Traditional African Culture in a Modern African City

by | Feb 20, 2012 | Arts and Culture, Johannesburg, Johannesburg City Centre, Markets/Shopping, Tours | 71 comments

Johannesburg is filled with contrasts, contradictions, and colliding worlds. East and west. Rags and riches. Black and white. Life and death.

The area around Diagonal Street, a busy commercial district in the Joburg city centre, is a good illustration of worlds colliding. Stand in the middle of Diagonal Street and look up, and you’ll see this:

The famous “diamond building” at 11 Diagonal Street.

Look down, or rather straight ahead, and you’ll see this:

In fancy Joburg neighborhoods, you often see signs that say “No Hawkers”. On Diagonal Street, hawkers get a discount.

This weekend I participated in a “Traditional African Culture Walk”, led by Ishvara Dhyan. Ishvara does cultural tours all over town; I went on his tour of Joburg’s Ethiopian community last year. I really enjoy Ishvara’s tours. They’re crowded, but Ishvara is exceptionally knowledgeable about Joburg’s history and culture and his quirky wit is worth fighting the crowds for. Tours are only R50 (about $7.50).

Tour guide Ishvara, reflected between creepy child mannequins modelling school uniforms.

Ishavara’s tour group crams into the back of a South African clothing shop.

The area we visited has been a major shopping mecca since Joburg’s earliest days. Some of the area’s first residents were Gujarati traders who emigrated to South Africa in the late 1800s. Descendants of those Gujarati traders are still living and doing business around Diagonal Street today.

Like most traditional shopping districts in African cities, you can buy pretty much anything on Diagonal Street. But the area is best known for its muti and African textile shops. If you don’t know what “muti” means, check out this 2Summers post about the Farraday Muti Market — it prompted a lively debate when it was first published.

One of countless muti shops in and around Diagonal Street. Like many (or perhaps most) of the shops around here, this shop is owned by a South African of Indian descent. Unfortunately the proprietor didn’t want to be photographed so I only got his empty chair.

Colorful muti powders for sale. The significance lies not in what they’re made of, but in what color they are. Different colors are used for different ceremonies or spells. 

The shops in this area are frequented by sangomas — or traditional healers — who go there to buy herbs, beads, clothing, and other materials necessary for their profession.

The most famous muti shop on Diagonal Street is called “The Museum of Man and Science”. I have no idea why it’s called that because it’s not a museum at all. The place obviously does very good business, and it seems to have a regular clientele that is not made up of tourists. Nonetheless, this shop is fascinating enough to be a museum. Everywhere you look are bones, skins, horns, dried plants, and mysterious potions and powders.

In the back of the shop, I saw a man slicing apart a dead snake. He didn’t take kindly to being photographed so I backed away and focused my camera on the front of the store.

Doing business at the counter of the Museum of Man and Science.

 We visited a huge fabric shop, selling brightly colored cloth worn by various Southern African tribes. I bought an awesome piece of neon yellow and pink cloth, which Ishvara says is traditionally worn by the Shangaan people. The cloth, which is large enough to make a long shirt or a short dress, cost R20 (about $2.50). I have a bad habit of buying ethnic cloth and then never doing anything with it. Maybe this time will be different.

None of this African cloth is made in Africa, but the way; it’s manufactured in India.

Sales ladies at the fabric shop.

Above this fabric shop, atop a winding rickety staircase, is a massive bead shop.

Beads.

The history of beads in Africa began with the arrival of Europeans hundreds of years ago. Europeans traded glass beads with African tribes in exchange for food and supplies and all kinds of other things, including (gulp) slaves. Glass beads maintain their spiritual significance in Africa today, and many of the beads are still made in Europe. Apparently the best glass beads are Czech.

The shops were cool, but as usual, the best parts of this tour were the sights and sounds on the street.

Interesting building.

A reminder of South Africa’s bad old days.

There were tons of hawkers like this guy, sitting on stools outside shops and marketing their wares in Zulu. This box contains ant-killer, roach-killer, air freshener (a necessity after using the roach-killer), tooth-whitening powder, corn-remover, and several more items that I’ve now forgotten. I wish I’d shot a close-up of the box. The blue package in the top-right corner was something like, “Dr. Sanjay’s All-Purpose Muti Treatment Cure”.

A nice man who wanted me to photograph him in his Zionist Christian Church cap. I love the “No Trading” sign behind him. Yeah, right.

I’ve said this before but I highly recommend tours like this, which allow you to visit places in Joburg where most (white) people are hesitant to visit alone. You can receive notifications on Ishvara’s tours by becoming a member of his Facebook group.

71 Comments

  1. Mr Bunny Chow

    fascinating as always 2Summers, I grew up as a White in Africa and wish I’d taken more time to visit the areas everyday people conducted their lives.

    Reply
    • 2summers

      Thanks Mr. Bunny Chow. It will all still be here the next time you come back for a visit 🙂

      Reply
  2. Gary De Beer

    Great post. (always)
    Pity about the ‘snake’ guy. Would’ve loved to see that.

    Reply
    • 2summers

      Yes, it was quite a sight.

      Reply
  3. Gail

    As always a great post, but best of all was meeting you. (The lady with the pink hair)

    Reply
    • 2summers

      Thanks Gail! I will never forget you now, thanks to your hair 🙂

      Reply
  4. Gail

    As always a great post, but best of all was meeting you. (The lady with the pink hair)

    Reply
    • 2summers

      Thanks Gail! I will never forget you now, thanks to your hair 🙂

      Reply
  5. Lu

    What a cool tour – I reckon I would run amok through that fabric store 🙂

    Reply
    • 2summers

      Yes, it’s a fabric-lover’s heaven. They have nice blankets too.

      Reply
  6. Lu

    What a cool tour – I reckon I would run amok through that fabric store 🙂

    Reply
    • 2summers

      Yes, it’s a fabric-lover’s heaven. They have nice blankets too.

      Reply
  7. Howlin' Mad Heather

    This is awesome, and like I’ve said, the next–best thing to visiting Johannesburg in person. (I think I saw some of these peeps in the background in “District 9!”)

    Reply
    • 2summers

      That’s entirely possible.

      Reply
  8. Howlin' Mad Heather

    This is awesome, and like I’ve said, the next–best thing to visiting Johannesburg in person. (I think I saw some of these peeps in the background in “District 9!”)

    Reply
    • 2summers

      That’s entirely possible.

      Reply
  9. katarzynapawelczyk

    I have a whole cupboard full of various cloths i have bought in SA, Zambia and Kenya and the most I have done is to get cushion covers made out of them…

    Reply
    • 2summers

      Well, at least a cushion cover is something. Did you actually put it on a cushion?

      Reply
  10. katarzynapawelczyk

    I have a whole cupboard full of various cloths i have bought in SA, Zambia and Kenya and the most I have done is to get cushion covers made out of them…

    Reply
    • 2summers

      Well, at least a cushion cover is something. Did you actually put it on a cushion?

      Reply
  11. Sine

    There is a Diagonal Street right here in Joburg? I had no idea. And it seems it has more parallels to Diagon Alley than just the name… Please put me on your mailing list for all the other cool tours you’re planning next!

    Reply
    • 2summers

      Ha! I never thought of that parallel before and I’m a huge Harry Potter fan. Cool.

      Reply
  12. Sine

    There is a Diagonal Street right here in Joburg? I had no idea. And it seems it has more parallels to Diagon Alley than just the name… Please put me on your mailing list for all the other cool tours you’re planning next!

    Reply
    • 2summers

      Ha! I never thought of that parallel before and I’m a huge Harry Potter fan. Cool.

      Reply
  13. Lisa

    As always this was a great read, i’ve just sent a request to join Ishvara’s facebook group so i can hopefully join you all on some of these tours. By hook or by crook i’m determined to start exploring this city even without a car!!
    Thanks Heather,
    Lisa

    Reply
    • 2summers

      Thanks Lisa. I haven’t forgotten about you, by the way! Just having a hectic week 🙂

      Reply
  14. Lisa

    As always this was a great read, i’ve just sent a request to join Ishvara’s facebook group so i can hopefully join you all on some of these tours. By hook or by crook i’m determined to start exploring this city even without a car!!
    Thanks Heather,
    Lisa

    Reply
    • 2summers

      Thanks Lisa. I haven’t forgotten about you, by the way! Just having a hectic week 🙂

      Reply
  15. Kathryn McCullough

    Sounds like my kind of shopping experience. I would love to get my hands of some of those beads!
    Hugs,
    Kathy

    Reply
    • 2summers

      I’ll bet you would! Lots of potential artist material around Diagonal Street. And the beads are cheap, too 🙂

      Reply
  16. Kathryn McCullough

    Sounds like my kind of shopping experience. I would love to get my hands of some of those beads!
    Hugs,
    Kathy

    Reply
    • 2summers

      I’ll bet you would! Lots of potential artist material around Diagonal Street. And the beads are cheap, too 🙂

      Reply
    • 2summers

      Thanks Francis! Hope you’re well.

      Reply
    • 2summers

      Thanks Francis! Hope you’re well.

      Reply
  17. 1cruzdelsur

    Fastanticas photographs and beautiful, thanks for sharing some of your world

    Reply
    • 2summers

      Thank you Cruz, much appreciated.

      Reply
  18. 1cruzdelsur

    Fastanticas photographs and beautiful, thanks for sharing some of your world

    Reply
    • 2summers

      Thank you Cruz, much appreciated.

      Reply
    • 2summers

      Thanks, glad you liked it! If you’d like to live vicariously through another blog, Story of Bing did a post about it too.

      Reply
    • 2summers

      Thanks, glad you liked it! If you’d like to live vicariously through another blog, Story of Bing did a post about it too.

      Reply
  19. @injoburg

    That ‘diamond building’ was designed in 1983 by German-American Helmut Jahn, who also did Berlin’s Potsdamer Platz and lots of big buildings in the US. I’ve always wondered how he got to do that despite the general embargo on business with South Africa in the 1980s.

    Reply
    • 2summers

      Very interesting. Thanks for those tidbits of architectural info. Hope you’re doing well.

      Reply
  20. @injoburg

    That ‘diamond building’ was designed in 1983 by German-American Helmut Jahn, who also did Berlin’s Potsdamer Platz and lots of big buildings in the US. I’ve always wondered how he got to do that despite the general embargo on business with South Africa in the 1980s.

    Reply
    • 2summers

      Very interesting. Thanks for those tidbits of architectural info. Hope you’re doing well.

      Reply
  21. jennavs

    great post, love this kind of insight into a city.

    the muti trade is also fascinating!

    Reply
    • 2summers

      Thank you! I’m also fascinated by muuti.

      Reply
  22. jennavs

    great post, love this kind of insight into a city.

    the muti trade is also fascinating!

    Reply
    • 2summers

      Thank you! I’m also fascinated by muuti.

      Reply
  23. catherine

    Heather, thanks for the last 3 posts, I was away and so just got to read them yesterday.Thanks to your very informative reports, my little address book of “places to go to on our next trip” is getting fuller and fuller.Do you happen to remember the name of the fabric shop, or are there so many on Diagonal street?
    As always, looking forward to your next trip…warm regards, Catherine

    Reply
    • 2summers

      Thanks Catherine. I didn’t get the name of the shop but let me see if I can find out.

      Reply
    • 2summers

      Hi Catherine, the fabric shop is Gokal and Sons, 43 Market St. Johannesburg.

      Reply
      • catherine

        thank you so much! Heather, if and when you are planning a trip to Venda country, I’ll be pleased to share my address book with you…Keep well, Catherine

        Reply
  24. catherine

    Heather, thanks for the last 3 posts, I was away and so just got to read them yesterday.Thanks to your very informative reports, my little address book of “places to go to on our next trip” is getting fuller and fuller.Do you happen to remember the name of the fabric shop, or are there so many on Diagonal street?
    As always, looking forward to your next trip…warm regards, Catherine

    Reply
    • 2summers

      Thanks Catherine. I didn’t get the name of the shop but let me see if I can find out.

      Reply
    • 2summers

      Hi Catherine, the fabric shop is Gokal and Sons, 43 Market St. Johannesburg.

      Reply
      • catherine

        thank you so much! Heather, if and when you are planning a trip to Venda country, I’ll be pleased to share my address book with you…Keep well, Catherine

        Reply
  25. nicoleelizabethwordsandworld

    Beautiful pictures, I grew up in Jo’burg but moved to the UK when I was 8. It’s always been a dream for me to go back and these pictures just make me so nostalgic and want to head home!

    Reply
    • 2summers

      Thanks! Glad you enjoyed. I hope you get to come back soon.

      Reply
  26. nicoleelizabethwordsandworld

    Beautiful pictures, I grew up in Jo’burg but moved to the UK when I was 8. It’s always been a dream for me to go back and these pictures just make me so nostalgic and want to head home!

    Reply
    • 2summers

      Thanks! Glad you enjoyed. I hope you get to come back soon.

      Reply
  27. ashok

    A FRIEND , WHO WORKS WITH ME WOULD LIKE TO PURCHASE A TRADITIONAL DRESS FOR A SANGOMA . WHERE WOULD HE BE ABLE TO FIND ONE IN DURBAN – KZN

    Reply
    • 2summers

      Sorry, I have no idea. I don’t live in Durban, I live in Jozi 🙂

      Reply
  28. ashok

    A FRIEND , WHO WORKS WITH ME WOULD LIKE TO PURCHASE A TRADITIONAL DRESS FOR A SANGOMA . WHERE WOULD HE BE ABLE TO FIND ONE IN DURBAN – KZN

    Reply
    • 2summers

      Sorry, I have no idea. I don’t live in Durban, I live in Jozi 🙂

      Reply

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