Hidden Joburg: The Lions Shul
Yesterday I visited the Doornfontein Shul — commonly known as the Lions Shul — in downtown Joburg. The shul, built in 1905, is featured in Hidden Johannesburg, which I blogged about recently in my post about the Lemon Squeezer Church. I’m pleased to...
St. Nicholas of Japan in Brixton: A Balm for My Messy Brain
I’ve been doom-scrolling too much and sleeping too little lately. The U.S. government has been hijacked by right-wing zealots. Women’s rights have been rolled back by 50 years. The South African government can’t provide basic services to its people...
Hidden Joburg: The Lemon Squeezer Church
I recently bought a copy of Hidden Johannesburg, a hardback coffee table book featuring 28 of Joburg’s most interesting (and difficult to access, in some cases) buildings and interiors. Hidden Johannesburg, written by Paul Duncan and photographed by Alain...
The Awe-Inspiring Shiva Temple of Actonville, Benoni
Several months ago I spotted a post in the @WhatsOnInJoburg Instagram feed. “Africa’s tallest Shiva Shakti Statue is in Benoni”, the post read, with a photo of the biggest, boldest, most colorful Hindu deity I’ve ever seen. I made a mental note...
St. James Presbyterian Church: A Tribute to South Africa’s Covid-19 Dead
In the middle of 2020, I started seeing social media posts about the fence outside St. James Presbyterian Church in Bedford Gardens. Since the beginning of the pandemic, the staff at St. James were tying one white ribbon to the church’s palisade fence for every...
Heather Mason
I’m an American writer/blogger/photographer living a quirky life in Johannesburg. Follow along as I explore Johannesburg, South Africa, and the rest of the world.