Sam J Basch
A tour of the Basotho Cultural Village in the spectacular Golden Gate National Park is a true revelation. The two-hour herbal trail not only gives one an insight into ago-old traditional methods of treating ailments and injuries, but also reveals ancient rock art, some of the oldest evidence of human culture in Africa.
Enter Leighton House in London to get a glimpse into the life of the pre-eminent Victorian artist Lord Frederick Leighton. That fascinating life included an intriguing relationship with an East End beauty, which inspired George Bernard’s Shaw’s novel ‘Pygmalion’ that was made into a play and the movie My Fair Lady.
Stone houses may look harsh and uninviting. Yet, they date back millenia – home to our early ancestors.
The ‘hearth’ inside was where they cooked; the fire generated heat for warmth, especially in cold climes. In time, the phrase ‘hearth and home’ came to embody family and the love shared among those living in the glow of the firelit room. It exuded coziness and the embracing comfort of home.
Humankind has always had a penchant for gold. It’s actually a fever, gold fever, striking down all those with the indescribable urge for quick riches. Up north in the Limpopo province are the remains of South Africa’s first gold-mining company.
Literary connections add a cultural touch during a short rambling tour on the Isle of Wight and in parts of South Devon in England
Four black metal pillars in a half circle, about three or four metres high, standing between two blocks of flats in London’s East End. To what purpose? Play things for kids? A work of art?
Actually the London Borough of Tower Hamlets was where the Stepney Gas Works produced coal gas for more than a century. Coal was conveyed by barge on the Regent’s Canal and converted here to gas for households, industry and the city’s streetlights. It made it a target for aerial bombardment in World War II. This now becomes an interesting story…
Britain has the allure of timelessness and tradition, and a language that is spoken widely. The age-old traditions the Brits so jealously guard have their roots elsewhere. Even their English language was a Germanic import, brought there by Angles, Saxons and Jutes.
As the Danes invaded in the 9th century, and even settled in places, the Wessex king Alfred kept them at bay. He is credited with saving the English language. But William the Conqueror’s invasion from Normandy in 1066 almost killed English. Fortunately three centuries of French at court introduced a lexicon that massively enriched modern English.
Words cannot describe the spectacle of wildflowers that flourish every year on the West Coast and Namaqualand. Photographs give an idea, but you have to visit there to be caressed by soft air, to smell the earth and sea, feel the sun’s warmth, the silkiness of the petals, the lustre of the blooms.
This is a wish-list item that reminds us how magnificent nature can be…
The SAFREA Chronicle is a place where members of the Southern African Freelancers’ Association showcase their talents, while providing interesting, entertaining and thought provoking content for readers and viewers.