Not long ago, I visited a friend who lives in Plettenberg Bay. This friend is a therapist with a medical science background, but she is also a self-professed “hippie”; she moved to Plett partly because it is home to communities of people who are — how do I put this? — more in touch with cosmic energy than the rest of us.
Knowing that I am sceptical about what she refers to as the “angels, crystals and fairies scene”, my friend was hesitant to tell me about the ley lines that (local lore has it) intersect at the Robberg Peninsula, about 8km south of Plett. Instead, she focused on the evidence of Stone Age habitation in some of the caves along Robberg’s cliffs, and the fact that its rocks have been dated to the break-up of Gondwanaland 120-million years ago.
And the views are amazing, she added. So off we went.
Four hours later, after exploring the peninsula’s spectacular coastline, I was more than ready to believe in angels and fairies. The place is imbued with a sense of wonder, something sublime or more-than-natural. It is astonishingly beautiful. Robberg is a CapeNature reserve, a national monument and a World Heritage Site, but this triple designation barely conveys its significance.
Plettenberg Bay seems like a falling-off from such an exalted height, but it is still a special place — even when beset by matriculants raging through the streets in a Bacchanalian frenzy, the annual end-of-year rite that briefly disrupts the town’s otherwise peaceful daily rhythms.
This is not, however, a sleepy seaside town. Plett has its hustlers and its bustlers, its movers and shakers. It also enjoys a vibrant arts scene, especially at this time of year. The Plett Arts Festival, which runs from September 30 to October 9, presents a full programme of exhibitions, screenings, music events, workshops and more.
The action begins with the Twilight Meander, as Main Street is pedestrianised and visitors are encouraged to wander among galleries, pop-up spaces and restaurants. Other night-time events include An Evening at the Heath, at an open-air venue just outside town where various exhibitions can be enjoyed with “food, wine, fire and friends”; gin tasting, art viewing and a chance to meet the artists at the delightfully named concept store tten BAZAAR (yes, you read that correctly); and Main Fact With Friends, which boasts a line-up of DJs, hip hop and dancers at Lyfstyle Tshisanyama in Kwanokuthula.
The biggest dusk-to-dark drawcard, however, may be a new instalment of the popular Plett Food & Film initiative. This year, Craig and Damon Foster’s 2000 documentary The Great Dance: A Hunter’s Story will be screened as part of an immersive experience in which “all the senses are nourished”. Two decades before the Oscar-winning My Octopus Teacher, Craig Foster explored a very different set of human-animal relationships: the tracking and hunting practices of the San, as well as their spiritual and symbolic frameworks.
Revisiting this film, participants will also enjoy a meal designed around the flavours of the Kalahari and learn about urban-foraged edible roots, leaves and “unexpected” ingredients. Dizu Plaatjies will perform on the kora and other string and percussion instruments, while Was Lemuel will read Antjie Krog’s versions of /Xam poetry.
More outdoor sensory combinations are in the offing at Bronze Fields farm, where sculptor Robert Leggat will conduct a bronze pouring at the foundry before audiences walk into the forest for a violin and guitar concert by Wynand Davel and Rynier Prince. Or you can hop across the N2 highway and head to Bosky Dell Farm for a picnic while you listen to five-piece jazz group The Collectiv.
There is plenty of food for the mind too, along with a healthy dose of arts sector pragmatism. Anthea Buys of FORMS Gallery will talk about the exhibition Paperworks and how to collect artworks on paper; curator Michelle Bestbier will also be on hand to give art investment advice.
I’m still not convinced that ley lines intersect near Plettenberg Bay, or that crystals have any power beyond refracting light. But this is nonetheless an awe-inspiring part of the country; if the stars align and you can get to the Plett Arts Festival, you’re in for a treat.
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