Zayaan Khan, image by Ishay Govender-Ypma Food activist, seed librarian and community-driven leader, Zayaan Khan is changing the foodscape from the ground up. Written for Kulula's inflight magazine, Khuluma, 21 June 2017 Food As Sustenance, Knowledge, Life “Try this,” Capetonian Zayaan Khan (32) says, a headscarf draped loosely bandana-style over her cropped [...]
South Indian Sour Porridge in South Africa Sunlight streams in the early morning over the vessels on the wood fire outside; the drums with water heating for bathing, the pots with the day’s lunch. A version of this appears on Roads & Kingdoms, August 2016. sour porridge with spring onions Sunlight streams in [...]
The expansive inner city districts of Johannesburg, once sidestepped by tourists, are now thriving with a boost from investment and passionate locals. Ishay Govender-Ypma hits the lively streets and spends some time walking Johannesburg. For SAA Sawubona Magazine, May 2015. The Prince of Newtown Just outside the Sci-Bono Discovery Centre in Newtown – hunkering and [...]
Tropes on Starving Kids from an 80s Kitchen - Things We Were Told Ishay Govender-Ypma reflects on an 80s youth of big hair, Band Aid and misguided rhetoric. Tropes on Starving Kids. This essay was written for Mail & Guardian. author with neighbourhood kids in the 80s It was the time of Halley’s [...]
Taste of the Swahili Coast - Swahili Food The Swahili Coast runs from southern Somalia to northern Mozambique, a unique cultural melting pot that reflects in the cuisine. For Fine Dining Lovers, July 2016. In the village of Alfeneseni, outside Zanzibar, an east African island popular with holidaymakers for its pristine white shores and [...]
Trust in Travel – What You Fear May be What They Fear While travelling the backroads, cities and towns of South Africa on an extended project, Ishay Govender soon learns that the trust in travel is a two-way street. For Mail & Guardian, May 2016. road that leads to... I’m texting my brother [...]
Trust in Travel – What You Fear May be What They Fear While travelling the backroads, cities and towns of South Africa on an extended project, Ishay Govender-Ypma soon learns that the trust in travel is a two-way street. For Mail & Guardian, May 2016. road that leads to... I’m texting my brother [...]
Beyond the glittery resorts in Zanzibar, Tanzania, we meet a family in a village who allow us a glimpse into Zanzibari food culture. For Business Day WANTED magazine, April 2016
GET THE GARDEN ROUTE RIGHT Based on an article for Sunday Times Travel UK Dec/Jan 2015, my guide to Best of the Garden Route The Garden Route is a crowd-pleaser. Want beaches? The road works its way along some of the creamiest swathes in the country. Prefer mountains? You’ll cruise hairpin bends atop dramatic peaks. [...]
A tough city for artists, Ishay Govender-Ypma explores the heart of the Durban’s Art Scene and creative spirit. For AFK Travel Undercover City Durban Taxi Mural Durban’s potential tends to bubble beneath the surface, not quite as bold and direct as Johannesburg or Cape Town. Durban is a laid-back city on many counts, [...]
Tackling the Drakensberg Amphitheatre with a disabling fear of heights and sedentary city-lifestyle are some of the challenges that newbie-hiker Ishay Govender-Ypma faces head-on in the Drakensberg.
Summer in South Africa means platters of crayfish and local oysters, and glasses of local Chenin Blanc enjoyed by the water’s edge. *Olive Magazine asked me for my top ten defining Cape Town bites....not an easy ask. Out in Dec 2015 issue* Prime Position Luke Dale-Robert’s The Pot Luck Club, headed up by rising star Wesley [...]
A Love Letter to Durban, city of my birth - South Africa Durban, my hometown - the love I have for the city that made me who I am today. Durban ("Durbs") will forever live in my heart. For AFK Travel, 15 Dec 2015. From the chilly west coast of South Africa, I find myself looking [...]
A new Way for Blacks to Travel in Africa - Group Tours are In Parties with locals on a luxe rooftop in Accra, a fashion show in Nairobi and a rap concert in Marrakesh, learning a traditional recipe from your friend’s grandmother in Dakar. Ishay Govender-Ypma looks at a new breed of group tours, a [...]
Head in the clouds - Panorama Route In need of a break and a change of scenery, Ishay Govender-Ypma and her husband packed the car and headed for the Panorama Route on a simple quest: explore, unwind and recharge. For Getaway Magazine, May 2015. It’s the gateway to Kruger, but the tumbling geography that plunges through [...]
Returning to your childhood home - my journey Ishay Govender-Ypma reflects on her returning to your childhood home, the changes that make visiting difficult and the constant pull to return. For Visi Magazine. Each year I return to our family home that rests at the bottom of steep road. The suburb has faded somewhat into [...]
Urban Fish Farming in South Africa - a fish farm in Philipi, South Africa is creating jobs for the unemployed and protein for the hungry.
Stellenbosch beyond the vineyards - Western Cape Traditionally, Stellenbosch has been the town of wineries and wealthy students. There is much more to experience though, as Ishay Govender-Ypma discovered: Stellenbosch beyond the vineyards. For Business Day 5 Dec 2014. Mandela art work Cultural Immersion Through the tight alleyways, single file we follow Thembi [...]
The Swartland Winelands - Sizzling! While areas like Stellenbosch and Franschhoek are synonymous with good South African wines, the Swartland has gained a reputation for its sublime, soulful wines. A tough area to tame, new-age winemakers have taken to the sun and soil here, drawing on a sense of community. Non-commercial, with a striking background [...]
Festival Food The beats are rocking; your best mates are dancing close to you dressed in equally outrageous outfits. The mutual consensus is that you are all ravenous. Festival food - what can you expect? Long gone are the days of lurid pink viennas...This article appeared in SAA Mango Juice magazine, October 2014. It’s three [...]
