Editor’s Note

Last week’s letter, in which I reminisced about Hillbrow when it was home to pavement cafes, clubs, coffee shops and food joints, struck a chord with readers. I know this because some of them wrote emails telling me how much they miss the Hillbrow they used to frequent. The ghosts of Mzee Ntese’s tastebuds were awakened by the mention of Le Poulet’s rotisserie chicken. “OMG, we used to call it, ‘chicken roasted in weed’ (not knowing the names of the herbs used and because it was so addictive to us, a bunch of young friends from Eastern Cape),” he wrote. “Hillbrow was a wonderful place. We had the time of our lives there back then, pity we had to move on.”

Margaret Reifarth said she’d wander into Hillbrow in her late teens. “We had no worries about crime, even in the evenings, popping into all these great entertainment places. From school we’d walk with the teacher to the indoor swimming pool for our weekly PT classes. En route back to school, our teacher would allow us to buy a flake soft-serve from Milky Lane. Wonderful memories.”

And Dr Len Konar lived in an old apartment block, Gainsborough Mansion, overlooking the Windybrow Theatre. “I certainly enjoyed going to Estoril Books and buying the best and tastiest chicken in Joburg at Le Poulet! I have not found anything close to Le Poulet since 1995, though Fournos at Dunkeld Centre scores about 6 out of 10,” he wrote.

These responses left me wondering whether we’ll ever see a revival of the Hillbrow that these readers remember. Though some efforts to revitalise the area have been made, it still has a reputation for crime and squalor. What a victory it would be for inner-city revival if Hillbrow could once again be a place where we could all “hang” together.

On that note, this week’s feature, in which a South African artist travels on a motorbike across Africa collecting stories to share with all the continent’s people, resonates.