SPACES AND PLACES: JOHANNESBURG by Gerald Garner (Double G Media 2010)
If you think that pretentious Sandton or hip Greenside are among Johannesburg’s ‘hidden gems”, then Spaces and Places is the right book for you. And, if so, you’ll probably also think it’s unproblematic that areas such as Troyeville or Yeoville — with all their rich history and culture — go unmentioned in Gerald Garner’s guide to the city.
A full account of Johannesburg’s diversity and dynamism this is not. Garner is certainly a Jozi fan — so am I — and, as with all such fans, he wants to overturn the prejudices many hold about certain areas of the city. So his book should, in part, be read as what Garner says it is — a subjective account of one person’s take on the city.
But this sometimes disorganised account of what South Africa’s largest cosmopolitan hub has to offer will be only partly helpful to its intended audience — such as tourists, who will know little of the city to start with, and residents who want to know more about their home town.
Spaces and Places uses the right fan-type, cheerful adjectives for Jo’burg but essentially fails to disclose anything new about the city. Its subtitle, ‘Guide to Joburg’s Hidden Gems”, appears forgotten by the time you reach the table of contents, which features such unhidden spots as Ellis Park, Rosebank, Melrose Arch and Hyde Park.
But if you have time on your hands Spaces and Places is an entertaining read and many photographs complement Garner’s extensive descriptions of his Jo’burg favourites. And he does manage to capture something of the contrasting characters of the city.
In the section ‘Village Life”, in which neighbourhoods such as Linden unexpectedly receive a thumbs-up, Garner presents tranquil segments of the city that will satisfy your urge for caffeine and books. But is the title of this section meant to persuade us that Linden or Greenside or Soweto’s Vilakazi Street evoke the street life of Paris or Madrid or London? By contrast, areas like Newtown and downtown Jo’burg find their place in the ‘Urban Life” section and are depicted as correspondingly vibrant. As Garner points out, the recent upgrading of many buildings there is beginning to bring out latent potential in the city.
If it were not for the fact that Garner warns in his preface that the book is not meant to be a travel directory, then one might say: ‘Okay, for a tourist, Rosebank could be a ‘hidden’ spot.” But not even a newcomer is likely to find Spaces and Places useful for exploring Jo’burg.
Once a stranger in town myself, the types of handy information that people look for when they buy a book about a city they don’t know are almost entirely absent. Other than in the last three pages, where places are listed with their web links, the book lacks the specific addresses or map sketches that help you get around.
Knowing the city fairly well today, I can’t see compelling reasons to buy this slightly confusing compilation of one person’s choices in the city. But for its contribution to challenging Jo’burg’s unfairly negative image, Spaces and Places should receive some credit: although Garner’s book might not be a tourist’s practical guide, it is an ode to the charm of Jo’burg.
For myself, I find the city welcoming to whoever is willing to give it a chance. So is it really mere ignorance — as Garner seems to assume — that stops locals (and others) visiting, say, Newtown? I think people consciously decide to remain within clearly delineated boundaries and that this is what prevents them from getting more from the city. If that is true, then Spaces and Places can only do so much to help people get out of their comfort zones. You can only live up to the wonders of Jo’burg if you have the right attitude and this no book can tell you where to get.
Jazmin Acuña is from Paraguay and is a short-term intern at the M&G