Photo: Raquel De Canha
So the dreaded day finally is upon us, the start of in-depth, when I first applied for honours this year I knew that it was going to be difficult but really I had no idea. This year has definitely been the most difficult year of my life, and I have a feeling the past 8 months were just the tip of the iceberg the next 4 weeks may just be the toughest yet.
The whole year in-depth has been spoken about in hushed tones and was a massive question mark for the whole class. The aim of the in-depth project is to research an area in Johannesburg where we can immerse ourselves in the community to produce a 2000 word feature story as well as a short video that is related to our feature.
It was only on Monday that we were told that we would be working in Mayfair and Fordsburg. While I thought I might be lucky because my father grew up in the area I was soon going to learn that there was a lot more to in-depth then I initially thought.
Day 1 of in-depth involved a walking tour of the area and really it was quite an eye opener for me and for a lot of the tour I felt uncomfortable. This was mainly because I felt as though I was invading a space where people live and here I am with my notebook and cameras, studying and observing the community through a looking glass.
I have lived in Johannesburg my whole life and there is something so strange about feeling like a tourist in a different part of your city it was such an amazing experience.
Photo: Raquel De Canha
We stated our tour at the Fietas Museum in Fourteenth Street, which was once considered the shopping district of Johannesburg where people from around the world would come and do business. Families would live above the shops and take turns to come and man the shops. In 1977 however, the traders were evicted by the apartheid government and forced to take up space in the Oriental Plaza. Some of the buildings were destroyed and today the road is filled with dilapidated buildings and litter.
As we continued our tour it became a throw back on all the stories my father used to tell me of Central road and 8th avenue and to be seeing it only in my adulthood I felt as if I was trying to capture what it really was like for him. I wondered how my dad would feel seeing the space he grew up and how much of it had changed and how much had remained the same.
As we walked up Main Road we were engulfed by the smell of spices and music pumping from cars and stores and as we carried on up the road you could start to see the change of nationalities that occupied the stores.
Photo: Raquel De Canha
Just off Main road we came to what is affectionately known as “Little Mogadishu” it’s there that we met with a very hospitable Amir Sheikh, the chairperson of the Somali Community Association. Amir explained the history of Somali migrants in the area. He then took us on a tour of the community where we got a real taste of their culture. We were given a taste of traditional Somali food and Amir then treated us to a trip to an Ethiopian coffee shop. Well let me tell you I have never tasted coffee quite as delicious as the coffee I had! It was paired with popcorn and had the most amazing fragrance and nutty undertone and it may have just ruined all other coffee for me.
I can openly say that in a matter of a few hours I managed to learn more about my city then I have learnt in my whole lifetime. I am truly grateful for this experience and am looking forward to see what comes from the rest of this adventure.
Raquel De Canha 