St Francis Bay Calamari Festival

The festival started with a long queue of people anxious to join in the festivities. Unfortunately, it was extremely dark and loud inside the tent so it wasn't possible to film there, but luckily there was enough happening at the markets that we could have a chat with some of the stall owners AND the weather was perfect.

The closer I got to the market, the more I could hear the bustling sound of people having a laugh as well as drums and other instruments playing. What was interesting is that the vibe envoked feelings of nostalgia, as if I was away from my beloved country for months and oblivious to the happiness that I missed out on. It was wonderful. The sounds of Africa.

I had the opportunity to have a chat with some of the locals and it's always a pleasure as a filmmaker to be around people who are eager to have a chat on camera.

There were some interesting innovations, great tasting food, and arts and crafts that truly does South Africa justice. We have some amazing people in our country and this statement was proven to be true when listening to some of their stories, especially after so many of them lost their jobs during COVID lockdowns and decided to start their own business instead of allowing life to keep them knocked down.

Every event is made or broken by the people attending, and in this case the event turned out to be perfect.

Author: Joubert Grigor