Colours of the Kalahari — answering the desert’s call
Ticking the Northern Cape, South Africa’s largest and least populous province, off my bucket list enticed me to travel 2,300km in five days with friends.
Purple rain in the Kalahari. (Photo: Kassie Naidoo)
What I found will forever fulfil my designer’s heart: smooth, pocked and rough textures; ochre, white, grey and blue palettes; and nature’s incredible sculptures in sand, twig and stone. This is a place to be still, to move with the seasons and fully embrace Mother Earth, both in her nurturing and destructive aspects.
Art on walls, Andriesvale. (Photo: Kassie Naidoo) Planetarium in Sutherland. (Photo: Kassie Naidoo) Meeting my first quiver tree, Augrabies. (Photo: Kassie Naidoo) Tree, rain, sand. (Photo: Kassie Naidoo) Social weaver community on the road to Upington. (Photo: Kassie Naidoo) Shongololo out to meet the rain. (Photo: Kassie Naidoo) Augrabies Falls, low rain season. (Photo: Kassie Naidoo) Boorgat, Sutherland otherworldly. (Photo: Kassie Naidoo) NG Kerk in Sutherland. (Photo: Kassie Naidoo) Sunset, Andriesvale. (Photo: Kassie Naidoo) DM
This story first appeared in our weekly Daily Maverick 168 newspaper, which is available countrywide for R35.
Purple rain in the Kalahari. (Photo: Kassie Naidoo) 
/file/dailymaverick/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/39-Esc-10-Art-on-walls-Andriesvale.jpg "Art on walls, Andriesvale. (Photo: Kassie Naidoo)")
/file/dailymaverick/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/39-Esc-8-Planetarium-in-Sutherland.jpg "Planetarium in Sutherland. (Photo: Kassie Naidoo)")
/file/dailymaverick/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/39-Esc-16-Meeting-my-first-quiver-tree-Augrabies.jpg "Meeting my first quiver tree, Augrabies. (Photo: Kassie Naidoo)")
/file/dailymaverick/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/39-Escape-2-Tree-rain-sand.jpg "Tree, rain, sand. (Photo: Kassie Naidoo)")
/file/dailymaverick/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/39-Escape-6-Social-Weaver-community-on-the-road-to-Upington.jpg "Social weaver community on the road to Upington. (Photo: Kassie Naidoo)")
/file/dailymaverick/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Esc-9-Out-to-meet-the-rain.jpg "Shongololo out to meet the rain. (Photo: Kassie Naidoo)")
/file/dailymaverick/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Esc-12-Augrabies-Falls-low-rain-season.jpg "Augrabies Falls, low rain season. (Photo: Kassie Naidoo)")
/file/dailymaverick/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Esc-14-Boorgat-Sutherland-otherworldly.jpg "Boorgat, Sutherland otherworldly. (Photo: Kassie Naidoo)")
/file/dailymaverick/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Esc-16-NG-kerk-in-Sutherland.jpg "NG Kerk in Sutherland. (Photo: Kassie Naidoo)")
/file/dailymaverick/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/esc-18-Sunset-Andriesvale.jpg "Sunset, Andriesvale. (Photo: Kassie Naidoo) DM")
