Joonji Mdyogolo

He’s back.

To understand what makes South Africans tick, just watch the ads for its most loved export: flame-grilled chicken. Since opening 25 years ago, local fast-food franchise Nando’s has become a successful global business. It also happens to be beloved here for politically irreverent advertising campaigns that lampoon everyone, president to pauper.

South Africans have a soft spot for Solange Knowles. True, we might know less of her songs than her sister nor can we identify her child in a celebrity lineup, but she feels like our sista from another mother. Her style mirrors our own aesthetic: Her playful Afros, the keep-‘em-guessing between her natural short hair and braids, and her love of African fashion. She’s pop poetry to Beyoncé’s raunchy. She’s deep, we assume. She gets us, and we get her, we think.