South Africa - "The Rainbow Nation"

Zulu baskets made from old telephone wires 

It's diverse, it's beautiful and it's got style. South Africa is not only the "Rainbow Nation" when it comes to its people; the food, the art and the fashion is as diverse and exciting as its residents.  

The Designer

Palesa Mokubung started her own clothing label, “Mantsho” in 2005 after graduating from Vanderbijlpark Technical College where she studied clothing production. Even though Mokubung was still in school she landed a design job for the label “Stoned Cherrie” and eventually became one of their top designers. The inspiration for her designs comes from fabrics, art and culture of Nigeria, South Africa, Zambia, Kenya, Mozambique, New York, Paris, Dakar and Argentina, as a melting pot of patterns, shapes and colors.

 

 

The Photographer

Pieter Hugo is a South African photographer who was informed by a friend about an interesting group of people in Nigeria. He was intrigued by what he heard and decided to go to Nigeria to see it for himself. Sure enough, in Abuja, Nigeria, he found a group of  men, a girl, three hyenas, four monkeys and a couple of rock pythons. They were a group of traveling performers who used their tamed wild animals to entertain people, a tradition which had been passed down for generations in their family. Hugo spent eight days traveling and photographing them.

 

 

The Food

The South African cuisine reflects the “Rainbow Nation” in all its cultural diversity and excitement from geography, culture and history. It is a fusion of East and west, north and south. Indian curries and spices meet British comfort foods, Dutch pastries and Indonesian chutneys. In South Africa, corn is known as "mealie" and it's an ingredient used heavily by many different ethnicities and chefs, especially in soups and stews.

 Mealie (Corn) Soup

• 4 Tablespoons butter
• 1 cup onions, finely chopped
• 2 tomatoes, chopped
• 2 cups canned whole corn, well drained
• 2 cups creamed corn
• 1 can evaporated milk
• 3 cups chicken broth (about 1½ cans)
• 1 Tablespoon salt
• 1 teaspoon black pepper.

• Procedure

• In a large saucepan, melt the butter over moderate heat.
• Add the onions and sauté for 5 minutes.
• Stir in the tomatoes and cook for a few more minutes.
• Add the corn, milk, chicken broth, salt, and pepper. Simmer for 15 minutes.
• Serve with crackers.

The Jewelry & Fabrics