Number Seventeen

I can still feel your elegance

I can almost see the beauty of your youth

I can sense your old school class

 

Number 17 you are beautiful !

I would never lie

I stood  20 minutes right in front of you.

And I had the strange feeling that it was hard to say Good Bye

I was asked by a friend the other day: Why are you so mad about the old houses in this town?

The old colonial house are of an incredible architectural elegance. I am not limited to the colonial architecture in my preferences.There are many styles that I like especially the architecture of modern mid century. But the houses in the older suburbs of East London radiate a class that is hard to imitate even if they are in a condition of total decay and degradation. Like old human beings you can still see they aura clearly. 

Scenes From Keiskammahoek

The old house with the porch next to the church in Keiskammahoek is a relict of colonial times

Keiskammahoek lies in a basin at the confluence of the Keiskamma and Gxulu Rivers below the Amatola Mountains. The name Keiskamma is of Khoenkhoen origin can either mean "puff adder river" or "glittering water". Keiskammahoek was originally established as part of a chain of military outposts and it played an important role in the Frontier Wars between 1846 and 1853. The town is an important commercial center today for the timber and agricultural industries in the region. 

Surrounding towns are Stutterheim and Cathcart.

A rural town in Africa like thousands and thousands and thousands of others all over the African continent.

You can be tempted to think " another forlorn place in Africa" but when you have a closer look you find a town with a great history. I have decided to write about Keikammahoek today because it represents a small journey of discovery. This is what happens to me all the time when traveling on this continent. You find a place with a rather strange sounding name and  think of how you could leave as soon as possible ( may be to reach Cape Town earlier) but then at a second glance there is a lot to see and learn.

The people are following still a more traditional way of life-style learned and taught over decades by their parents and families. Local economic development takes on the form of Self-help intiatives. Mostly women are the ones to form groups to raise poultry to sell eggs, learn a craft or establish community gardens.

because this is so far the only way to survive away from the big cities.

This Ole House Of Mine

In the same tiny village "Au at the Rhine"

opposite the one petrol station that exists in the village - you can find this fascinating old farm house

a piece of art.

THE HOUSE IN THE SAND

I saw a house in the sand that I want to own.
I want a house in the sand all of my own.

I want a house in the sand with it's face close to the sea.
I want to call that house my own.

It must not be rich and fine but old, weathered and mine.

It must be shabby and blue and green as the sea.

It must be wild and free ..... just like I will be when I am ready to find my house by the sea.

It will just be fine and the house will want to be mine.

There will be a fence and behind is the sea...... Nothing but the sea

AND THAT IS WHERE I WILL BE.

APOCALYPTIC SHACK ON THE HILL

I came to understand after years of living in different countries that the world is a vast complex place of beauty and that the idea of an " International Style" is an outdated one.

The world has layers upon layers of style that are not regional but, rather, interwoven cultures, races, creeds and values. Being exposed to different cultures and value systems from an early age has helped me to see the world from an observant point of view.... like a spectator at first - then perceiving deeper, engaging and contributing. It's always possible to contribute.
The way and style in which African houses have been built, improvised and adapted to prevailing needs has been largely underestimated for years in the design world.
Although labeled shacks in my eyes they are pieces of art and testimony of an non-manicured and non-trained creativity.

They are built from scratch and know no limitations in their use of the type of materials that are used for their construction.

And they re-invent themselves everyday.