Drumming & Dining

Surrounded by age old Oaks, with the inviting glow of moyo's signature fire imbola's, is the setting for Gauteng’s only regular drumming circle open to all members of the public.

On the first Wednesday of every month, moyo Fountains ignites with both fire and passion, stirred by the rhythmic beat of over one hundred guests participating in this unique social event!

Welcomed with a glass of Welmoed Merlot or Sauvignon Blanc and the melodic sound’s of Hillary and Onwell playing their unique traditional Mbira instrument, guests make their way to the nearby circle participating in a drumming drama which unfolds during the course of 45 minutes.

Driven by the charismatic Drum Cafe team, guests are fed a series of intricate drumming patterns, climaxing with an explosion of sound, soul and collective energy!

Hidden talents have a way of emerging when the vibe is just right and if you are lucky one of the skilled performers may strut his stuff with a fiery display of somewhat unconventional artistry….

Once the drumming has reached its zenith, appetites are awakened and the evening evolves into a gastronomic adventure with taste sensations from all over Africa included in the buffet dinner line up.

BUT the eve is not complete without a short drumming extravaganza from the featured act for the night!

If you are moved by muscles and bare torsos, then the sheer power of SilverBlack will keep you going for weeks to come! Alternatively the gorgeous all female marimba band Basadi Le Meropa with their vibrant classic African songs will keep your spirit’s high and get you to wish you had brought along those dancing shoes!

The drumming, a glass of wine, featured 20 min performance and buffet dinner are offered at the insanely cheap fee of R150 per person! Booking is essential!

So If you are interested in participating in the next Drumming & Dining session at moyo Fountains then email to zandri@moyo.co.za or call 012 341 5721

See you there!

xxx

gh_moyo

They say that diamonds are a girl’s best friend but I beg to differ ...

There is nothing more delicious than savouring the taste of good chocolate, the soft crackling taste of divine deliciousness!

It has the power to change our whole world … our emotional state and unfortunately our weight!

But what if the chocolate that you eat had the potential to be the friend that always makes you feel great without the pressing thoughts of scales, measuring tapes and your old pair of jeans that has become your ultimate goal and your secret new year’s resolution.

Well, I think that I might have found the answer.

Cocoafair is the first organic bean to bar factory in Africa meaning that there was delicate artistry used to produce this beautiful packaged product without harming Mother Nature.

Their aim is to base their company on social entrepreneurship using innovative business practices to create sustainable solutions to pressing social problems such as poverty.

They carefully consider the effects of purchasing conditions. They support long-term partnerships with farmers that leads to economic stability for their families, which in turn improves access to education by allowing children to stay in school instead of work, leads to increased food stability and healthy nutrition as a result of providing stable incomes, and creates opportunities for farmers to invest in equipment and other resources that help their businesses grow.

Girls I don’t know if your mothers told you this but knowing all of this… a chocolate a day keeps the doctor away!

Cocoafair also run community projects such as the Children’s Recycled Tube Art Project. A project that was inspired by factory’s throwing away thick cardboard tubes. Cocoafair repurposes them into packaging for chocolates by having local school children decorate the tubes as an art project. Cocoafair provides non toxic paints and brushes and donate the profits back to local schools.

Moyo supports cocoafair by purchasing their products for their Blouberg, Spier and Zoo Lake shops. “Soul” meets “soul”. The African story starts with sugar from Mozambique and cocoa beans from Ghana.

This is certainly a mouthful, but a mouthful of deliciousness, down to the core good chocolate! Helping humanity and Mother Nature – I have already thrown away the scale, measuring tape and those haunting jeans … they were old anyway!

'Till next time CarmenD

carmen@moyo.co.za

www.moyo.co.za

moyo is “lekker by die see”

When thinking of summertime, one thinks of sea, sun, bikini’s and coconut oil and for some building sandcastles, but let me add a few new synonyms: pink drinks, surfboards, DJ action and breathtaking sunsets.

There is nothing that spells out summertime like moyo, sipping on a cocktail (or an ice cold draught for the boys), sitting with your feet in the water at a surfboard table or lazing at the pool.

Should the Atlantic Ocean not be your destination of choice, then how about the warmer Indian Ocean and a visit to the moyo Pier Bar situated 150m into the sea. And with the sun setting over the Moses Mabhida Stadium, toast the summer with a glass of bubbly on the Pier or make the Beach Bar your watering hole.

So if you are joining us for a meal, cocktail or to party with the DJ – moyo is “lekker by die see”

Pink drink anyone?

“The Freelancer”

www.moyo.co.za

info@moyo.co.za

I REMEMBER ... When jam tasted like the fruit from which it was made.

It is this flavour that Tierhoek Organic captures in every jar of farm-made jam.

Alison and Bruce Gilson use fresh, sun-ripened organic fruit from their certified organic orchards to make their range of jam and sulphur free dried fruit. Tierhoek Organic jams use a generous 60% fruit for every jar made making them not only Extra Fruit jam, but also Reduced Sugar Jam. Tierhoek organics are situated in the beautiful Noree Valley, Robertson – Exit off R60 at Rooiberg Winery.

Apricot, Plum, Quince and Peach…..the classic varieties that your grandmother grew in her garden. It is these fruits that form the Tierhoek Organic range. With refined, colour co-ordinated labelling and using re-cyclabe glass jars Tierhoek Organic jams are a great addition to your kitchen…..and not only for breakfast. Tierhoek Organic jam can be used for basting meat for the braai, in cakes and tarts, mixed into vinegarettes or warmed up and poured over ice-cream – a decadent indulgence

Tierhoek Organic Jam is exactly as you always remember jam should taste…..delicious!

We have stocked our retail outlets with this amazing range – come visit and experience the taste of nature captured in this mouth watering products.

Organically yours
Carmen - carmen@moyo.co.za
www.moyo.co.za

For more info on Tierhoek organics visit www.tierhoekorganic.com

moyo and Zip Zap magic

It was set to be a magical evening – Zip Zap Circus was coming to moyo.

The occasion was the annual auction to raise funds for the Zip Zap Circus School Trust and moyo Blouberg was playing host to the event.

Jugglers and drummers, unicyclists and stilt walkers were al bringing the circus to moyo – even our hosts tried their hands at a juggling trick or 2.

With the sun setting over the Atlantic Ocean, and the curtains to the first floor drawn, all were waiting in anticipation for what was going to be an unforgettable evening.

Hands were washed with rose scented water upon arrival and with their faces adorning the trademark white dots; guests could enjoy a glass of Phuza ice tea and delicious canapés on the balcony to watch the live trapeze act.

Mxolisi Bosvark, our very own “Madiba” played MC for the night, introducing the Zip Zap acts and speakers. Then came the delicious aromas as the hosts brought out the main course – a feast of lamb, chicken and seafood complimented by an organic meze platter of beetroot and orange salad, Moroccan carrot salad and chargrilled asparagus spears.

The main event, the auction, then kicked off and the target amount of R100, 000.00 was quickly reached and even surpassed under the skilful and dynamic “hammer” of Ariella from Auction Alliance. Some of the items auctioned off were a sculpture by renowned artist Paul du Toit, a Heath Nash chandelier and a home-cooked dinner by Peter Tempelhof, Chef at The Greenhouse at The Cellar Hohenort.

And with the evening ending on a sweet note with bite size deserts brought out on tiers and the memories of the various acts still fresh in everyone’s mind, we look forward to the magic moments still to come from this new relationship between moyo and Zip Zap.

moyo goes organic

I had the pleasure of meeting a certified organic farmer and new supplier of moyo, Skye, at his inspiring farm in the heart of Philippi, Cape Town.

Skye is a very dedicated, young and inspiring organic farmer with a great passion for growing healthy food and paving the way forward for farmers enthusiastic about sustainable food production.

Walking through the vegetable patches, picking away at cauliflower sprouts and crunchy carrots, I was reminded of the soulfulness of growing and harvesting the way nature has intended. Skye told an enlightening story of neighbouring goats breaking through their borders to graze in his organic fields time and time again. Can one ask for a better endorsement?

I am so proud to be part of the moyo team supporting local farmers such as Skye and buying organic produce to feed our body and soul. girlfriendonfood

African time or fashionably late? : )

“Time is of the essence”

OR

Is it really?

We use the phrase “time is of the essence” very loosely, do you know the actual dictionary definition is right now, immediately, while the legal term,( taking out the legal jargon) means “We mean it!”

So why all concern with time on a Saturday evening at 19h51?

Well I’m waiting........

My first 3 functions were scheduled for guest arrival at 18h00; it is now, as mentioned above 19h54, nearly two hours after the scheduled arrival and guess what? I’m waiting, waiting for guests to arrive, waiting to send the food ,waiting to start the entertainment!

So what have I learned about time after being involved in functions for 10 years? Here’s the thing: Europeans, especially the Germans will always be ON time (nothing new there), the French and Italians will be fashionably late and the South Africans are completely confused - Afrikaans speaking people will generally be there before the time(like an hour)very enthusiastic you see, white English speakers are also reasonably enthusiastic and Black Africans are notoriously late (like an hour to two)

Hence the very real term African Time.

So as I mentioned , #justincase you didn’t get it I’m waiting and not wanting to be idle I did a little research on African Time.

African time (or Africa time) is a colloquial term used to describe a perceived cultural tendency, in most parts of Africa, toward a more relaxed attitude to time.

According to Prominent Kenyan Philospher,John Mbiti understanding the African Concept of time can help to explain the beliefs and behaviours of the African people. Click on the link if you’re interested in reading further it realy is quite a fascinating concept.

http://ctl.du.edu/spirituals/literature/time.cfm

And then i found this little gem and had to share it!

“African time' is killing Africa - let's fight it."

In October 2007, an Ivorian campaign against African time, backed by President Laurent Gbagbo, received international media attention when an event called "Punctuality Night" was held in Abidjan to recognize business people and government workers for regularly being on time.

The President awarded a nice villa to the businessman or civil servant who was able to be punctual for all of their appointments and meetings in a country notorious for people arriving late to everything.

It was remarked that this year's winner, legal adviser Narcisse Aka—who received a $60,000 villa in recognition of his punctuality—"is so unusually good at being punctual that his colleagues call him 'Mr White Man's Time'

And other interesting facts about time in Africa that you never knew but wished you did.#justsaying......

Swahili time is followed by many East Africans, particularly Kenyans and Tanzanians.

Swahili time starts at 6am not midnight.

So if a Tanzanian tells you the bus leaves at 1 in the morning, he means 7am. If he says the train leaves at 3 in the morning that would mean 9am.

The difference between Cape Verde (Africa's most Westerly point) and The Seychelles (Africa's most Easterly point) is 5 hours. So if it's 2pm in Cape Verde, it's 7pm in the Seychelles.

On mainland Africa, West Africa is 3 hours behind East Africa. As you go from North to South there is no time difference. So the clock is the same in Libya as it is in South Africa.

I must govern the clock, not be governed by it.

Golda Meir

Until next TIME

Renxx

you're invited: HELP Maria in her fight against Cancer

Honey’s Golden Heart (with) CANSA TEEN

Where: moyo Melrose Arch between 1 and 2pm and moyo Zoo Lake between 3 and 4pm

Contact: Sharonrose Chimhanda

Cell: 072 668 9619

Email: sharose.honey@gmail.com

CANSA: Fighting cancer in South Africa: http://www.cansa.org.za

For more information on the drive visit the Honey's Golden Heart Facebook Group: http://www.facebook.com/groups/honeygoldenheart/

the moyo side of life

african abundance and heartfelt hospitality redefined

Archives