During March 11-21, 2023, “Come Sunday” host Lezlie Harrison and Institute of Jazz Studies executive director Wayne Winborne led a group of 64 WBGO listeners and members on a special trip to South Africa. Titled “The Soul of South Africa: Music, Heritage, and Wildlife,” the 11-day/10-night immersive trip featured tours of Johannesburg and Cape Town, as well as visits to the Cradle of Humankind, SOWETO, the Apartheid Museum, Pilanesberg National Park, the Sterkfontein Caves, the Bo-Kapp neighborhood, Table Mountain, the winelands of Stellenbosch and the Cape Peninsula, amongst other scenic and historic destinations.
The group had originally planned to attend the Cape Town Jazz Festival, but the festival was cancelled just before the trip. Nonetheless, the participants did get to take in South African jazz at the Wave Café in Johannesburg.
Harrison said that it was her first time to the continent. “I was really excited about visiting Johannesburg, Cape Town and all the points in between,” she explained. “Spending time taking in the sights and adventures with my new friends, the 64 WBGO listeners and supporters who made the trip memorable. We shared music, wines, evening and early morning safaris, meals and stories, united in our love for jazz and WBGO.”
Harrison added that there were plenty of surprises for her and the trip and participants. She particularly was taken with the safari. “I was surprised by how much I enjoyed the pre-dawn and late evening safaris through the Pilanesberg Game Reserve,” she said. “Riding for hours in an open-sided vehicle, seeing large game - which included, elephants, giraffes, wildebeest, and zebras - up close and roaming freely on the range was a highlight for this city girl.”
Overall, Harrison observed that there was much to learn and experience about the country and its history. “South Africa is a country still recovering from the aftermath of over 40 years of apartheid," she explained. "Our expert tour bus guides, shared with us the history and stories of pre- and post-apartheid while we toured through some the wealthiest neighborhoods to the most absolute extreme impoverished, underdeveloped townships. Our guides, Black and Coloured, explained to us the racial categories, which also include Whites and Indians. Their first hand experiences on the economic, cultural and political impact that the apartheid has had on the country—the people and the land—were invaluable.”
In 2024, WBGO will return to South Africa. Sign up here to learn more about the trip when the dates and details are announced later this year.