Weekend Argus (Saturday Edition)
Uniting around fires could warm relations as a nation
Flavour’s the name of the game as our reporter, LUKE FOLB, joins Jan Braai and his crew on their National Braai Tour, with a vision of bringing South Africans together
SMOKE and the pungent smell of braaivleis hung in the air this past week as South Africa ramped up to celebrate Heritage Day next week. The fourth edition of The National Braai Tour saw 200 participants roll out of Cape Town last Sunday for a week of braaing, camping and living the tour slogan in real time – Unite Around A Fire.
The tour is the initiative of Jan Braai, easily the most recognisable name and face of South Africa’s favourite pastime.
He initially toured the country privately while filming content for his kykNET show, Jan Braai vir Erfenis, before deciding to open up the tour to the public.
After receiving braai equipment, ingredients, flags and banners, 40 teams of four have been making their way across the Western Cape via the Garden Route before ending in the Eastern Cape.
Participants get to experience some of the provinces’ most loved small towns by soaking up the culture and various attractions the “dorpies” have to offer.
On Thursday, travellers stopped at the Robberg Nature Reserve, which is said to be the origin of braai.
The caves were home to the homo sapiens who first braaied 162 000 years ago.
Braai said that he believed it was this rich and long history with braaing that bonded South Africans together because braaing was in their DNA.
“The braai fire is where South Africans socialise, it’s the best most traditional way of socialising in South Africa and it’s been happening for literally thousands of years,” he said.
The tour had earler in the week visited Struisbaai, Swellendam, Calitzdorp, Wilderness, Keurbooms and Storms River before reaching Port Elizabeth tonight.
With every stop, the teams pitch their tents for the night and settle in to the peace and tranquillity of the campsite.
Each night, braais are fired up and a different Jan Braai recipe is put to the test, with many teams electing to experiment by adding their own twist to the recipe.
Braai said the reason he wanted four people in a team was because it’s a round number that works well logistically.
“My recipes work well for four, a kilogram of meat serves four people. Burger patties come in packs of four, chicken breasts come in packs of four. So it’s just for my recipes I write for four people.”
He said that the camping worked well because all it required was two two-man tents and four people could sit relatively comfortably in a normal vehicle.
He said his primary goal with the tour was to raise public awareness in the buildup to Braai Day on September 24, as well as to bring a diverse group of people together.
“The participants get to live the Braai Day dream for the week as well as the ideals of the initiative, which is to bring South Africans from all walks of life together around fires to have fun, braai, wave the flag, and to share and celebrate our heritage.”
Members of Braai’s team sift through hundreds of entries each year as the popularity of the tour is ever-growing.
The key for Braai is to always have a diverse group of people on tour with him who can add positive value and become disciples of the braai tour to encourage future participation.
“The aim is to have the participants as diverse as possible and to be reflective of South African society. It’s not a gamble for us because it’s not a first come, first serve – we choose people to have a diverse criteria. We want a cool crowd.”
There has often been criticism of Braai’s approach to Heritage Day, by blanketing all heritage under the guise of Braai Day.
But he hopes that differences can be set aside for one day of the year and he believes that by lighting up a braai, those differences can be bridged.
“If there’s a better way, then I’m happy to say there’s a better way, but I’m totally convinced that it’s the best way for South Africans to unite – around the fire. Where else do you have the type of talking and
‘People can come