On the eve of my departure for Kenya, my heart place, I offer you a glimpse of what makes this country and this continent so unique.
I first met Alan Donovan 41 years ago in Nigeria. I was on an 8 month drive from London to Kenya and had stopped for Christmas in the town of Oshogbo in Nigeria’s Yoruba land ; Alan was looking at art in this remarkably prolific town. I bought a painting from one of Oshogbo’s best known artists, Twins Seven Seven, which I carried onwards to Kenya only to sell it, upon arrival, to Allan for a desperately needed $100. One of my few life regrets!
When I arrived in Nairobi, Alan had recently opened a pan African gallery called African Heritage in the city center. It was the first of its kind, a collection of textiles, jewelry, daily utensils, and art from all over the continent that celebrated the indigenous beauty and ingenuity of its people. With a cafe in the back, changing art exhibitions and fashion shows, it was the quintessential African lifestyle shop that launched countless African artists and inspired writers and academics to look at African culture in a new, intelligent and respectful way.
The shop has long since moved to new quarters and Alan has continued as a luminary in the field of African arts and craft, curating shows, writing books, consulting. He has built himself an extraordinary house on the outskirts of the city which is filled with many of the beautiful objects he celebrated all those years ago.
The photo above was taken just days ago at a show for Standard Chartered Bank Group from India.
It is a stunning picture of Heritage models from the African Heritage Textile Tour with, from left, a
Yoruba masquerade costume, Kuba King and Queen from the
Congo, and three stunning garments from Nigeria: Achiko in silver cape of
Ase Oke cloth woven by Yoruba men, Dorothy in golden cloth woven by Okene
women, and Amber wears the famous indigo dyed “Adire” cloth from Yoruba
women.
Cape Town is one of the world's great cities. The setting alone is worthy of top billing. And then you have a vibrant culinary scene, a fascinating flora and fauna representative of its microclimate, a diverse population and the logistical advantage that makes it a gateway for visits to the wine lands, to the garden route and north into the bush. In spite of the aforementioned, what makes me vibrate with anticipation in Cape Town is its flourishing art and design scene, its world class museums and galleries, its artisans, many of them passionately committed to ensuring that hand and design skills endure. The person who knows as much about this sector of the Capetonian landscape is Marion Ellis whose company, Cape Insights, designs whole or partial itineraries that feature - among other subject matter - the flourishing arts of the city. Marion's knowledge has both the breadth and depth to take you on a meandering journey across the media - from paintings and ceramics to photography and art installations - and behind the scenes to meet with collectors and artists, teachers and innovators."
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