From the editor: Dependable constants.

BARELY SIX MONTHS of this decade have passed and already it’s been anything but what we expected. You’ve probably seen the memes that are doing the rounds: Time traveller from the future arrives and asks what year it is… Time traveller is informed that it’s the year 2020… Time traveller quickly descends into a state of inconsolable panic. Yes, it’s understandable if you’ve let yourself get swept up in all the hype.

But, I think in spite of all that’s been happening, we should all take a deep breath (through our N95 masks) and enjoy a slow moment of reflection. Sure, every recent news article has mentioned that from here on out the world will need to get used to a new state of normal. That’s likely true, but there are a number of things that will undoubtedly remain the same. For example: The Sun is still going to rise and set; the internet will still be filled with a lot of differing opinions; and in South Africa, braaiing will be something that never, ever goes away…

Okay, perhaps my segue here has been a bit tenuous, but what I’m trying to get at is that fire, as a tool, has played a central role in human evolution for hundreds of thousands of years, and to this day, remains a key constant. To acknowledge all that fire has given us (in addition to braaiing), we’ve compiled a dedicated nine-page feature, including a quirky insert on how we built our very own flamethrower.

We hope you enjoy our assortment of stories in this issue, and that we successfully provide you with some much-needed distraction from all the recent stresses. We’ve all endured some hard knocks, but keep rolling with the punches, because I’m confident that once we’ve made it out the other side of 2020, we’ll be much more resilient than we ever were.

Editor