Joburg Photo of the Week: Portrait of Ayanda

The G20 summit is happening in Joburg this weekend. To be honest, I still don’t fully understand what the G20 is or why it matters. But at the very least, it’s a big deal that important leaders from around the world are converging on this African city to…discuss stuff.

In the lead-up to the G20 there has been some cynical, poorly reported “news” (I’m looking at you, Wall Street Journal) about Joburg being a failed city that has “given up”. I don’t want to give that “news” any more oxygen than I (and every other Joburg-lover with an Instagram account) have already given it — that story has been beaten like a dead horse already anyway.

But in solidarity with the people of Joburg, I’ve decided to initiate a “Joburg Photo of the Week” series, featuring inspiring people, places, and things in the City of Gold. My first Joburg Photo of the Week is a portrait of Ayanda Dludla.

Ayanda Dludla in a Nigerian food market near the Drill Hall in downtown Joburg.

I first met Ayanda when I went to the Drill Hall and met the members of Exotically Divine. It’s hard to explain the magic of what Exotically Divine does (I did devote an entire blog post to trying), but the short answer is they create art, freshly grown food, and community in one of the most inaccessible and under-served neighborhoods in the Joburg CBD. And they do it with smiles on their faces.

I’m including a second frame because I couldn’t decide which one I like best.

Ayanda makes me feel happy every time I meet her. She also addresses me regularly as “My Queen”, which is a guaranteed way to make a woman feel good. Ayanda is the real Queen though. I don’t know her well, but I can see she does her work not out of obligation or ego, but out of pure joy and love for her fellow humans.

Thank you, My Queen. You make Joburg great.

To learn more about the work that Ayanda and Exotically Divine are doing, please follow them on Instagram. I’ll publish another Joburg Photo of the Week next Monday.