Newtown is the cultural precinct of Johannesburg and is awash with history and creativity. Bongani’s tour of the Newtown Precinct aims to unearth the wealth of artistic expression and remember the political and cultural icons that have enriched the “City of Gold”.

We kick off the tour at Sci-Bono, the largest and most visited science centre in South Africa. Here Bongani gives us an immersive yet introductory lesson about the importance of gold by tracing its economic and cultural significance all the way back to most major ancient civilizations. He explains with great care the reasons why we place such high value on the mineral, using this as segue into the discovery of gold in Johannesburg in the 1880’s. The resultant gold rush still reverberates to this day with many from around the country and across the continent still flocking to the "City of Gold" in search of greater work prospects and a crack at a better life. This constant migration into the city has always been one of Johannesburg’s defining features and has made it the cultural melting pot it is today.

Across the road we stop in the middle of Mary Fitzgerald Square, named after the trade unionist and political activist. The square took its name from her because it has historically been a location used by many strikers and continues to be the point from which many demonstrations commence. Besides the political history of the square and Fitzgerald herself, the location is at the heart of Newtown’s daily life and a popular venue for a variety of events and celebrations.

A short walk from the Square, we congregate around the Kippie Moeketsi statue outside the Market Theatre. Bongani shares Kippie’s storied history and waxes lyrical about Kippie’s talent on the saxophone, after which we are treated to a special performance by a local saxophonist.

Not too far from the statue is the popular Newtown freeway overpass where we take in the lines, colours and tags that have made the precinct synonymous with street art. Bongani has kept his eye on the graffiti scene and has become artful in his ability to spot the work of the different artists whose spray work adorns the bridge. He breaks down some of the pieces and discusses the different graffiti artists’ styles and themes. In the Carfax tunnel we find a live demonstration of a graffiti artist at work, Bongani’s cue to dazzle with some spoken word poetry.

Bongani’s walking tour takes us full circle passed Sci-Bono to Chancellor House, the building that once housed the law firm of Nelson Mandela and Oliver Tambo. Naturally we learn about how the two political icons and the struggles of the national liberation, but unexpectedly Bongani also leads into the role that musicians like Miriam Makeba and Hugh Masekela played against apartheid. This time we get a beautiful rendition of a renowned Miriam Makeba song from a talented songstress to bring a fitting end to an innovative tour of Johannesburg’s cultural precinct.