Followers of my Instagram account know how much I love living in George. I’ve been boasting about this city even when it wasn’t obvious to others why I should take such pride in it. When my family moved here in 2018, George was still a small, gritty pseudo-city with an economy built on industrial activity. The culture skewed heavily conservative and Afrikaner, and if you wanted to make inroads in business, you needed to have gone to the right school, attended the right church, and known the right people. But it was quiet and safe – and that, for many who’ve relocated here, has always been its appeal.
Now, such parochial attitudes may sound like a nightmare for an outsider (especially for an immigrant who thrives on the inspiration a city offers to feed her creativity) but I’ve lived in enough small towns to know that these are exactly the conditions that give way to vibrant growth. In countless conversations with people who didn’t quite “fit the mold” – those living alternative lifestyles, expanding beliefs around faith, or as comfortable in fishnets as they are in veldskoen – I discovered a hidden side of this place waiting to burst through its veneer. Thanks to a handful of risk-takers, the creative arts and food culture are flourishing. Once, the most exotic thing to eat here was a Big Mac. Now, George boasts restaurants that serve innovative Pan-Asian fare, sumptuous French dining, and authentic Durban Indian cuisine infused with Zulu flavors. Our stage theater has begun to take bold risks, leaning into the risque and the spooky, unimaginable just fifteen years ago. Bit by bit, people are breaking out of silos and connecting in unexpected ways.
Heritage Day is the perfect canvas for such experiments. South Africa, fondly called the Rainbow Nation, is home to twelve distinct cultural groups. Every year on September 24th, the country celebrates the traditions and values that make this land unlike any other. Despite its challenges, South Africa remains a place where dreams can be realized, where you can experience the full spectrum of humanity. You can experience the world right here in Mzansi.
I call George a “quietly cosmopolitan city.” If you’re open, you can chat with someone from Brazil in the morning, bump into a stranger from the UK at lunch, and share a laugh with a Venda by evening. This is the magic and magnetism of South Africa. As brand ambassadors for The Happy Company, my colleague Udy Obi and I leaned into this spirit with a Heritage Day photoshoot at Montenegro, exploring the theme of Afroelegance.
Together we reimagined a future of abundance, collaboration, and cultural cohesion. There was no agenda…only an invitation for each person to show up as their authentic self, representing the grace and flamboyance of their heritage or, in some cases, a proudly adopted one. The results were stunning. For many, it was a first: meeting someone from Taiwan, or sharing a glass of wine with someone from the kasi. George, though quietly cosmopolitan, is still South Africa in miniature – with its divides of race and class; but evenings like this remind us that those divides need not define us. In a world increasingly turning inward, celebrating individualism and isolation – and more alarmingly, hostility towards anyone perceived as different – we chose instead to honor the spirit of the African Continent: abundance and inclusion.
While it’s impossible to capture the high emotions of that evening, I hope the sincerity is reflected in every smile. They embody the joy this city, and indeed this country, strives toward. Heritage Day is more than a nod to the past; it’s an invitation to imagine a happier, more connected future. Happiness, like heritage, is richest when shared – and in George, I’ve found that both are quietly, but unmistakably, abundant.
Want to see more? Head over to the HappyinZA social media pages to see the full spread and behind the scenes for this iconic shoot directed and shot by KingJolin and Ryno Photography.