A year ago, our lives changed drastically. The country, and the world, went into a hard lockdown, toilet paper flew off the shelves, the queues at the supermarkets and liquor stores were super long as people were preparing for a 21-day lockdown as set out by the National Disaster Management Centre.
Only 21 days. It will not be that bad will it? A year later, we are still locked down, just on a different level.
To document this unprecedented time, Ingrid Jones (Mikateko Media Content Director and co-host of the Kyk-Net&Kie talk show Tussen Ons) created a group on Facebook called Lockdown Recipe Storytelling Book (LRSB) in June 2020. It birthed a beautiful recipe book by the same name based on the recipes and komvandaan (where you come from) stories shared by the members of the Facebook group. But the stories and recipes didn’t end there... These stories needed to be told. And so, the quarterly magazine Koe’sister came to be.
The latest Koe’sister (on shelves from 30 April) focuses on travel and food. With borders still closed, this issue hopes to connect its audience with flavours from places around the world.
“This is our third issue of Koe’sister magazine,” said Jones. “After much consulting with our intensely engaged Facebook community about what we should put on the cover, we’ve listened and this time around we’ve decided to go for a travel and food cover.”
Travel and food go together. When visiting another country, food plays a major role.
“Members of the LRSB group were encouraged to share their travel-meet-food stories, and what they found interesting in other countries,” said Jones. Their fascinating accounts can be read in this issue.
The LRSB group consists of people from all over the world, many have not met in real life, but they all share the same passion: food, togetherness, and trips down memory lane... Komvandaan stories. The group would celebrate and mourn together, and sadly in March, the group lost one of its own to Covid-19.
“This issue is dedicated to the memory of veteran journalist and political commentator, Karima Brown,” Jones states.
“She was a prolific poster and commentator and all-round friend to everyone in the Lockdown Recipe Storytelling Book group. She commented on everything and she shared in everyone’s joys and sadness. She was the queen of the sourdough and her passing left such a deep mark that we cannot imagine the group without her and we chose to dedicate the issue to her. But her memory lives on in the group and if people join, that is where they can access all her recipes, pictures of her son, her life – get to know the other side of Karima Brown.”
In a time where magazines are closing their doors as many people are migrating to digital platforms, Mikateko Media took a bold step with Koe’sister. It is different from other magazines. The magazine’s contributors are everyday people from the LRSB Facebook group. Every recipe has a story and while trying out the recipe in your own kitchen, it’s almost as if you’re inviting that person into your home.
“Everyone and everything have a place, and this is really about everyday people who live everyday lives, but it’s an extraordinary life nonetheless,” Jones says.
“We are democratic in writing the stories of food because for us there’s no high food or low food or middle food – we acknowledge the diversity of this country by showcasing everyone who choose to partake in the group. You can literally post in the language of your choice. That is why this magazine is so important.”
Koe’sister magazine can be purchased at selected Spar and Woolworths stores across the country for R50.
Alternatively, you can order the magazine (in print or digital format) at www.mosadionline.com/online-store