Jenny's cousin Steve is the kind of person who gives you great hope for South Africa: dynamic, active in a dozen ways to build the country in a way that bridges the racial gap, and a hell of a lot of fun. He runs WinWin Group, a very successful business coaching and team-building in the corporate sector, with global clients ranging from Airbus to Saudi ad agencies to the branding of South Africa. I wish I had pics of their office, which exemplifies their approach: energetic, outside the box, non-hierarchical, celebrating African-ness. Mandela himself has used Steve and his partners to come up with nation-building projects.
Late last night, despite being 'buggered' from working with no sleep in Dubai, he took us downtown to see part of the 'real' Joburg (he says Soweto is another essential part, and will take us there today). I drove, which was a little hairy at night in a big African city on the wrong side of the road, but actually nonworse than Toronto.
Our destination was Melville, a bohemian area with a complete racial mixture. The little street was alive with bars and dark little discos, people hanging out on the street including the inevitable hawkers and guy who guards your car.
We went into a dim little place where a fabulous black funk-jazz band was playing, feeling like our friend Graham Barker, who manages to befriend the coolest characters in whatever strange city he's in. Most of the patrons were black, and sang along in Xhosa to some of the vocal tunes. (And incidentally the most unique version of Country Roads you'll ever hear!) Steve squeezed us in beside two black women who were the most exuberant singers, and we got to chat and sing and groove with them. A fantastic slice of the best of the new Joburg, a nice contrast to our initial impressions. I have a lot of it recorded if anyone wants to hear the music and the scene. Thanks Steve!
No comments:
Post a Comment