Culture

The Dose of Cool That Saved Johannesburg

Rebirth

The hostel reputed to be Mandela’s apartheid-era hideout is now the center of a network of cultural entrepreneurs who have helped revive the South African city.

articles/2015/07/17/the-dose-of-cool-that-saved-johannesburg/150716-ferguson-south-africa-tease_vwkm8c
Garfield Larmond for The Daily Beast

“There’s something really special about being molded in the brimstone and fire that is Johannesburg,” says slam poet Lebohang Masango.

“If you’re in South Africa and you want to actualize some kind of dream, this is the place you come to.”

The 24-year-old, who goes by the name Nova, tells me this...

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