Johannesburg

Lindsay Bremner leads us to realise implicitly how far Johannesburg still is from the status of a modern and cosmopolitan metropolis. And she does so in a subtle way: she takes her readers by the hand and shows them around building sites, derelict buildings, reporting the speech of politicians, architects, urban planning authorities and the words of ordinary people, users or citizens concerned by the becoming of their city and by what its unity is made of.

The author’s ability to reproduce a kaleidoscopic city is one of the strengths of this book. Bremner achieves the amazing feat of depicting a city, avoiding the numerous clichés given to Johannesburg by many a commentator. That is done in a simple language that succeeds, nevertheless, in restoring Johannesburg’s complexity.

The book is written in English, French and German, each next to one another on the page.

Contents

Preface

Introduction

Outer Space(s), Edge City

Back to the Centre

Jo’burg Goes Global

On the Road

Theme Park City

Kasi Kul’ca