Canvas, mosaic and mural: art

Visiting the township's galleries, studios and cultural hubs gives tourists a sneak peek into its vibrancy and talent as tour guides recount the area's storied history and encourage debate.

- By Bridget Hilton-Barber

We meet during a sunny morning at Lebo's Backpackers in Orlando West. The place is buzzing: music is playing and tourists are heading off to see the sights of Soweto on bicycles and tuk-tuks. Maria Malepa, owner-manager of Lebo's, has just managed to herd 15 visiting Australian journalists onto a bus and greets us with coffee and vetkoek.

The new Soweto Art Route, she explains, is a creative collaboration between Lebo's Backpackers and Toura Travel Therapy, a local tour company owned by Thabo Modise, also known as Thabo the Tourist. He's unmistakable, a head and shoulders above the rest of us, and has the funkiest hairstyle. Thabo is an "art concierge" and takes art tours across Jozi city and now Soweto. The tours are part of the work by the Jozi My Jozi Soweto chapter to diversify Soweto's tourism offerings. “This one’s for the culturally curious,” says Thabo.