I heart Market Saturday, 7 September 2024 - Durban

Spring has sprung! This month’s  I heart Market at Northlands Primary School in Durban North, takes place on Saturday 7 September and features the Spring Sale, the second and final sale market of the year.

“If you love shopping for bargains and supporting local makers, this is the market for you—especially if you’re looking to get a head start on your Christmas shopping,” says Tanith Molliere, Manager of the Market. “These sought-after sale events are always well-attended because this is one of only two times a year where our vendors offer their amazing crafts and products at especially discounted prices.”

The I heart Market offers a carefully curated selection of exclusive, innovative, handmade, homemade, and locally designed products. Shoppers can expect to find a broad range of items, including unique crafts, art, fashion, jewellery, homeware, children’s goods, and upcycled treasures. Alongside the shopping experience, visitors can indulge in a mouth-watering array of food in the food court, as well as craft gin and beer in the garden.

“We’re always on the lookout for fresh talent to join our community of creators,” adds Tanith. “We encourage ‘makers’ with unique, self-designed, and locally produced items to connect with us. Whether a jeweller, ceramicist, chef, cook, designer or innovator, this could is an ideal opportunity for makers to introduce news creations at our market.” 

Makers and food vendors can apply to Tanith on this link : https://www.iheartmarket.com/apply/

For those with small children, there is a dedicated play area and a pram park, allowing adults to have a stress-free shopping experience. The School Hall has air conditioning, guaranteeing a comfortable visit rain or shine.  There are also designated areas for parking within the school grounds and precinct monitored by security guards.

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Embrace Artisanal Craftsmanship and Support Local at I heart Market 2 March

The regular I heart Market, which takes place this month on Saturday 2 March from 9am - 2pm at Northlands Primary School, in Durban North, is an opportunity to dive into the vibrant world of some of Durban’s finest artisans and craft makers.

The Market is renowned for its impeccable ethos of craftsmanship with quality being the focus of the carefully curated selection of handcrafted treasures spanning fashion, décor, jewellery, candles, natural skincare, kids' clothing, toys, deli goods, delicious meals, and much more.

“At I heart Market, we are not just a marketplace; we are a celebration of the local creative spirit,” says Manager of the Market, Tanith Molliere. “Our market pulsates with the heartbeat of Durban's makers, showcasing the dedication and passion of homegrown artisans, creators, and entrepreneurs.”

"We believe in the power of shopping local," says Tanith. "Our ethos revolves around saying YES to unique, locally produced goods. Think of handcrafted, artisanal, organic, repurposed, or upcycled items - each telling a story of creativity and authenticity. We say NO to imported goods and mass production, championing the essence of craftsmanship and individuality. Our customers can feel a sense of pride knowing that they are supporting our local creative community, and helping to uplift and empower small businesses.”

In line with the Market’s commitment to fostering community connections, new traders are invited to join the market and can apply through the website: www.iheartmarket.com/apply/

In addition to the diverse array of artisanal offerings, the Market offers a dedicated kids' play area (with a pram park), helping to create a stress-free outing for parents and children alike, and the venue is the School Hall which is air-conditioned, enabling the market to take place rain or shine.

Parking is available in designated school areas, with security guards to ensure a safe and enjoyable experience.  

For more info contact info@iheartmkt.com.

Action in Autism hosts its annual market on 10 December 2022

Action in Autism (NPO) will host its annual market on Saturday, 10 December, at their premises, 105 Haig Road, Parkhill, Durban North from 9 am to 2 pm.  This has become a much-anticipated annual event that the students of the Action in Autism’s Shahumna Centre, a skills transfer and business hub, have been hard at work, preparing for.

The Shahumna Centre offers a three-year skills and entrepreneurship programme for autistic adults. The programme focuses on areas such as food preparation and catering, horticultural crop gardening and indigenous plant propagation, and arts and crafts.

“The students of the Centre have developed their skills to plan, prepare and manage the various steps associated with a successful market," said Ashvir Dalu, manager of the Shahumna Centre. “The academic curriculum offers theoretical knowledge on running a business and this market provides them with an opportunity to engage with the community and put into practice the skills they have learnt. The support of the community is pivotal to the success of the market.

The organisation is calling on the local community and the greater Durban area to support the market, and our autistic students. This market is a step towards promoting an inclusive, neurodiverse society that is accepting of autistic people.

Simon Grobler, an autistic student at the centre, commented “Our market is a place where people of neurodiverse backgrounds can experience an exciting day with family and friends, while also shopping for different items and food. It enables us as neurodiverse individuals to interact with others on a professional level and financially support this organisation that ultimately supports neurodiverse people.”

Action in Autism’s other flagship projects includes an Early Learning Intervention Centre which provides early intervention and therapy for infants and children in a non-discriminatory, first come first serve basis. The organization’s Assessment and Therapy Wing provides comprehensive assessments and therapies and caters for all.

The market aims to raise funds essential for the operational costs of the organisation, and to continue the services offered, which include, a quarterly free diagnostic clinic, a bi-annual skills transference workshop for parents, educators and professionals, and a walk-in resource centre that provides support for parents and caregivers of autistic people.

Patrons of the market can indulge in the delicious baked goods prepared by the food production students, select fresh produce and succulent planters grown by the plant propagation team, browse through pre-loved clothing and homeware, purchase Christmas presents, and décor created by the arts and craft students, enjoy a jumping castle and simply have fun in the kiddies zone. The market will also have external vendors present, adding to the variety of items that will be on sale.

Action in Autism welcomes your support through a cash donation or resources, or through volunteering your services. If you would like to attend the market, make a donation of pre-loved clothing, plants, or household goods, book a table to trade, or for more information about the market, please call 031 563 3039, email info@actioninautism.org.za or ashvir@actioninautism.org.za.

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Durban’s Lower Molweni Begins to Ramp up its Tourism Offerings

Four organisations in Durban, have been collaborating to support and develop the exquisite Lower Molweni Valley for local and international tourism, in an effort to stimulate and drive the community’s economy in a setting that has high tourism potential.

Lower Molweni  is a short drive into the Valley of 1000 Hills from Hillcrest and is a hikers, birders and nature-lovers paradise. Now Durban’s Green Corridors, with its vision to see communities thrive in balance with the habitats around them, is working together with the local organisations: Kloof Conservancy, Philangethemba Impact, and 1000 Hills Community Tourism Organisation, to develop eco-tourism initiatives that create local employment and business opportunities and at the same time protect the environment. 

A welcome break during a hike atop the granite waterfall, with muffins and juice catered for by K&X Café with rugs and cushions created by the Ibongezi Crafters.

These organisations, which have varying mandates, have pooled resources and ideas with Green Corridors: The Kloof Conservancy, aims to promote environmental awareness and conserve the area’s natural habitats; Philangethemba Impact, is a collaborative empowerment programme between the social outreach ministry of St Agnes Anglican Church in Kloof, and the neighbouring Molweni Valley community, and 1000 Hills CTO, is the local community tourism organisation promoting tourism in this area. 

Currently, in this area there is a network of community-developed nature trails that lead hikers through the spectacular rugged cliffs and forests of the area, just on the outskirts of the Krantzkloof Nature Reserve. This reserve has is a biodiversity treasure trove including 50 mammals, 253 bird, 35 reptiles, 150 butterflies, 273 tree and over 1500 plant species.

Much work is being done by partners on the ground including the community of Lower Molweni Trust around various new and exciting tourism opportunities, including a 1.4km zipline, which is planned to be the longest in South Africa, experiential and cultural tours around the local community, and Pop up Camping - Green Corridors’ unique portable camping experience which can move from site to site.

For local community members, microbusinesses have started up, as a result, providing employment opportunities and are expected to grow as interest in the area increases. Businesses include trail clearers who cut paths and remove alien plants from the trails; litter and waste controllers, a catering business K&X Café and Ibongezi Crafters based at the Philangethemba Impact site – the start point of the nature trails. Local trail guides are being trained and mentored by experienced Green Corridors nature guides.

“We aim to develop local tourism opportunities and help stimulate community-based economies, through our vision to connect people to the planet,” says Duncan Pritchard, of Green Corridors. “The support of tourism in this area plays a pivotal role in ensuring the long-term conservation of this incredibly beautiful part of Durban. This is all achievable by integrating socio-economic needs with conservation needs, and by working hand in hand with local organisations and the communities in and around the area.”

“Our overall goal is to create hope and tangible outcomes for the people in this area,” says Siphiwe Gumede of Philangethemba Impact. “Adding an adventure aspect to the offering like the zipline, will help to draw people to the area, and stimulate the various small businesses that rely on tourism.”

“Central to what we do is to promote the area to support businesses operating in this exquisite environment here in the Valley of 1000 Hills,” says Jennifer Gregory, of the 1000 Hills Community Tourism Organisation. “Key to this is ensuring the environment lives up to the promise, so part of that is to have local buy-in and interest in what is being planned, to maintain its natural beauty.”

Hikers at Lower Molweni

Paolo Candotti, Chairman of the Kloof Conservancy says, “This is a really exciting collaboration for us all, as we work together to find the solution to the social and environmental needs of the people in this area. As we collaborate to find workable and sustainable ways to develop the tourism offerings, we are always open to sharing knowledge and welcoming other organisations and partners who are interested.”

All trails are guided. For more information or to book contact: +27 (0)31 322 6026/7 +27 (78) 726 4890 or email frontdesk@greencorridors.africa

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Durban Link for European Film Festival - Fernando Pessoa, celebrated Portuguese Poet

Local Durban link to Portuguese film at European Film Festival 

One of the films showing at the 8th European Film Festival,  which is online and free between 14 and 24 October, is the Portuguese film The Year of the Death of Ricardo Reis – which has an interesting connection to Durban. 

It’s a beautifully shot black and white film, based on the novel by Jose Saramago, who won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1998. The character - Ricardo Reis -  is a persona created by Fernando Pessoa, and Pessoa's ghost is a central part of the film.  Fernando Pessoa was one of the greatest of Portuguese poets and is, not everybody knows, an alumni of Durban High School – there is a bust of Pessoa in the Durban CBD.

Film Synopsis for The Year of the Death of Ricardo Reis: 

Fernando Pessoa, one of the greatest writers of the Portuguese language, established a gigantic parallel universe creating a series of heteronyms to survive his loneliness of genius. Nobel laureate of literature José Saramago wrote this novel about one of these heteronymous characters, Ricardo Reis, a fictitious author, with unique personality and style, who returns to Portugal, after 16 years of exile in Brazil. 1936 is the year of all danger, Mussolini's fascism, Hitler's Nazism, the terrible Spanish civil war and Salazar's Estado Novo in Portugal, but this is all a delicate backcloth to Ricardo's dalliances with women and his mysterious encounters with the ghost of Fernando Pessoa.

"The Year of the Death of Ricardo Reis is a unique and magnificent work by José Saramago, but if there is another way of telling this novel, equally unique and magnificent, it is this film unravelling by veteran director João Botelho.Botelho's screenplay and direction is crucially supported by João Ribeiro's beautiful black and white cinematography, fostering a unique aesthetic-narrative construction for the telling of this story.’ . Carolina Alves, C7nema

Reviews

In a perfect filmology of sensations, the small gestures, looks, intimate close shots, tell us of memories, thoughts, and secrets in a visually poetic manner that is transcendent of text or dialogue. Carolina Alves, C7nema

Botelho films exquisitely between light and shadow, with a visual richness reminiscent of the best of French impressionism and a tempo that sways the senses.  Seville Festival

This film adaptation treats characters and circumstances with a solemnity reverent to the Nobel prize-winners book, enveloping the celebration of the word with a framework that is close to meta-language. Marcello Muller, Papo de Cinema

Visit www.eurofilmfest.co.za for more on the free online festival of 18 new films and to access the screenings.

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Fun Outdoor (Social Distancing) Activities at Mnini Dam for the Holidays - south of Durban

Fun Outdoor (Social Distancing) Activities at Mnini Dam for the Holidays 

Just 30 minutes south of Durban’s CBD, in the heart of quiet rural uMgababa area alongside the Mnini Dam there are a number of fun outdoor leisure activities hosted all-year-round by Green Corridors and its partners.

With the COVID-19 pandemic expected to reach its peak during the July holidays, and with citizens being urged not to travel unnecessarily for leisure, there are many healthy and safe outdoor options close to home which allow families to have some good old-fashioned fun.

Calm and quiet at Mnini Dam

 Activities on offer include fishing, canoeing, boating, hiking and birding. There is also a network of trails that allow for exploring, birding, mountain biking and hiking - all enabling safe social distancing for groups in their own “bubbles.”  There are accommodation choices too for overnight and mini-break stays.

The dam itself boasts largemouth bass, tilapia and an abundance of bird life.

Thulas' Adventures, with host Thulas Luthuli, an accredited guide, gives insightful and engaging guided walks and cycling tours around the area including a visit to the local Sangoma. For bird-lovers, there is also great birding, and for the more adventurous canoeing, and a spectacular walk up the Nsingizane River to a waterfall and pool, where, in hotter months, you can enjoy a leisurely swim.  Join him as he expands on the cultural history of the area, as well as allowing you to just enjoy being outdoors and in nature. Thulas, together with partners Green Corridors, also offers accommodation in the form of the pop-up camps – with up to eight two-man tents, a communal catering area (fully catered or self-catered), ablutions, and security. All these are booked via Green Corridors.

Thulas Luthuli - your tour guide is ready to welcome you.

Pop up camps - should you want to stay over night.

Spectacular walk up the Nsingizane River

 Mnini Dam Tourist Resort, hosts, Mlu and Sphiwe Shezi-Mqadi welcome guests all week, offering catch and release bass fishing, canoeing, picnicking and trail options. Permanent gazebos with braai facilities, a jungle gym, and grassy lawns overlooking the dam, make it a safe and fun space to relax.

Canoes for hire

Gazebos, braai facilities, lawns and a jungle gym at Mnini Dam Tourist Resort

Your hosts Mlu and Sphiwe Shezi-Mqadi are ready to welcome you to their Mnini Dam Tourist Resort

 Mlu and Sphiwe offer boat hire and launch facilities, a bar and grill, frozen braai packs, and bait, and overnight camping. When lockdown regulations allow, they also cater regularly for special events such as weddings and birthday parties.

They have recently built four warmly appointed rooms with en-suites, which they offer at a BnB rate with a full English breakfast, for those wanting a more comfortable overnight stay away from the city.

Mnini Dam Tourist Resort offers 4 double rooms with ensuite bathrooms as well as camping options should you want to stay overnight.

Mnini Dam Tourist Resort offers BnB with a full English Breakfast

Both sites enjoy committed involvement from their communities and the well-being  and security of guests is important to them. Take time to stop and chat to people on the roads,  and expect yells of delight and joyous laughter from children, as you are welcomed with open arms to this small slice of paradise.

Bookings for Thulas' Adventures activities and pop-up camp can be done via reservations@durbangreencorridor.co.za or call 031 322 6026/7.

Bookings for overnight accommodation at Mini Resort can be done via +27 83 514 1685 or piyoyomi@gmail.com

I heart Market Moves to The Hay Store at the Point Waterfront Next Market – Spring Sale - 7 September from 9am to 2pm

Media Release

I heart Market Moves to The Hay Store at the Point Waterfront

Next Market – Spring Sale - 7 September from 9am to 2pm

Durban’s iconic hip and happening I heart Market has a new home at The Hay Store at the Point Waterfront and will celebrate its new location with a sizzling Spring Sale on Saturday, September 7 from 9am to 2pm.

“Situated in Durban’s evolving Point Waterfront, on the corner of Albert Terrace and Camperdown Road, the Hay Store is innovative urban warehouse which is exactly what we need to take the I heart Market to the next level,” says owner Anna Savage. “We are creating a welcoming community space that will be filled with fun activities and unique experiences, great food and retail therapy with heart.”

The market recently had to move from the Moses Mabhida Stadium following an unexpected high rental hike. “I realized that with this change of venue we had an opportunity to embrace the change and start implementing more experiential aspects to the Market that we had been wanting to do for a while, but were not able to do, due to venue constraints,” says Anna. “We are very excited about the move. The Waterfront has a lot going for it – Ushaka, great beaches, the North Pier at the entrance of the harbour has just been opened, The Vetchs promenade extension will be opening in the future, and there are interesting neighbours like Robsons Brewery, The Chairman Jazz Club and Ciao Bella Restaurant.”

“Our previous venue was so unique that we realized that we needed to look for another venue that was equally unique but completely different at the same time. And we have some interesting ideas which we will plan and roll out over time.” 

The Hay Store is a creative space with ample outdoor areas. The craft area will be housed inside the aesthetically pleasing industrial columned warehouse and seating and eating will be set up outside in a paved courtyard space. This first market here in September will focus on its annual Spring Sale, where shoppers can hunt down some great bargains.

There is plenty on-street parking with car-guards, and uShaka parking is directly across the road with a pedestrian gate access. It is also on the People Mover route, and can be reached by bicycle or walking from the  Promenade. 

For more information go to iheartmarket.com.