Thursday, November 20, 2008

Goodsh*t: Precious Souvenirs





If only I had my own shipping company I would have fully furnished my entire apartment whilst in Africa. Not only is it cheap, but vintage/antique shops and local markets are running rampant!!! Green Market Square in Cape Town is where I found the top 2 masks along with a couple of good luck dolls for my workmate. The merchant (Youssouf from Zimbabwe) had a very thick accent so I couldn't quite understand where he said "Ferdinand" hailed from (I asked him about 9 times, I figured I had better stop) but the 2nd mask is from the Ivory Coast and actually has a male mate which my friend owns (we bought them in a pair along with Ferdinand, around R850 for all 3, which is about $85). He said the female and male masks were worn by royalty, probably for ceremonial purposes, the other just remains a mystery!

The wooden springbok came from the Trading Post at Kalk Bay train station in Kalk Bay. (Kalk Bay is a little fishing village). This place is filled with innumerable precious things from all over the world. The shelves are lined with history and if you are lucky like most of the pieces here, the shop owner will tell you what year it is from and where it originated. Unfortunately for me, he did not know where this little fella came from, OH! the mysteries of Africa! I also picked up two Springbok pelts while on safari, they are very common and their meat is somewhat similar to beef. They are a BOOMING industry in South Africa, so I had to bring some back. (Photos to follow, they are draped all over the new livingroom!)

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