Eating U-Smileys (Sheep head) in Fort Jackson - Different Cultures, Different Dishes

Today's article was written by the young volunteer Jonas Krombach and describes his culinary journey through the world of traditional Xhosa food. Here we go!

 

One of my reasons to do a voluntary year in another country was, that I wanted to get in contact with other cultures. Cultures I did not know before, such as the Xhosa-culture.

When I got the confirmation, that I would be going to Mdantsane for a year as a volunteer for a German Development organization to work with an environmental youth club at a local High School, I started to read about the Xhosa People on the Internet.

I learned quickly, that food plays a big role in the Xhosa culture, but also in general in South Africa.

Jonas Favourite Fat Cake With Liver Filling!!!

Well, I tried to find more information about typical Xhosa-dishes, but all I could find out was that the South Africans love to braai( barbecue) that they adore biltong( dried meat) and that there is Indian food as well, such as the Bunny Chow. 

But I found nothing about traditional Xhosa dishes such as Samp and Beans (Umngqusho), African Salad and Umfino - dishes that I know so well by now.

Theresa and Joans eating Umngusho, a traditional Xhosa Dish

Arriving in Mdantsane I settled down in my guest family’s home. 

When Nolubabalo, one of my guest mothers, said that she was going to cook something for dinner, I was excited and curious at the same time. I can still remember our first dinner. The whole family sat down together at the table and we ate pap with cabbage, butternut and everybody got some chicken as well. What a warm welcome!

The Open Air U-Smileys Restaurant in Fort Jackson An Industrial Area Close To Mdantsane

And as time went by I had the chance to taste the full variety of Xhosa dishes. My favourite dish is Umngusho. It reminds me somehow of the German traditional "lentil soup“. For those who do not know lentil soup I have made a photographic comparison between the two.

Lentil Soup versus Samp and Beans

Never Short of a celebration especially when food is involved

There is another dish I really fell in love with. Or I should better say got addicted to it. 

The Fat-Cake!!! ( Jonas, Jonas, Jonas......how come you did not pick up any weight?)

The Mamas at Inkwenkwezi High School (my former workplace) always sold it during the lunch break. There is a special relationship between the Fat Cake and me. I cannot describe it. But I just adore the Fat Cake! 

Especially the Fat Cake filled with liver. Mhhhhh!

Cutting U-Smileys - Sheep Heads are called like this because when cooked in hot water for a long time they shrink and their face or what is left of it takes on a smiling expression! So it is said!

All the African/Xhosa dishes I have mentioned in this article so far are "nice dishes". 

But there are a couple of dishes I did not manage to become accustomed to. I rather prefer to stay away from them.

Well there is The African Salad.  My guest family always screamed with laughter when they saw how I grimaced my face while I ate the dish. The taste was just always to sour for me!

The Last smile, served on a black trash bag..........Sheep head is a popular dish in the Xhosa culture

I want to end the article with the words of my project coordinator, Melikaya. 

On one of our last days in Mdantsane he said: "How can you leave South Africa without having tasted the Smiley!“ 

And he was right! How could we! And that is why we went with all the staff members to one of Mdantsane´s street kitchens and tasted uSmiley!!!

All I can say is that it was a unique experience I will never forget!

U Smiley

Mdantsane Cribs - Cool Modern Retro Properties

Townships in South Africa are generally associated with poverty, low cost housing or make-do housing, meaning shacks. The expression "Shanty Town" is used for informal settlements and impoverished living areas.

A shanty town also called a squatter settlement is a slum settlement, sometimes illegal or unauthorized, where the houses are made of plywood, corrugated iron, sheets of plastic, and cardboard boxes. Shanty towns, which are usually built on the periphery of cities, often do not have proper sanitation, water supply or aqueduct, electricity or telephone services.

And nobody who owns a little bit, has a little bit and still yearns for a little bit more in life, than he or she has right now, wants to live next to a "Shanty Town" in South Africa.

When buying a property in South Africa buyers are strongly influenced by the future development potential of the area surrounding the property like everywhere else, but here in South Africa special attention is paid to the possibility, that existing townships and informal settlements in the area might spread out and shanty towns might develop in the vicinity of the property on sale.

If this possibility exists the property in question is much more difficult to sell and looses market value.

The preconceived idea of a shanty town is not a good one!

A cool modern retro crib in Mdantsane

Shanty towns are mostly found in developing nations, or partially developed nations with  unequal distribution of wealth. In extreme cases, shanty towns have populations approaching millions. According to the Wikipedia as of 2005, one billion people, one-seventh of the world's population, live in shanty towns. 

This might be true but as always there is the other side of the medallion. And until you turn the medallion around you don't see it.

In Mdantsane you can find amazing modern upmarket houses, that the outside spectator would never associate with the classical, traditional definition of a township house.  

NO more Shanty Town - An upmarket property in Mdanstane

The suburbs NU 9 and NU 17 in Mdantsane are the home of stylish modern luxury cribs like the mansion in the pictures, that is build in a modern retro style. The architecture of this double storey building incorporates a lot of glass and steel elements.

A double storey upmarket property in Mdantsane

We have been working on a couple of articles, which we would like to develop into an ongoing series "Mdantsane Cribs". We feel honored, that we have been invited by many families into their home and that they have shared their intimate living space and a meal with us for a couple of hours. This has given us an idea how beautiful, creative and diverse the Mdantsane homes are on the inside. 

How much HOME they are!

No matter if the home we visited, was a shack, a middle class house or a small palace like the one in the images - we have seen amazing interiors, that have left us speechless.  Fascination lies in the creativity used to create beauty and how much you make out of something.  

Mdantsane Property With A Malibu Setting

The following facts might also surprise you. Houses in NU 17 fully fenced with three bedrooms, two bathrooms, one lounge and kitchen fetch up to 550.000 Rand at present. These are normal houses, that are not the embodiment of luxury and extravagance. Just simple normal houses - like this one.

Property on Sale by Xoliswa Tini Properties in NU 17 in Mdantsane for 550.000 Rand

Xoliswa Tini Properties is another South African success story. Xoliswa Tini was one of the first black ladies to enter the property market in East London and to turn her business into a financial success. She was one of the first property agents to market the Mdantsane properties. Xoliswa Tini Properties just celebrated 10 years in business in June 2013.

Xoliswa said that it has not all been plain sailing during the past 10 years but she describes her business with the following metaphor : "We are like that little duck on the water. In sight is a calm duck swimming but unseen under the water the duck is paddling away." 

Palm Trees Holding The Sun A Captive

Back to the modern retro crib of our today's article. The inside is as stylish as the outside.
A predominantly white interior with some furniture pieces in the accents colors mint green and burned orange is soothing and calming to the eye. No furniture overload here.

Contemporary interior design in an upmarket house in Mdantsane

Clean simple lines and open plan living dominate.

The bar area like the whole house has a retro feel.

Palm tree integrated into the foyer

The Dining Room Area tucked away between pillars

The TV lounge, black leather and white again

A Guest Room

And of course houses like this need maintenance and one employee will simply not do if do not want to clean and swipe the whole day!

Jonas Krombach Living In Nu 9 In Mdantsane - They Gave Me The Best Time Of My Life

The House of Jonas Krombach's Guest Family in Mdantsane NU 9

Jonas Krombach is the other half of the twin volunteer team, that was sent to Mdantsane for a year to assist and coach an environmental youth club at a High School in Nu 6.
Well, they are not real biological twins but they became twins in spirit during the course of one year. We have spoken a lot about Theresa Ekpa's experiences, she made during her stay in Mdanstane. Ladies first and that is the only reason. But now it is Jonas's turn. 

Jonas, Jonas, Jonas.... what we can we say!

This guy is the archetypal German man. He is straightforward, controlled, as punctual as it gets and hard working. Often he can also be full of sh......!

But he belongs to a new breed of Germans. 

He is a wonderful representative of a new generation of open minded, exploring, very well educated, adventurous but all the way still careful young men, who are not afraid to show their emotions and who have made it their mission to transcend the boundaries, they were raised in and to see and understand as much as possible of this beautiful world we live in.

Over The Roof Tops In Mdnatsane

One year ago Jonas said to himself, after he had finished his abitur which is the German version of the matric: "I want to see and experience something completely and totally different from what I know."

And Jonas came to Mdanstane and he got a full dose of what he had asked for. 

The Sisters Star And Nolubabalo - Jonas Krombach's Two Mothers in Mdantsane

Yebo! For our foreign readers one more time: yebo is something like a South African exclamation for OK!

Jonas came to live with two sisters, Star and Nolubabalo, who became his mothers in Mdanstane.

The first thing he was confronted with, was the fact, that family structures in Mdantsane differ very much from what is considered a classic family in Germany. 

Of course, you can find the classical core family like everywhere else with a simple father-mother-and-children structure, but very often households are headed by women only. The are headed by grandmothers, sisters and even young children. The reasons for this are the high aids mortality rate in South Africa and the loss of the old South African moral family values in the black and white culture.

Star and Nolubabalo live together and raise the two children they have in their house in NU 9. No husband, no man. Just the women.

A typical dirt road in Mdantsane NU 9

And Now Jonas. 

Jonas faced many challenges, like having to deal with electricity cuts or no lights at all, having to shower with a bucket and cold water. Yeah, and the occasional mice and other rodents making their way through his new home. 

"But there was so much love", he said, "the love of Star and Nolubabalo and the two boys was simply unbelievable. I will miss them so much. It is hard to believe that someone can give so much love to a stranger who has just come to live in his house".

Jonas with his younger brother Lilitha

Jonas is a single child, he does not have any brothers or sisters in Germany and out of a sudden he was living in the second largest township in South Africa, had two mothers and two younger brothers and was sharing a small house with them. 

He is passionate about handball and plays in Germany in a club. Handball is not a sport that is known and played a lot in South Africa. So everything familiar and known had been taken away from him!

You can call that a culture shock!

"But was that not exactly what you wanted, Jonas", we ask?

Yes it was!

"And I have grown so much through this intense life experience", he says. 

This is the exact and best term to describe it - an intense life experience, that has the power to change you from the inside out in a relatively short time.

Between Houses in NU 9 In Mdantsane

But belonging to that new breed of young German men we mentioned before, there was no doubt, that he would cope and that he would enjoy his stay thoroughly including the fact, that he now had to share a small space and was not the only child in the house anymore.

We can only say, well done German man! Well done Jonas Krombach! 

Jonas with his two younger brothers Lilitha and Lutho in the families home in NU 6

Jonas experienced strong contrast. Contrast of all sorts. Contrast between rich and poor in the Mdantsane township itself. Contrast between the German life and the South African township life. Contrast is not easy to understand, when confronted with it in a harsh way. There is a big difference between watching a "documentary" on television or being thrown into the documentary and being part of it in real life.

"It takes you one year before you really know and understand how life functions here in the township. In the beginning you are just an observer and you have to find your way. This can take a long time because you have to overcome your own insecurities to socialize with the people", he said.

Corrugated Iron Shacks In NU 6 In Mdantsane

Why is an intense life experience so good! Why are we advocating this and are talking so much about these young Germans?

Because it is the first step, the beginning of a long journey, helping you to transcend the boundaries in which you have been raised and which hold you back. 

It is the first step, that makes it possible for you to keep the love for the place you were born and to treasure it, but to move on and free yourself from its limitations.   

And it is so good because you drag others into it, like your parents, friends and lovers who get send on the same path by you, just by knowing you and following you. 

And gradually it is the only way of freeing yourself and others of prejudice, racism and  the fear of foreign cultures.

Jonas And His German Parents Who Came To Visit Mdantsane With His Mdanstane Guest Family

The moral of the story: Do something extreme to yourself and not to others!

Jonas Celebrating Birthday With His Mothers And Brothers In Mdantsane

All Images Jonas Krombach, Article by Chocolat

Mdantsane Coach Aya's Dream Is Basketball Without Borders

One Man's Idea, One Man's Dream And One Man's Power

The township of Mdantsane is since a couple of years the home of the second biggest shopping mall in the Eastern Cape "Mdantsane City". Only Greenacres in Port Elizabeth is bigger.

The mall has been surely a great addition to the township amenities and has made life so much easier for many residents, by enabling them to shop where they live without having to travel 20 km to the City Center of East London.

But Mdantsane City serves more than one purpose, as we have found out recently.  

Mdantsane Basketball Coach Aya Making His Dream Come True!

The most energetic "Coach Aya" who lives in NU 9 in Mdantsane has made his passion almost his profession. Every second week of each month Coach Aya trains youngsters in the art of basketball playing on the large parking space of the Mdantsane City Mall. And he is really good at it. 

The tournaments he organises have started to attract large crowds.

Girls are training under Coach Aya's Eye On The Parking Space Of  The Mdantsne City Mall

Girls and boys alike of different age groups train under Coach Aya and he is determined to help the really talented ones to reach professional levels.

On the 17th of November we had the chance to see Coach Aya and his teams in action during a tournament organized by him, held on the cement floor of the outside parking area of Mdantsane City.  

.

Coach Aya giving tips to the young players

There is no greater power than sport and many have recognized sport as a force to overcome ethnic and tribal rivalries in Africa and to drive Africa out of poverty and dependance. For a nation to be powerful it has to be united. Union is not always easy to achieve when one country is home to dozens of different cultures, beliefs, religions, political convictions and traditions.

Diversity is a beautiful thing, but to live in diverse union and to celebrate diversity everyday is something, that has to be learned. 

However, the learning process can be a long one, because it is all about opening your soul and mind to others, the ones you normally call strangers, and to things, that are entirely and completely different from what you know and what you are. 

The key to this is you have to start at a very young age. And somebody has to guide you a little along the way. It helps if somebody shows you a vision and walks a little with you.

Sport Gives You The Power To Free Yourself And Become Happy At Least For A While

Sport is the means to overcome stress, worries and the emotional burden, that poverty brings to one's life - at least for a while. Sport is a peacemaker and can give new direction to the lives of people who are without orientation. Sport, no matter what discipline, has proven to be one of the most powerful weapons to fight crime and reunite people. Sport gives a sense self worth. 

Basketball Without Borders - Coach Aya's Brand

Mdantsane has already the reputation to be a "boxer's township". So may be in a while we will see it become a "basketballer's township" as well. With a dedicated, energetic man like Aya it is possible.

 A Basketball Tournament Is Played On The Parking Space Of Mdantsane City Mall And Not Only The Players Enjoy It

To help Africa's youth through the establishment of proper sports clubs and organizations, that are coached by the right people is a vision many Africans would like to see become a reality. It's a powerful vision and it concerns the whole continent.

Everything great has started small with one man's idea

But it starts small. It starts with one man's idea and one man's will and determination to do something about something.

The basketball project " Basketball Without Borders" is one man's idea, one man's dream and one man's power. Coach Aya did not stop at dreaming, he went a step further. 

Choosing the Mdantsane City Mall as a training ground was a brilliant idea. South Africa is not a country where a lot of basketball is played.

Already Becoming Professional......

And we still have to ask Coach Aya where his passion for this sport comes from in a country where Rugby and Soccer rules.

Concentration And Speed Is Needed To Play Basketball

Coach Aya Firing On His Teams

More people will be attracted to this sport while shopping at the mall and more youngsters will be attracted to his training.

A New Way Of Becoming Fit And Exercising Team Spirit For The Mdantsane Youth

Sport has motivated people where everything else has failed and what Coach Aya needs now is more supports in any form and proper training facilities.

Moving Away From A Couch, TV And Video Culture

Thanks to our young 20 year old free lance anchor and German volunteer Jonas Krombach, living in Mdantsane since 9 months, who attended the tournament, we can show you these beautiful images today.

Let the images speak for themselves!

 A View Of The Township In The Distance

Coach Aya always supportive

All Age Groups And All Skill Levels

Our Very Young Free Lance Anchors Theresa Ekpa And Jonas Krombach With Coach Aya

Theresa, The Coach And Jonas

The Right Feeling For The Ball

A New Generation Of Young South African Women Has Been Born, They Want To Be Slim, Fit And Free

Mdantsane Basket Ball Girls In Action