By Thubelihle Mathonsi
The Church Square is buzzing with people from different places. Westlife music is playing from a speaker somewhere, and the colourful stalls with toys are all giving me a sense of nostalgia. The smell of grilled meat fills the air, a little child holds on to their father’s pants with one hand while carrying a dummy sweet in the other.
A stall draws me in. There is beadwork, friendship bracelets, and watches. The person selling them has been coming to the Festival for three years now. “I love working for myself. I am an entrepreneur,” she says. She is very friendly, and although she is not comfortable with her face being on camera, she lets me take a few pictures of her stall.
I pass by a group of friends who are selling some clothes, and they ask me to take some pictures of them, and the music is still playing. One of them is hesitant, and their friend convinces him to join. He joins, but his hood is still down, and he cracks a smile beneath it.
A person tries on a jacket and it suits her. She is happy with her find and her friend is hyping her up from the sideline. “It really suits you,” she says. With that the deal is sealed and she’s taking it home.
Across the street there is a stall full of leather bags, wallets and belts. The stallholder tells me he’s been doing this for ten years now with two of his brothers. All the bags are handmade. He makes about ten a day. ”When it has been cut I can sew it using a machine,” he says. His bags are leather and he promises a twenty-year guarantee. I ask for the price of one and it is a bit steep. He then mentions a discount for students and it helps a little. These are really nice bags.
