What I've Learned in Johannesburg: My Experiences

Johannesburg is an energetic, multicultural city that is constantly changing. There are lively neighborhoods full of jazz clubs and amapiano bars playing South African house music. And charming parks and markets. I was initially fascinated by the extraordinary galleries and museums. There is so much to choose from! I was particularly taken with the Keyes Art Mile art center in Rosebank. 

The contrasts of our country became much clearer to me in Johannesburg. Poverty and new beginnings are often just a street away from each other. This has also influenced my work as a photographer and artist. I want to show the traces that recent history has left behind. Johannesburg is struggling with the legacy of a torn past. But we are also constantly moving forward in many ways, because there is a culture here of talking openly about problems. I am grateful for that. 

In Johannesburg, you can really feel the power of nature. It has one of the largest areas of man-made forest, so that some parts of the city look like a beautiful mixture of green and concrete. Nature and art can come together, like in Nirox Sculpture Park. Seeing this unleashes new creativity in me.

The desire to change the world for the better is omnipresent in Johannesburg. At the same time, people know how persistent they have to be and how long it takes to eliminate apartheid and colonial structures. Our goal is a world where we are closer to who we South Africans really are than ever before. 

The people of Johannesburg are very friendly and have a great sense of humor. You will find that people greet each other and courtesies are still common. Compared to other parts of the country, Johannesburg is much more multicultural and integrated, despite the visible remnants of spatial segregation in our city planning. 

I recommend a visit to the Apartheid Museum to better understand this country and its people. And of course my neighborhood! Melville is a wonderful mix of old and new. It's a great area for browsing second-hand stores and bookshops or visiting jazz and amapiano clubs.

We also recommend the Maboneng district - a mecca for creatives and start-ups in Johannesburg. And Soweto, to go to the theater or visit the museum in Nelson Mandela House, where you have to try the township street food kota (delicious stuffed loaves of bread).

Gulshan Khan is an independent South African photographer and visual artist based in Johannesburg. Her work is focused on social justice, human rights development and representations of identities in South Africa.