here we were, feeding her a calming cheeseburger, car
parked right there on the street, pointing out the various
delights of the Maboneng precinct.
She was astonished that this could be possible and perhaps
even fun. I was astonished to realise that a whole generation
had grown up in a world where the centre of the our principle
cities are verboten, no go, Modor; but without the cool
disembodied eye and the volcano view. (Ed. And they've
even taken our mine dumps away, damn their eyes!)
But let's be honest, most major urban metropolis the
world over are in a state of constant evolution – and
urban blight and decay are always part of that
continuum. Some cities ebb and ?ow with the years, some
just spiral slowly down the drain. And for at least the last ten
years, maybe more, that was the fate that most people
assumed for Jo'burg.
But then odd things started to happen.
The stock exchange ?ed to the North, pulling with it a vapour
trail of corporate businesses. But three of the major banks
doubled down, swallowing up and redeveloping increasingly
large blocks of the city for their almost exclusive use.
And, while some of the older buildings seemed to slowly
crumble and decay, others found a new lease on life; grand
dames repurposed as exclusive downtown living, old of?ces
(one of them an of?ce I worked quite happily in for over a
year, way back when) became new housing as the magnet
of the city sucked in more and more iron ?lling lives from our
quickly emptying out rural areas. (Ed. More on that another
time I hope.)
Wounded and battle scarred, Jo'burg did not yet seem
willing or ready to throw in the towel and die.
And then, a year or so ago, I was invited to see a play in
Maboneng, a one man show in a black box theatre right
there 'in the heart of the city' – an area that had felt relatively
insalubrious even in those heady days of daytrips to buy
Toyah albums and search the bargain bins for more
Whitesnake.
I'd heard about Arts on Main – home to William Kentridge,
one of South Africa's premier artists and a global superstar
artist. I'd also heard that there was something going on
downtown, some gathering place and creative hub. But I
really had no idea what. And I myself I had long ago written off
the centre of the city as a place to live and love and ?nd joy.
The ?rst hint that this was something unexpected was
when I was told that the parking for the venue was 'on
the street'. Really? And it's … safe?
Sure, completely. I should have known then that I was going
somewhere that would not live down to my expectations in
any way and would, in fact, become one of my favourite
places in the world.
A Curious Cave
A Curious Cave is Maboneng's ?rst dedicated community centre for
the people of the Maboneng Precinct. Equipped with a range of
learning materials, toys and computers with educational programs,
the centre aims to facilitate traditional learning as well as skills
sharing. The centre will also host skills and language share classes
for all ages. The space also doubles up as a children's gallery. To
donate your time or resources to this program, please email
[email protected]
CORPORATE SOCIAL REVIEW
101