly remember that the person I saw was completely normal in size and looks, nothing strange or out of the ordinary. I would have described them as cute and wouldn’t have referred to their body at all.
“My discomfort in my own body only started when someone else said something,” they explain. And aren’t we all familiar with that one, only in their circumstances it played into already troubled emotions.
For Miles specifically it meant withdrawal and isolation, which made everything worse. “We grew up in a time where our parents were focussed on protecting us. There wasn’t time for holding me close, we had to be tough,” they say.
Kids were not deemed to be streetwise and they had to be taught the rules of the jungle hovering out there. Their generation, they argue, has greater exposure to others (not so much part of the Apartheid era where the focus was on separation) and thus have more empathy. “I see that as a pre-requisite to see the other,” they emphasise.
At this point their world started to change dramatically. And they capture it thus: What became clear to me was that my gender is not determined by the way I paint my nails or knot a tie.”
But only after many years of torture for this struggling teenager in an all-girls school, they asked to be booked into Denmar Mental Health Services. In the interim they had been self-harming with cutting and suicide attempts simply to stop the emotional chaos that became their world. Nothing came easy and even with a group of friends whom they describe as “a ragtag band of misfits” who offered some protection, they were drowning.
But they had made a decision when they asked to be booked into Denmar. “I am a boy,” they told everyone when they arrived, “please call me Miles.” And they did. The warmth and acceptance they received at the facility (“apart from one asshole psychiatrist!”), changed their life.
And that was the beginning of a new phase in their life. They still had to share their new self with their parents which then snowballed to the rest of the family and friends. Miles would have liked to have orchestrated their “coming out” more slowly, but they also know and accept that on the whole – especially with their parents – they have been blessed.
They still had top surgery to discuss and to navigate, all of which has been done and now their future stretches ahead of them with a clarity that perhaps during their school years seemed impossible.
Nothing came easily and their varsity studies were also interrupted by the wrong choice of subjects. But amidst all of the struggles that dominated their younger life, they know they have landed softly and opting for a degree in clinical psychology and anthropology, their future is about helping others with what they had to battle – often without guidance or role models.
When you hear them saying that a choice of opting to wear a binder (which compresses the breast) meant that they had to choose between physical or emotional discomfort, the constant unease of their life seems unbearable. Time and again, they would rather cope with the physical obstacles. “I didn’t have role models or anyone to turn to,” they say.
That is what they hope to change by opening a practise for transgender youth and young adults. “During the process of transitioning,” they say, “ I didn’t have anyone to go to. I had to put it all together myself.”
For the present, they are exactly where they want to be.
Author Justin Fox, as DIANE DE BEER discovers when speaking to him about his latest book, Place South African Literary Journey (published by UMUZI) at Garsfontein’s Boekeplek & Kuierplek, has a mind as restless as his wanderlust:
The cover is a painting by Erik Laubscher titled Overberg Landscape.
When you are sent a book and asked by a publisher to help with the launch in your city, your first instinct, especially if you don’t know the author, which I didn’t in this instance, is to hope that you won’t hate the writing or the book for that matter.
Up to now, I have been blessed and again, Justin Fox’s Place is one that I thoroughly enjoyed. I loved the writing, found it a wonderfully original concept and the reading very accessible.
What this author did was to select nine authors whose writing he found to be determined by a specific landscape or place, capturing the spirit, hence the name and the idea. Think, for example, of someone like Herman Charles Bosman and your mind automatically reaches for the Marico or Dalene Matthee’s passionate love affair so inextricably linked with the Knysna forest.
Zakes Mda with his Heart of Redness is nestled on the Wild Coast, JM Coetzee has Michael K traveling and hiding in the Moordenaars Karoo and Olive Schreiner’s Story of an African Farm has its footprint in the Eastern Karoo.
The Lowveld is Jock of the Bushveld’s stomping ground, Deneys Reitz’s adventures, Justin narrowed down to the invasion of the Cape with Eugene Marais finding solace with his baboons in Waterberg.
The only one I wasn’t familiar with and the author with whom Justin perhaps identified with most strongly is Stephen Watson, who had a strong affinity with the Cederberg.
Wondering if he had qualms about not having the perfect representation, he admitted it was something he thought about, and he did try. He had to rely on authors who had a special affinity with a particular landscape or region, which was reflected in their writing.
With this mix, he also spread the love throughout the country geographically and in the end, that’s what determined his choice.
When first reading the book and seeing that it was In Memoriam of Uys Krige, I wondered whether he was related to actress Grethe Fox, whom I have encountered in my theatre writing. And of course, she is his sister and joins him (as he writes) on one of his author adventures.
They are indeed a family truly invested in the arts. Justin’s father is the architect Revel Fox and his mother is Uys Krige’s sister, then there’s also a filmmaker … and the list goes on. And then he divulges the family secret. His grandmother Sannie Uys was determined to guide everyone in the family into the arts.
In fact, she felt this so strongly that it was highly frowned upon if someone decided to turn to medicine or law, for example! Especially in terms of for the richness of the arts, wouldn’t this country flourish if there were more of these kinds of grandmothers? Anyone linked to the arts in even a minor way will know how a life is enriched.
The Geelbek Blockhouse also features in the book.
The wealth of artists in one family when taking a peek at their family tree starts to make sense. That and Justin’s particular bent and imaginative mind. There’s not much he hasn’t tried in the artistic sphere of witing. He is listed as a travel writer, novelist, poet and photographer and, as the former editor of Getaway magazine, he could easily include most of his passions in his daily life. And now, having left them, it’s easy to see how he keeps doing what he does – writing mostly books.
For Place, for example, he travelled to all the places of his chosen authors so that he could not only write from his research on the authors but also experience the place for himself. And that’s what makes this such an intriguing read. It’s as though he has aimed his skills sharply for this endeavour – and it serves him and his reader well.
Even someone like Dalene Matthee’s favoured region (which is close to where I spent my youth) came with new insight from this reading. And probably much of this can be linked to the fact that Justin has “itchy feet”, but also that the research is what really inspires him. It is what he enjoys most and what obviously informs and enriches his writing.
Having travelled the length and breadth of Africa during his former life as a journalist also brings much knowledge to bear. And then probably his writing was further nourished and polished by his doctorate in English at Oxford as well as his time as a research fellow at the University of Cape Town. But don’t expect to find a bookish approach to his storytelling or his writing. The way he uses language is one of the joys of the reading experience.
His latest endeavour or, perhaps more accurately, the one he is hoping will receive more attention is the two books already finished and hopefully a handful to come of his fictional World War 2 novels with Jack Pembroke as the hero. Justin describes himself as a Jack of all trades, but that’s underselling his expertise.
He ascribes his writing in so many different genres (google his writing history) as “getting bored quickly”. His favourite author is Patrick O’Brian whom he describes amusingly as “Jane Austen at sea”, as well as crime stories, and then of course he loves reading anything about World War 2, hence the fictional series in which he focusses on adventures from the war, unfamiliar to many. The current one with a South African focus is a battle that has been forgotten by many.
His next focus is African islands which he hopes will have the same impact as Place, which has already sold out.
The Fox Family (Justin left) on a Greek sojourn, one of his earliest travels.
“I’m a nomad,” he says, and he concedes he has the bug worse than most. And while writing per se is not his happy place, the research, edit and travel to promote his latest invention all find favour. And that’s where his drive comes from and his determination to escape into another adventure – whether fiction or non-fiction. I’m crossing fingers that the current book, Place, will be so popular that the publishers consider a colour version richly illustrated with Justin’s photographs. That was the only missing element for me. His writing takes you to the places he describes so imaginatively and there are a handful of black and white pictures. I realise it was an issue of cost, but still …
From the whirlwind success of last year’s debut, the Body Moves International Inclusive Dance Festival returns for what promises to be a triumphant second edition.
Set against the backdrop of Disability Awareness Month, the festival showcases an unparalleled array of workshops by esteemed international and local facilitators, live-streamed discussions, and breathtaking afternoon performances on November 25 and 26.
Once again according to the unshakeable Sibikwa mover and shaker Phyllis Klotz, Body Moves steps up the beat, accentuating cultural exchanges and collaborations. With participating companies spanning from Kenya, Madagascar to Ireland, Flanders and various regions of South Africa, the festival embodies the spirit of diversity and unity. Among the highlights:
Flatfoot Company in performance.
Workshops: From a sign workshop with the talented deaf dancer, Andile Vellem of Unmute, to Ondiege Mathew’s exploration of choreography through improvisation, Fanny Vandesande’s deep dive into the lived experiences of people with disabilities, a satellite workshop at Moving Into Dance in Newtown, and more.
Performances: Featuring works such as Chosen, highlighting the plight of a village through the eyes of a visually impaired dancer; to TWOTFAM, a thought-provoking piece that brings to the forefront the overlooked challenges faced by individuals with disabilities.
Live-Streamed Discussion: To be hosted in partnership with ADDN, at Sibikwa and on the Sibikwa Arts Centre Facebook page, at 6pm on November 23, their aim is engaging conversations inspired by the impactful 5-minute videos from Introdans and Unmute.
Moving away from the hustle of town, yet not too far from the comforts of home, Sibikwa offers a perfect locale for audiences. See below for a detailed line-up of Festival events, or visit sibikwa.co.za/BodyMoves2023.
Mover and shaker Phyllis Klotz, founder of Sibikwa.
Supported by the General Representation of the Government of Flanders, Embassy of Ireland, Department of Sport, Arts & Culture, Gauteng Department of Sport, Arts, Culture & Recreation, and Federation of Gauteng Community Arts, the festival is more than just an event; it’s a celebration of local and international talent, a nod to cultural vibrancy, and a testament to the belief that arts and dance know no bounds.
Tickets for performances at 2.30pm on November 25 and 26 are now available on Quicket link https://qkt.io/BODYMOVES23 at R120 per person. Special group rates apply at R100 for groups of 10 or more. On-the-day tickets will be available at the door for R140. For those travelling from Johannesburg, a shuttle will be available from Rosebank Mall, the price for this ticket (including shuttle and entry) is R250.
For organisations interested in hosting a workshop or for more details, reach out to caryn@sibikwa.co.za. Additional performance and event specifics are available upon request or at sibikwa.co.za/BodyMoves2023.
About Body Moves:
A pioneer in its field, Body Moves Inclusive International Dance Festival seeks to disrupt societal norms, championing inclusive dance and fostering collaboration across borders. It stands as a symbol of hope, understanding, and the transformative power of the arts.
Flatfoot Dance Company has a 28-year history of working in integrated arts. It is particularly well known for its 6-year-old integrated programme fondly referred to as Flatfoot Downie Dance Company. This unique dance programme is unprecedented in South Africa and is a celebration of the power of dance to shift lives and to negotiate difference and inclusivity. This particular dance programme celebrates community across the divide of race, gender and ability.
Title: The Infinite Space Between Us
Choreography: Lliane Loots in collaboration with the dancers
Dancers: Jabu Siphika, Ndumiso ‘Digga’ Dube and Julia Pitt
Short Description of dance work: In an intimate dance journey taken by three dancers, Lliane Loots’s collaborative “the infinite space between us”, delves into how we hold, walk and wheel past or towards one another as we attempt to find or break connections. Working with FLATFOOT’s Jabu Siphika, Ndumiso Dube, and Julia Pitt, Loots’s own on-going choreographic interrogations into the intimate politics of relationships, is given a unique spin as the dancers play around with duet, trio, solo formats – and a wheelchair.
Company: Moving into Dance (Johannesburg)
Happiness in dance.
MID was born in the cruel turbulence of 1978 Apartheid South Africa. It was an artistic response to the destructive policy of apartheid. The vision was to draw on the creative capacity of the human spirit to connect enliven and transcend. In keeping with its founding vision Moving into Dance introduced its ‘Enable Through Dance’ programme in 2016 which seeks to inspire confidence and self-esteem in the physically disabled through creative means especially dance.
Title: Remember our Time
Choreographer: Lesego Dihemo
Short Description of dance work: This piece is a reflection on the change that time brings and how it has affected culture. It is looking back and acknowledging the what we had and celebrating how we have adapted and progressed.
Company: Unmute Dance Theatre (Cape Town)
Unmute Dance Theatre is a company of artists with mixed ability/disability using physical theatre, contemporary and integrated dance to create awareness on accessibility, integration and inclusion of people with disability within the main stream of society. The company came into existence in 2013 after a performance entitled Unmute. Within the past 9 years, Unmute Unmute has developed various inclusive projects that have created access and integrated people with and without disability in one environment.
Title: Isikhalo Sendoda (The Cry of a Man)
Choreographer and Dancer: Andile Vellem
Short Description of dance work: As an African man, culturally, he is not permitted to show emotion or to cry. This dance piece, inspired by his late son, is the beginning of Vellem’s healing.
Short Description of dance work: For most young queer individuals club life is an important element of self-image. The club is a place of refuge, a protected space where they are able, and allowed, to enjoy a little freedom. The nightlife means an opportunity to become self or at least who and how they wish to be seen. While at the same time this is not always a true reflection of their day to day lives. The work explores themes relating to queer bodies escaping into the night.
Ga-Rankuwa Requesters.
The Ga-Rankuwa Requesters began in 1984 under the leadership of music composer Lucas Kopaopa. The group initially had 9 male members in total, 8 were visually impaired and 1 was partially sighted. The group worked together at Are Itereleng Centre for the Blind, in Zone 2 in Ga-Rankuwa. After the formation of the group, now known as the Ga-Rankuwa Happy Boys, they released 3 acapella albums. As the group’s journey continued and new members joined and old members left, they formed the Ga-Rankuwa Requesters in 2005. They have entered music competitions convened by the South Africa Disabled Musicians Association and have won a recording deal. Over the past year they have been performing Lifted – Let the Blind Sing at the State Theatre under the musical direction of Zakehele Mabena.
FLANDERS
Title: TWOTFAM The Works Of The Flesh Are Manifest
Choreographer: Fanny Vandesande
Dancer: Anna Dujardin
Music Composition & Performance:Kobe Boom
Short Description of dance work: The works of the flesh are manifest and focuses on the creation of intimacy on stage and the power relations that it carries forward. The performance departs from Anna D’s diary entries, illustrations and poetry, which is presented through movement.
FANNY VANDESANDE is currently conducting research in intimacy, sexual agency, autonomy, and social perception with people living with disability.
MADAGASCAR
Nacelle Somoh (also seen on poster) from Madagascar
Company: Lovatiana
Created in 2002 in Antananarivo by the choreographer Lovatiana Erica Rakotobe. In 2009, people with disabilities were integrated into the company and the company currently has 8 members who work in the artistic, social and educational sectors in Madagascar. The company organises different events, including a multidisciplinary in inclusive festival Miaraka, which takes place every two years.
Title: Chosen
Choreographer: Lovatiana Erica Rakotoba
Dancer: Nacelle Somoh
Short Description of dance work: Dance piece inspired by the story of young children chosen to save the people of the village often threatened by floods.
Short Description of dance work: Re-imagining a Kenyan myth that has previously promoted patriarchal behavior. Nyanam challenges the traditional power play by demystifying myths and suggesting new narratives where women are seen to be empowered and play a stronger role in the hierarchy.
WORKSHOPS (2 to 2 and a half hour in length)
Ondiege Matthew: A mixed abled dance workshop discovering how the body with disability in contrast to the body without a disability explores space, direction, levels and approaches choreography through improvisation.
Lovantiana Erica Rakotoba: The workshop will be based on inclusive dance working through body weight and fluidity and exploring different bodies in space; sharing the choreographic repertoire of the piece running at the Festival.
Andile Vellem: Presenting a sign dance technique workshop established by UNMUTE, using the basics of sign language and finding ways to translate it into creative movement.
Fanny Vandesande: This workshop delves into the difficult challenges people living with disabilities confronts regularly, which includes, intimacy and sexual agency.
Cindy Cummings: This workshop, titled ‘Serious Play’, will focus on the ever-changing dialogue between people. Pairs and small groups will use improvisational structures to experiment with specific tools for this kinesthetic dialogue to reveal how everyday actions can be crafted into a unique and original dance through the lens (and practice) of Noticing.
IRELAND
CINDY CUMMINGS is a freelance dance artist who creates original collaborative works with dance, theatre, visual, sound, literary and media artists around the world for live performance, installation and film. Cindy is based in Kilkenny, Ireland where she has choreographed productions at the National Theatre of Ireland and most recently, with the award-winning Asylum Productions. Currently she is movement director with Equinox Theatre Company at KCAT Arts Centre and is a facilitator on the Inclusive Dance Cork course at Dance Cork Firkin Crane. Since 2007 Cindy has been a member of Aosdána, the affiliation of creative artists in Ireland.
DISCUSSION
To be hosted at Sibikwa, in partnership with ADDN, and live-streamed to Facebook, it promises engaging conversations inspired by the impactful 5-minute videos from Introdans and Unmute.
The AFRICAN DANCE DISABILITY NETWORK (ADDN) is part of a UKRI – AHRC funded research project entitled ‘Encountering disability through contemporary dance in Africa’. It aims to gather academics, artists and educators in a free and open space of community, sharing and support. Their approach is intersectional, considering how disability as an experience sits alongside our ethnic, gendered, racial, class and national identities.
Most of us have dreams that we hope will become reality one day, but sometimes life happens and we don’t get round to it. Willemien du Preez and her husband, whom she refers to as Liefie, decided on what many might suggest was the spur of a moment, to buy what they believed would be their dream farm. DIANE DE BEER speaks to the author about her book Plaas se Prys (Price of a Farm) (Protea Boekhuis):
He left a perfectly good job with all the richly earned rewards still waiting in the future and she waved goodbye to city life and everything familiar to her.
The Du Preez couple had been to visit the area far fom their current home in Gauteng, much closer to Cape Town, had lost their hearts almost at first sight and here they were, taking the first steps into what they hoped would be their dream life.
Willemien’s book is about this period in her life (if you don’t read Afrikaans, hold thumbs for a translation) in which she captures the adventures of two city slickers hoping to transform overnight into their version of Karen Blixen’s “I had a farm in Africa…”.
It all began when Willemien was battling the loss of an almost three-year-long project that had demanded blood, sweat and tears, but just didn’t work out. She longed for something peaceful, something beautiful and a respite – and to add to her dilemma, her husband was also battle-weary and simply dead tired.
With hindsight, this self-made adventure felt fantastical from the start. She describes it as two desperate individuals fleeing from their reality. “The mountains and a different lifestyle were appealing.”
A the time they didn’t regard this madcap move as such. Their children were adults, they had some money in the bank and Gauteng’s crime statistics were unnerving. “My husband always wanted to farm like his grandfather before him, and I wanted to live like my grandfather and grandmother, off the land.”
“We were still young enough to start over,” she explains, “probably a misguided romance with nature.”
The day they bought the farm was perfect. As Willemien describes it, they were overwhelmed by the spectacle of what they hoped to purchase – and then inhabit. “The fields, the mountains, the sky, the light, everything seemed to conspire.”
For the Du Preez’s, it felt like a gift. A rose-tinted picture emerged, the income it seemed would be more than they hoped for and it felt as though the farm had been made specifically to fulfil their dreams
When your eyes rest on the cobbling stream, it fails to see the damage the flood waters could do during a terrifying rain storm. What they saw was a farming project for her husband and a restoration project for her. “I would restore the 100-year old farmhouse with two attics into a holiday home for our children and the grand-children still to come. We were thinking of the future – yet not so much!”
Again, looking back, she knows that even when packing their belongings for the grand move, there was trepidation. “The alarm bells came from inside me after that first visit to the farm. It didn’t feel so right anymore.”
On their way back following their first visit, they argued, but not about their momentous purchase. “That was too late. We had already signed the papers,” she says. But reality set in almost immediately after their arrival on the farm. “I realised it wasn’t mist blowing over the farm, it was dust,” only now realising that it dominated her huge struggle to cling to the dream.
No wisdom was passed on when they bought the farm and probably they would not have listened. Once they had decided to throw in the towel, a neighbour described as a wise boervrou (farmer’s wife), said that if she were buying a farm, she would have visited often, even if the seller grew tired of the intrusion. She would have considered every vantage point before she made an offer. “Now I would tell my younger self, you have to talk to all the farmers in the region. You have to ask about the pitfalls, know the weather patterns and discover everything there is to know which will not be included in the sales pitch,”says Willemien.
She has gained insight, of course, and now she knows that you cannot lightly tackle something this extraordinary. “You can’t just decide one day to go farming. You must know the lay of the land and preferably come from there.”
Fortunately the Du Preezs are not people who simply take life lying down. After quitting the farm, they spent a few years rebuilding their life in Cape Town and environment. André returned to law and Willemien taught Afrikaans to English speakers, picked up her acting career and earned enough money in international ads to take them on an overseas trip.
Following a decade in the Cape, they returned to Gauteng to be closer to their children and grandchildren and she started writing this book after encouragement from another author, Johann Symmington.
There were dark times as the pandemic was both a threat yet provided the time to write. For Willemien, writing about something that still has an impact on their lives was therapeutic. I suspect the rewards from grateful readers will also help to heal some wounds. It’s a story told with searing honesty and a humanity that’s heart-warming.
It’s the kind of thing that many will identify with, told in a manner that is as frank as anyone can be when focussing on their biggest folly. But don’t we all mistakes and tumble down that slippery slope and if you can rise from that heroically, take a bow.
When I met her following a talk at the Vrye Weekblad Book Festival in Cullinan, I knew that this was a book I wanted to read. When a dream shatters, not everyone manages to put the pieces together again.
But Willemien and André have done exactly that. “I know that we have accepted the past and each other.”
And most precious of all, that’s what they have left: each other.
When I think of Afroboer, I think about the people and the place first.
Simply the best.
It is the way owner Michelle Cronjé-Cibulka(above) has embraced her food empire or, as she names it, a baker’s café (including the deli and coffeeBAR), and grown it from its early beginnings.
It’s not a pop-around-the-corner kind of place for most people, you have to get into your car and drive there.
And it’s always busy and buzzing, but fortunately with many nooks and crannies and a spot for everyone. You can sit surrounded by people all doing their own thing or you can slip away somewhere quiet if that’s what you prefer.
We have to start with the people. From the start Michelle had a specific ethos. It’s wasn’t the easy route, but she knew it was the only way for her. She handpicked her staff and trained them to present the personalities they are today.
They know what they’re doing, they do it well and this keeps the place humming. But that starts from the top with a heartbeat that has all the right rhythms.
Everyone will have their favourite spots and I will always think with fondness of a time during covid when they could start serving take-away coffees. I found a special corner in the garden where I could catch my breath and drink my coffee. It kept me sane.
My feathered friends.
Outside always steals my heart and I suspect it has much to do with the chickens who come out to gaze. They have such mesmerising impact.
The surroundings are exquisite and the atmosphere calming even though there’s a constant stream of people coming and going.
But none of this would matter if the food wasn’t their strongest feature. Everything else is a huge bonus but the menu is what truly makes a place sing.
Breakfast is king.
The name is a big clue. For breakfast I yet have to move past their Eggs Benedict, but my heart also misses a beat just from the descriptions: creamy Plain Baked Whiskey Oats or Plaasbrood French Toast, for example.
Michelle has learnt to bake bread from the best (in Knysna!) and her imagination keeps you intrigued as she is always thinking ahead with plans that reach for the stars – as they did right from the start.
Croissants freshly baked.
In the winter chill, Ertappel Sop or Lamb-shank and Tomato are equally enticing, but when I glance at the salads, Oh my Goodness Grain and the Rainbow Plant also grab my attention.
You have to be extra hungry for a hearty Pulled Pork Panini or Shredded Lamb on Whole-wheat.
And if you haven’t yet landed in trouble with their sweet delights, you’re stronger than most. Stay away from the baker’s café if you don’t want to indulge but make the time to discover your own favourites. It’s also ideal for gifts, beautifully presented, there’s much in the deli which can be collected for friends and family who need a special something.
Afroboer is where I come when I want good food, comfort, and the best place to have a conversation with a friend. Your time can be as long as you want it to last. In today’s fast world, it’s lovely to find that sweet spot where people welcome you to stay as long as you wish and to linger to your heart’s desire.
Do I know and adore Afroboer and Michelle. Of course I do. She easily won me over these past 10 years. She and her place stole my heart because of what she does and how she does it – all of it. And I’m constantly surprised at how she has expanded and grown her vision.
I also know, for her this is but the beginning. There are many plans on the cusp of being implemented and there are ideas still swirling around as they’re being fine tuned for the eventual reveal.
In the meantime, if this is what the first decade has delivered, I can’t wait for the next one!
Art exhibitions come and go, with some pieces remembered, some purchased and others touching your heart. When the event features the work of someone who has turned himself into your personal artist yet has decided to show his work for the first time, the feelings all round are overwhelming. For me, it was the gift of sharing the art of Dries de Beer and the emotional impact it has had on our lives. DIANE DE BEER gives her biased opinion of an artistic celebration:
Invite designed by Ursa Engelbrecht Curator Carla Spies
When architect/gallerist/curator Carla Spies suggested that her gallery, The Guildy, curate an exhibition for my husband, the reluctant artist (as I have dubbed him), I knew this was the perfect space and opportunity.
No pressure, no sales and for one day only with people we invite who we think will enjoy the work. And that is exactly what Carla and her gallery represent. As an architect, her work is not on the creative side and through the years she knew she had to find a way of scratching that itch.
Even the guests looked like artworks
The gallery was her solution and, having just gone through the whole process of an exhibition, I understand how this works as I do a similar thing by writing about the arts. There’s no direct renumeration, we’re not driven by money but rather by a passion for the arts and how it affects, touches and changes people. It’s the creativity – the process and the outcome and, finally, the joy.
But I knew my artist would feel differently. NO! was the immediate response, but I worked my cause and finally he conceded.
The fabulous thing about this exhibition, which Carla named The Imaginarium of Dries de Beer, was that all the art was there. That is what interested Carla in the first place. She had seen especially his series of faces and was intrigued. It’s her gallery and like me, who only writes about the art that inspires me personally, she only shows work that moves her.
And I was quite clear that the thing I really wanted Dries to showcase was the diversity of his art. Because he has always been compulsive in a constructive way about his art, moving from one thing to the next, exhibiting a theme, yet in very different ways. He has played around in ceramics, cartoons (which he still does daily), scrapyard found objects, which would result in anything from a small human figure to huge installations, and glass tiles in which he made pictures with objects of lesser desire found on his daily walks and changed it into something exquisite.
On the ceramic side, it all began with handmade ceramic zebras painted and then fired for the final result. Thery were unique and each one individual but labour intensive. To really make money – if that were one’s goal – it would have to be mass-produced and then lose that artistic quality that each one displays.
This led to masks and hanging faces which started out as a mass of small and larger cement and ceramic balls which all found a place in our garden. Today those hanging installations, sculpted into different faces and fishes of different kinds are on window sills, against outside and inside walls, hanging outside from poles and trees and even in the shape of gargoyles, each at the end of a pergola pole as decoration. It’s the way he changes and enhances what would just have been another ordinary garden structure. Instead a secret world of chattering ceramic faces and masks emerged
I have written about the work of many artists in an introductory rather than critical fashion. Fine art is something I had to give exposure to because as times grew tough, newspapers and magazines featured less and less specialist writers. Mine was the performing rather than the fine arts, but I knew we had to embrace as wide a range of the arts as was possible – and that’s what I still try to do.
Ceramic gargoyels.
But with this artist’s work, because he and his work are mine, working at a formal institution I couldn’t focus on any of his work. That’s why this exhibition was so important to me and gave me such pleasure. To do it with Carla and her crew, was a dream come true.
Dries, who slowly warmed to the idea of showing his work, and I made the initial selection of what we wanted to show and then Carla and her musician/entrepreneur husband Werner arrived a week before the showing to look at the final selection and help us move the work from home to gallery.
Then the fun really began, as we started hanging the work. This is where Carla and Werner took over while we helped on the side. It’s no easy thing to physically do the hanging and even more specialised is to decide how and where to display each single piece. This is where, I suspect, Carla’s creativity kicks in – and she knows what she wants. We could just stand smiling at the results.
I suspect for Dries it was a new way of experiencing his work. In our house the effect is diminished by it being all over the place. Here it was Dries de Beer in full force – and whether you like it or not, which is a personal choice and what art is all about, this was a special display and one of which even the reluctant artist approved.
I appreciated once again what inspires me most about his art. It comes from within, it’s who he is and how he has conversations with himself and the world – and me.
Also on board were a group of special friends who gathered around me and took over when I really needed help. Writing about the creatives in the food world as well, I have my own favourites and Alicea Malan of Lucky Bread Company https://www.luckybread.co.za/ and Elze Roome of Tashas, Menlyn Main feature on that short list.
I simply asked Alicea about some produce and she said “Leave it to me.” She pulled together a spread with the amazing breads from Lucky Bread https://www.luckybread.co.za/ and then, as importantly, showcased it at the gallery in a way that just adds that edge to any event. Elze Roome https://www.tashascafe.com/locations/pretoria/menlyn-maine/ jumped in with the sweet stuff which was melt-in-the-mouth.
To add yet even more sparkle to the event, Werner on bass and Rynier Prins made exquisite background music, often I think one of the more thankless jobs and yet it fills a room full of people with a sound that’s embracing.
Also part of the picture was one of Carla’s most recent employees, Ursa Engelbrecht. She’s a young woman with artistic flair, was immediately excited, designed the invite and helped out everywhere and anywhere she could. She and Estevan Kuhn also provided music when the first duo needed a break.
So when people ask me about the worth of a single day showing which is what The Guildy specialises in, I can only underline how it brings a group of creatives in different fields together to create a little bit of magic in the world of those who share this kind of passion.
Ursa and Estavan (left) andRynier and Werner (right) making wonderful music.
I know my artist looks at Carla and Werner with eyes that appreciate how they approach life and the world they hope to create. I know he saw how people like Alicea, Elze and Ursa all stepped in to add their special icing to this magnificent cake.
And more than anything, it gave my reluctant artist the chance to see how others viewed his work, to inspire fresh and novel ideas, and to view the future in a way where he shares his work with more people than just me. This was his chance to shine brightly.
De Beer Necessities 