My future journey to Joburg

Looking up at my pinboard of memories I’ve collected over the last three and a half years, I spot a birthday card from my mum with three elephants on the front. According to her, I am the bouncing baby elephant leading the way in front of two grown elephants, but only because of its energy, “running towards everything,” not its very large ears, and “definitely NOT the nose.” While I have no idea where this picture was taken, I like to imagine it was in South Africa.

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Way, way back in a different lifetime over Christmas 2019, my family and I made plans to visit South Africa the following winter. It would be the perfect time for a once-in-a-lifetime trip. My last break as a college student, time off from work for my siblings, ideal weather, and just a few months before my dad’s 60th birthday. 

While South Africa is a popular spot because of its big five safaris, beaches on the Western cape and a number of impeccable vineyards, it is particularly special for my family because my dad is from Johannesburg – or Joburg, as he would say. He has always wanted to take us to the place where he grew up. But then the pandemic hit. 

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I’ve spent the months since then researching, and I’ve transported myself there through other people’s words and stories. In October, I read the South African novelist Ivan Vladislavić’s “Portrait With Keys: The City of Johannesburg Unlocked.” Through his ramblings and wanderings, I learnt about art and architecture and explored the city. 

Then I read an “alternative city guide” in The Guardian which gave me a glimpse into the food, music, fashion and culture of the city in a more modern way than I’d know about before. I learnt that Joburg in particular is a city that is constantly moving and evolving. 

When I finally get to South Africa, I will do all the things I never would’ve known about if our visit hadn’t been delayed. Leading the way, I will guide us through the many new places I’ve learnt about – from restaurants and bars to museums and hidden gems. 

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I will meander as Vladislavić did. I will go to downtown Joburg and “feed my creativity, my soul, and my heart” as fashion designer Maria McCloy does. I will go to multi-discipline art space King Kong and see “movies, poetry readings, fashion, food, book launches and bad-ass parties” as the poet and actress Lebogang Mashile recommends.

And I will also see the places that mean so much to my dad. I will see Table Mountain, penguins on the beaches in False Bay and the botany and birds in Cape Point. I will visit a National Park and see lions and giraffes and leopards. And, most importantly, I will definitely see elephants.