Delta In Flight February 2014

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biggest block party. Blacks, whites, Indiansand those of mixed race: The eclectic crowdom all across the city resembles, well . . .

a rainbow, a microcosm of contemporary South Aica.Its the most multicultural venue on this continent, noquestion, says Adam Levy, the real estate developer whospearheaded the rejuvenation of the historic Braamfonteindistrict.

On its th birthday, South Aica is coming of age,a promising young adult thats already accomplished farbeyond its years. The country was primped and polishedfor the FIFA World Cup, rebooted with shiny newstadiums, revamped airports and a stream of swanky hotelsand restaurants in anticipation of the ensuing global inva-sion. But as football fervor died down and the masses ebbedaway, a wave of street-smart entrepreneurs took over thereins, resurrecting entire districts and infusing Johannes-burg, Cape Town and Durban with new creative energy.These forward-thinking visionaries are reclaiming wideswaths of their beloved cities om urban decay, integrat-

ing them racially and replacing archaic social norms in theprocess. This has taken on the phenomenal dimension oftransforming a cultural mindset, says Levy. People sayits difficult to revitalize a neighborhood, but its a milliontimes more difficult to revitalize a culture. Were doingboth simultaneously.

JohannesburgDriving through downtown Johannesburgor Joburg, orJozi, as many are wont to call itmight confirm your worstfears about the city: Some parts are choked with dilapidatedfaades scarred by graffiti and grim streets edged in trash.But amid this decrepitude, some savvy real estate impre-sarios have seen opportunity. Today, Braamfonteins JutaStreet is a hipster haven lined with sleek wood-paneledcoffee shop Father Coffee;mens store STACHE,whichopened in November carrying streetwear labels KOMONOand Swede & Crowe; and CO-OP,featuring minimalist furni-ture by Dokter and Misses.

o see why South Aica prides itself as the Rainbow Nation,head some Saturday morning to Johannesburgs Neighbourgoods

Market. Every week, a motley confluence of ,people dristhrough a parking garage in the Braamfontein neighborhood tobrowse among stalls laden with esh oysters, homemade gingerbeer, biltong, Balkan burgers and paella at what is likely the citys


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But this isnt just another gentrification story. If you un-derstand the topography of our city, there was an inner-cityarea worth hundreds of millions of dollars that literally got

abandoned, says Levy. There was an existing inastruc-ture you could reengage, resuscitating a heart thats gonebad, but still has working parts.

The Maboneng Precinct is another organ seeminglyrevivedom decay. Maboneng means place of light inSotho, and it rises om its surroundings on the easternreaches of the city like a beacon. Lamenting that people andbusinesses alike had fled the city for the suburbs, entrepre-neur Jonathan Liebmann had a vision of a community ofartsy Joburgers interacting in an urban setting. In a way,Liebmann said let there be light, and there was Maboneng:the gallery complex Arts on Main,edgy fashion emporiumsOzloand Loin Cloth and Ashes,the indie theater Bioscopeand the funky, museum-like Decades Johannesburg ArtHotel.The main draw of the week is the Sunday Marketon Main,a festive multi-level affair with hundreds of chiclocals shopping for homegrown fashion, art, accessories andfood, with lively bands supplying an upbeat soundtrack.Though everything in this four-block span is effectively theconsequence of entrepreneurial conjuring, the end resultsomehow manages to appear uncontrived. Mabonengsmagic lies in how organic it really feels.

In October, the groundbreaking Museum of AfricanDesign,the first of its kind on the continent, opened itsdoors in the neighborhood. One goal is getting SouthAicans interested in museums, and the second goal is toengage with the rest of the continent, says Aaron Kohn, the

People say its difficult to revitalize aneighborhood, but its a million timesmore difficult to revitalize a culture.

Previous page, clockwise fromtop left:The NeighbourgoodsMarket in Johannesburg; Stirringpaella at Neighborgoods;A street in JohannesburgsBraamfontein neighborhood;A guestroom at 12 Decades ArtHotel. This page:Uncle Mervs

Original Shakes & Coff

ee inJohannesburgs Mabonengneighborhood; A street muralin Maboneng; Father Coffee inJohannesburg; NeighborgoodsMarket in Johannesburg; LoinCloth and Ashes boutique.


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This is the future of ourcountry. . . were starting toget to a point where young

20-somethings believe thatwere as good as anyone elsein the world if not better.

Dining outside atThe NeighborgoodsMarket on a sunnyday in Johannesburg.

This is th

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Delta In Flight February 2014