One of the aspects of Durban life that I love most is the beachfront. For me it is a great symbol of what makes Durban so special. It is the paradigm of diversity.
Sadly, 28 years after Mandela’s release and 24 years after the advent of democracy, we know that spaces in which South Africans can proudly celebrate their diversity are few and far between. Perhaps that is why we still keep spending money on "social cohesion" jamborees because it rarely happens naturally. The different groups in South Africa – whether identified by colour, by religion or by class – live alongside each other more or less comfortably. But it does not often feel as if they are naturally "sharing" the same space.
But the beachfront is different. I have the great privilege of living in North Beach and so I can watch the people on the beach throughout the day. And what strikes me is that the beachfront creates the ultimate democratic space. There are people here from all walks of life enjoying the beach side by side and rarely disturbed by the presence of people so very different from them.
It begins from the moment the sun rises. The keenest joggers are out early to get in a run while it is still cool and before they go off to spend their days cooped up in offices. Yoga mats are unrolled by people who, while not worshipping the sun, certainly turn to face the sun to fill their lungs with good energy for the day.
And on Sundays and other days, African church members in their white robes are praying on the beach, lighting candles, baptising initiates, and conducting their rituals with or without live chickens.
As it gets warmer, more people enter this space and find ways of pursuing what they enjoy and manage to do it without infringing other people's enjoyment.
The surfers are there when the waves are right. Most of them conform to the stereotype of the white dude with long blond hair and tattoos – but within that group there are also women surfers, older surfers and brown and black-skinned surfers. A few of the more rebellious schoolboys from George Campbell stop by to share a secretive cigarette before classes start. I see an elderly Jewish couple from my building enjoying a power walk before heading off to the café at the Durban Holocaust Centre (the other DHC) for their wonderful cakes. And from across the middle-class suburbs walkers, cyclists, runners, Segway riders and skateboarders weave without incident up and down the promenade. The variety of clothing further reinforces the image of diversity: the young white woman in a skimpy bikini walking happily alongside the Muslim woman in hijab. (The debate in France a few years ago about banning Islamic dresses from French beaches would have made no sense for Durbanites.)
The range of food and drink also shows the great diversity of beachfront life. Spiced pineapple slices as you would find on a beach in Goa alongside fish and chips that you might find in Blackpool. Fast food outlets, shisha nyamas and cocktail bars each cater to their specific customer groups; and Afro’s chicken shack shows that trendy fashionability also has a place on the beachfront. Homeless guys are part of the mosaic hoping that a generous person will give them some food or, more sadly, rustling through the bins looking for food that they can eat but that richer people have rejected.
There are young people and families braaiing and playing music and creating their own pop-up clubs. And then there are all the Indian families who come in four generations, with dozens of pots and pans, and chairs and tables to transplant their dining room to the beach lawns and enjoy a splendid feast.
Different forms of art are always there to be enjoyed along the Golden Mile: Zulu drummers, acrobats, the Zimbabwean flautist, the man in a wheelchair playing his harmonium, and of course the highly creative sand artists. But this weekend there will an extra injection of the arts as the free Fresha Festival arrives at North Beach. Professional actors, dancers and musicians will be celebrating the diversity of the beachfront and also adding to it with their mix of performances: comedy, magic, mime, theatre, dance. And the performers themselves are a diverse group – from Durban, from other parts of SA and from other parts of the world.
Fresha is another example of how being on the beachfront with an open mind can surprise and delight you. I recall last year an elderly Afrikaans couple who were enjoying quiet time on the beach. The Fresha performers arrived in their space but, far from going off in a huff, they turned their deck chairs round and sat through the whole afternoon of entertainment – and then came back the next day for more.
As Durbanites, we can be proud of a space where all generations, all religions, all colours and all classes can come together and enjoy themselves and delight in other enjoying themselves in other ways. Let’s see how we can extend that to the rest of the city and indeed the rest of the country.
- Perrier is the director of the Hurley Centre