Culture Corner The Significance of Kwa Mai Mai

One thing about South Africans is that they love a good spot where one can braai meat and be merry with friends. A place that has easily become this is Kwa Mai Mai in Joburg under a bridge in Jeppestown. It is a marketplace known for selling beautiful Zulu traditional outfits from isicholo (Zulu hat) to amabheshu (a hide flap covering the buttocks) and traditional medicine. Outside of the cultural market structure, you find entrepreneurs who run shisanyama food stalls. The shisanyama areas do not have luxurious furniture or menus and are run in an open space without furniture and yet in spite of all of this, hundreds of people flock to the market on pay days or weekends without fail. Dr Sipho Sithole, is a cultural activist, academic and award-winning music producer, who has done a lot of research on Kwa Mai Mai. He joins us now to speak about its history and significance. Cultural Activist, Academic and Award-Winning Music Producer Dr Sipho Sithole joins Nhlanhla Sehume for the conversation.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.