Our Stories of
wisdom

With one of the largest populations of the endangered great white shark on the planet, South Africa’s Cape coastline is one of the few places in the world where visitors have the opportunity to see these magnificent predators in their natural habitat.

Africa has always had a rich oral tradition of storytelling that through the centuries, has made it possible for people or culture to pass knowledge, history, and experiences from one generation to the next.

“The salt which is in our seawater is in our blood, sweat, and tears. Each of us has breathed warm saline for days on end and survived. The lungs themselves derive from fused pharyngeal pouches, and gill slits still form temporarily in all chordate embryos, including humans. This reminds us that something which became Homo did crawl up a beach many years ago. The satisfaction for certain people of walking back down a beach and into the sea is akin to that of a long-postponed homecoming.”
‘Seven Tenths – The Sea and its Threshholds,’
James Hamilton-Paterson

Wherever you are in the world this Sunday, October 15th, we encourage you to celebrate Garden Day South Africa, the initiative of Babylonstoren Farm, one of our top picks for any Cape Winelands itinerary.

The extraordinary importance of what businessman and philanthropist Jochen Zeitz has set out to do with the Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa (Zeitz MOCAA)

Affectionately dubbed the ‘White Zulu’ or ‘Le Zulu Blanc’, South African Johnny Clegg is something of a living legend. His unique brand of contemporary yet traditional African music has had his fans enthralled for more than forty years.

‘The enormous knowledge and skills required to track animals in the wild is one of our most indigenous art forms,’ says Deborah Calmeyer, CEO, and founder of ROAR AFRICA.

As both artist and activist, we have long admired the work of photographer Nick Brandt, whose commentary on conservation is communicated through his powerful and profound photographs.

‘Mandela looks up and around and smiles this brilliant, beatific smile, a smile that could break your heart. It is the most conscience-tugging, soul-moving facial expression in the world, and he got it in jail.’
– AA GIll