Dripping in culture and champagne

I didn’t go to chase celebrities or collect selfies. I went because something told me the theme “Marvels of Mzansi” wasn’t just a call to fashion, it was a calling, full stop. A chance to witness what Southern Africa looks like when we show up in our fullest, freest selves. And Durban, as always, had the perfect stage for it.

By the time our Air Botswana flight glided over the ocean and touched down at King Shaka International Airport, I had already decided that I wouldn’t just be an attendee. I would let the city have me fully. And it did. Durban didn’t introduce itself. It embraced me. She doesn’t shout her beauty. She glows with it. Sometimes loud and luminous, sometimes slow and sultry, but always sure of herself.