Last month, Hypebeast Africa teamed up with Samsung to announce the debut of Culture Scouts — an initiative that spotlights creatives from South Africa, giving them the opportunity to showcase their talent and hometowns using the tech brand’s latest products.
After receiving an overwhelming amount of interest, we handpicked the four winners as this year’s candidates: photographers Mikhailia Vera Martha Petersen and Teboho Hlatshwayo, creative director Nondumiso Shange, and videographer/designer Day Marumo. Over the course of the next six months, each of the creatives will be producing original content around their hometowns — capturing the best in South African street culture, creativity, events, and much more through their unique lens.
From noting Nigerian fashion designer Mowalola as a figure who is redefining African youth identity to highlighting Dunusa, a strip of thrift stalls located in the Central Banking District of Johannesburg – it’s the continent’s thriving contemporary culture scene that inspires these creatives to do what they do.
Titled “Home Away From Home,” we asked the candidates to capture a local spot that they frequent which they want to share with Hypebeast — shot using the new Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra — and explain what this place means to them and their communities.
Nondumiso Shange
Nondumiso Shange
Nondumiso Shange
Nondumiso Shange
Nondumiso Shange
Using photography and creative direction as her main outlet to express herself, Nondumiso Shange takes to the vibrant Greenside district of Johannesburg where “nestled at the center of this bustling neighborhood is the iconic Best Friend Street Bar.” Bringing along her friends, Shakiarah and Atang, she captures them engaging in a card game, winding down, and using the space as a brief getaway from their daily lives.
Hypebeast: What goes down at Best Friend Street Bar?
Nondumiso Shange: Best Friend Bar is a dynamic experience that embraces everyone who walks through its location. Whether it’s unwinding after a long day or reveling in the weekend’s promise, the vibes cultivated here are unmatched.
Why is this place important to your community?
The air is charged with an energy like no other – a fusion of laughter, stories, and the collective spirit of Johannesburg’s youth. The essence of Best Friend Bar extends beyond the walls and that’s why it’s so important to the community, manifesting in the captivating graffiti that adorns the space.
Why did you choose this place as your “Home Away From Home”?
I chose Best Friend Bar as my “Home Away From Home” due to the multitude of experiences it encapsulates. The laughter, the games, the artwork – all woven together into a tapestry of belonging.
Teboho Hlatshwayo
Teboho Hlatshwayo
Teboho Hlatshwayo
Teboho Hlatshwayo
For Johannesburg-based photographer Teboho Hlatshwayo, his community is what inspires his creativity. Enlisting his friend, pro footballer and style enthusiast Katleho to front his submission, Hlatshwayo takes to the courtyard complex of 44 Stanley Avenue located in Braamfonteiin, Johannesburg “the heart of SA’s local cultural scene” – home to a variety of local boutiques, cafés, independent cinemas, and an art gallery.
Hypebeast: Why is 44 Stanley important to your community?
Teboho Hlatshwayo: It provides a central location for people to engage with the local art and culture. Through commercialization, native brands and artists are not only able to share their work, but they can generate income through it.
Why did you choose this place as your “Home Away From Home”?
It’s a place I can retreat to and recharge in. A place to plug into what truly makes me feel like me, where I’m able to express myself and engage freely. To be at home.
Mikhailia Vera Martha Petersen
Mikhailia Vera Martha Petersen
Mikhailia Vera Martha Petersen
Mikhailia Vera Martha Petersen
Mikhailia Vera Martha Petersen
With work featured in several campaigns and publications as well as being exhibited in local galleries, Mikhailia Vera Martha Petersen is a seasoned photographer with an aesthetic that’s introspective and celebrates African culture. She most recently curated an afternoon event, Dala, in Observatory, Cape Town, bringing together a range of creatives from the city to gather at the rooftop of Pizza Shed. “The intention for the get-together was to highlight the cultural makeup of the community,” she explains.
Hypebeast: What is the vibe at Pizza Shed?
Mikhailia Vera Martha Petersen: Pizza Shed is a restaurant that houses three floors: as you enter, a café vibe that has an open kitchen, the middle floor has the bar and sitting area with a balcony alongside the building. As you go upstairs to the rooftop, you can see the southern suburbs and the view of Table Mountain, Devil’s Peak and Lions Head.
Why was it important to bring the city’s creatives together for Dala?
The community has been like home to me and given me a sense of belonging. At first, I asked myself ‘Why am I even doing this?’ mostly because it was my debut. Then it hit me, I’m transmuting the energy of a great loss, Joey — a great DJ who past a month ago. We were friends and he was like everybody’s older brother. My creativity has saved me on so many levels and has helped me process things. And being someone immersed in the community, it’s so important to highlight those that do and make the work.
Why did you choose this place as your “Home Away From Home”?
What makes Pizza Shed home is that it allows me to show up as I am without having to shrink myself. Home feels like warmth.
Day Marumo
Day Marumo
Day Marumo
Day Marumo
Similarly to Hlatshwayo, videographer and designer Day Marumo takes to Braamfontein’s cultural hub 44 Stanley Avenue to spotlight WEAREPEACHY — a restaurant and bar centered around the local community. As an avid skater, the restaurant’s prime location has been his “favorite place to visit because it’s close to my local skatepark and it’s surrounded by skate spots so it’s the closest and most fun place to be with my friends afterward.”
Hypebeast: Why is WEAREPEACHY important to your community?
Day Marumo: The restaurant doesn’t just sell good food and play good music with good people but it also hosts community-driven activities such as runs for mental health awareness as well as gives up-and-coming DJs and artists the platform to host events in their space.
I also visit during my solo dates when I want to design. The color scheme of the restaurant has even had a slight influence on my @dadadism art.
Why did you choose this as your “Home Away From Home”?
Peachy also means a lot to me because my skateboard is displayed on the restaurant’s wall for people to see and it’s also my home away from home because the people there are like family.
Stay tuned to see what else the Culture Scouts have in store for the rest of the year. For more information on the new Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra used to take the above images, check out the brand’s website.
