Durban, South Africa: The Land of the Zulu

By Pat Johnson and Regina Fraser

The “Grannies on Safari,” travel to South Africa frequently as both love the country and people. The country has an invigorating new spirit, ten years after its re-formation as a democracy under the leadership of Nelson Mandela. It has an incredible multicultural heritage that is sustained within a country of astonishing natural splendor. South Africa is truly a world in one country and they can honestly say they are a land of rainbow people.
We began our journey in the subtropical city Durban, located on the Indian Ocean, and the third largest city in South Africa. It also has the third largest and deepest port on the continent of Africa. It is home to three million citizens and the gateway for importing and exporting important commodities to all of Southern Africa, including steel, sugar, rice, granite, forest products and petro-chemicals

Durban has perhaps the best weather in South Africa, with about 230 sunny days a year. It has a spectacular beach front with hotels, restaurants, amusement parks, and a waterslide. While visiting, take a ride in a rickshaw navigated by drivers in traditional Zulu costumes who gladly take your money to drive you around the beachfront.
This thriving diverse city has the largest East Asian community outside of India. Gandhi lived in the Durban area where he began his active pursuit of fairness on behalf of the Indian population. A short distance outside the city, one can visit his family compound and see his printing presses and several other artifacts from his life there. Indian restaurants abound in Durban and the curry samplings at the Indian market are a culinary experience.

Bartles Arts Trust - The BAT Centre,is a community arts center located near the city center right at the docks. Here the visitor can find an incredible array of African arts and crafts, attend workshops and classes, plus experience performances by professional and student musicians and dancers. Its focus is on helping disadvantaged and emerging artists of the region to showcase their talents. Participants are from the Indian, Zulu, and European communities of KwaZulu Natal. The center is a happening place in Durban and open seven days a week. There is a great music shop on the main floor near the entrance that has every kind of music you are looking for and then some. Its second floor café is a wonderful place to hang out and watch the container ships enter the Port of Durban.
The Victoria Market is another tantalizing experience in Durban. Indian food, spices, clothes, and jewelry can all be found here. It’s a treasure house of the Indian cultural experience. There are literally hundreds of combinations of herbs and spices available in stalls in huge baskets throughout the market. Some have names like “mother-in-law help” and “take a chance.” Pat purchased what seemed like a grocery cart full of exotic spices and whipped-up six different curry dishes at a recent dinner party. This was in celebration of escaping custom sniffing dogs who found the aromatic spices intriguing and questionable.

For a step back in time, the Kwa Muhle Museum is a powerful representation of the policies of apartheid. It reminds us of the abuses of the past and celebrates the South African capacity to heal and move forward. The permanent exhibition includes a historical representation of Cato Manor, the informal settlement area which is now part of a new urban renewal program. The museum’s exhibits stand as a reminder of the sadness and pain of black people who had to pass through this former ID or Pass Control office. There is a graphic sculpture of three naked men sitting on a bench representing the agony felt by black men required to submit to an invasive examination before they were granted a pass allowing them to work in Durban.

Some believe Durban is “black South Africa” as it is located in the KwaZulu Natal (KZN), a major province; this is the land of the Kingdom of the Zulus, the Home of Shaka.

A 90 minute drive from the center of Durban, is the original movie set of the film Shaka. This recreated Zulu village has become a major tourist destination- Shakaland. While it has some of the components of a tourist trap, Shakaland presents, through a variety of exhibits and hands-on activities – the food, history, and cultural representations of a very old nation. Regina was examined by the local Sangoma, a cultural healer who “prescribes” remedies for a variety of current and future illnesses. Regina received a small piece of charred “blessed wood” encased in chicken feathers and held together by a leather cord. Its purpose was to ward off pain in her joints. This “blessing” is still in her possession and she swears that on cold Chicago days it works.

After leaving Shakaland, we traveled to the magnificent and picturesque Land of a Thousand Hills- an area where major battles took place between the Zulu’s and the British, and a place where traditional Zulu villages are scattered among the rolling hills. The pristine landscape is breathtaking and has become one of the most visited sites in the Kwa Zulu Natal region.

We recommend the talented and prolific Zulu artists and craftsmen. Their bead work, clay pots, and woven baskets are eagerly acquired by people from all over the world. During our trip, we visited several women’s cooperatives where young and old women create whimsical and sophisticated designs from telephone wire, reeds and beads. Their baskets, place mats, jewelry and toys are coveted by design enthusiasts from around the globe. We were continuously delighted with the variety, quality and beauty of this work.

There is much to feed the soul and delight the senses in Durban. We have offered a little sampling of the variety of opportunities for exploration and discovery that await the visitor to a city on the move, but one anchored to cultures of the past that still cast important shadows in the 21st century.

Accommodations are wide ranging in Durban with hotels and hostels for any pocketbook. There are five star hotels like the Hilton and the Royal and wonderful four star hotels like the Edwards. For this trip, we stayed at the Edwards – a beautiful old world hotel with very modern conveniences - and it’s across the street from the beach.

For travel to South Africa we recommend South African Airways from the United States as they fly nonstop from New York and Atlanta.

This article was recently published in The Chicago Defender