PHOTOGRAPHS: LIZAVANDEVENTER, RETHA FERGUSON, SUPPLIED;HAIR&MAKEUP: SUAAD JEPPE@ONE LEAGUEthough it was illegal at the time,
and Angel Jones (page 12), who
doggedly goes against the brain
drain and recruits emigrants back
to live and work in and contribute
to South Africa.
That same spirit is also clear in
the three amazing entrepreneurs
who won theFAIRLADYSantam
Women of the FutureAwards this
year (page 59). They just went
ahead and did what they needed
to do, despite the people who said
they couldn’t. And they succeeded.
It’saspirit worth celebrating,
thathardegat-ness–maybe it’swhat
will defy international expectations
and turn our country around. I
know that this Heritage Day,that’s
what I’m planning to raise my glass
to: good old South African grit.
Haveawonderful month!particular to South Africans that’s
akind of weird mixture of ubuntu
and ‘’n boer maak ’n plan’. ‘The
purpose is to show Africa, and
even the world, that anything is
possible if you set your mind to it,’
said the pilot, MeganWerner.She
founded U-Dream Global, which
was behind the whole enterprise.
Megan is 17 years old.
Ican’treally define this spirit
other than that, in general,Ithink
South Africans don’tlike being
told what wecan’tdo.Weare not
big fans of having other people’s
expectations imposed on us.
Ithink it’swhy we so often win
sports games from the position of
underdog–it’sakind of stubborn
resilience that makes us defy the
doubters. It’sthere in Johnny
Clegg (page 22), who insisted on
playing music with the musicians
he wanted to work with, even Love, Suzy4 Fairlady/September 2019IWhat I’m loving thismonth...’m so inspired by the story
of the 20 South African teens
who calmly built their own
aeroplane (in two weeks,
fromaSouth African-made
kit), then flew it from Cape
Town to Cairo (and back again).
Ilove their spirit and confidence
–tomeitembodies an attitudeSUNFLOWER DAY
Friday,20September is
Sunflower Day,but you
can buy yourTOPE –Tube
of hOPE (left)–fromPNP
from1August. They sell
for just R30 each. All the
money goes towards
recruiting people who
are prepared to be blood
stem cell donors for
patients diagnosed with
life-threatening blood
diseases like leukaemia.
sunflowerfund.co.zaEditorSuzy BrokenshaTHE OPEN BOOK FESTIVAL,
4-8 SEPTEMBER
If you love books, don’tmiss this: directed
by Mervyn Sloman and hosted by Cape
Town’sBook Lounge and the Fugard
Theatre,this annual treat is one of the best
book festivals I’ve ever been to. Intimate
(the venues are small, the tone casual),
intelligent and inclusive ofawhole lot of
genres usually ignored by most others,
like graphic novels and poetry.And Ican’t
wait to see Oyinkan Braithwaite,who
wrote the very funny but very dark novel
My Sister the Serial Killer.
ACQUADI PARMA
COLONIA
My new favourite fragrance...
so fresh and citrusy,itjust
feelslike spring.Itsoftens
intoamellow Mediterranean
scent that lingers likealong,
sunlit evening–it’sreally
beautiful. Created more than
100 years ago asascent for
gentlemen to spray into their
handkerchiefs, it became
aHollywood favourite.
ApparentlyAudrey Hepburn
loved it. And hey,ifit’sgood
enough forAudrey...BIG SKYBY
KATEATKINSON
Jackson Brodie is
one of my absolutely
favourite private
investigators
(and asalover of
crime novels,Iam
acquainted with
quiteafew). This
is his fifth outing,
and I’m delighted
to say he hasn’t
cheered up yet. He’s
moved toaquiet
seaside village,
but it’sstil lnot far
enough to escape
the underbelly that
always draws him in.Above:Open Book Festival
guests at The Fugard.Right:
The Comics Fest Marketplace;
part of the Open BookFestival.