My patience was wearing thin, all I had was the sounds of Ty Dolla Sign and only one cigarette to keep me company. Why? Because all that stood between me and a day of turning up with black Twitter was a really long walk to freedom.

Like, that place is really far hey. Especially if you’re disadvantaged like some of us and you don’t push your own wheels. Regardless, I popped my headsets in, turned the volume all the way up, fixed my bucket hat , tightened my laces and psyched myself for a walk from Linbro Office Park to Quiet Corner. I was on my way to one of the biggest fun days held bi-annually in the North of Joburg, Okapi Fun Day.

While I walk, the presence of a random car catches my attention. I turn around to see a red Toyota Tazz full of beautiful girls smiling at me! Before I can even process this, the driver asks me:

“Hey, are you off to Okapi?”.

Chilled on the outside, but hyped as hell on the inside, I calmly replied:

“Yeah I am.”

She quickly followed that up by saying:

“Jump in !”

As we got introductions out of the way on our way to Okapi, we arrived to a very impressive set up. The attendance felt just right, not too much, not too little – just enough for one to move around and network. The beautifully coloured tents were placed in every corner of the premises and that gave off that beautiful Spring kind of feeling.

Gathering people in one space all in the name of fun is not the only purpose of Okapi. I previously thought of Okapi as another Homecoming Picnic or Major League Gardens Fest – but nah fam, that’s not it. For one, Okapi is a lifestyle movement – they push a certain standard when it comes to these events. The people that are invited are different from the usual crowd. The location is also not your run-of-the-mill venue, which helps them stand out for being the only guys to host such an event in Sandton.

The main aim is to bring people together in the name of indigenous games. The kind of games that were played when we were young with everyone from our friends, neighbours and even adults. So attending Okapi is like a wave of nostalgia. The event features games like umgusha , ama-tin, marbles , spinning tops and a ton of other games.

As the sun sets and after the fun and games were done came the fun and booze. Long story short? TURN UP!!

The ambiance of the day totally changes as Okapi becomes all about the dancing and laughing away at people who lost while those who won in the afternoon’s games celebrate.

The main thing I noticed at this event is the hospitality these guys offer throughout the day. Look , I’m not a difficult guy… If I can get into an event with no struggle, grab a drink and find a cool spot where I can hear the music and take my pictures – I’m cool.

Okapi gave me all that and more. Plus I love the fact that it was like a huge get together for the Black Twitter community. The place was crawling with twelebs and tweeps doing the “Hi are you @Laz_808?” thing. It’s kind of odd introducing yourself with your Twitter handle , but hey it’s Okapi – your Twitter crush or friend might just be around so you might just get to meet them at the end of the day.

Anyway, this event was proper.

Kwesta’s “Do Like I Do” was the theme song for the day right through the night. Even when cars were driving out at the end of it all, that’s the only song I heard. I really don’t want to say any more about this event because I might just give away too much. All you have to do is attend the next one and experience it for yourself.

If you’re all about reliving your childhood through playing indigenous games, listening to good music and socializing with your favourite Tweeps and Facebookers – then the next Okapi event in December is where you need to go.

Where turn up meets nostalgia.

Words x Photography : @Thy_Black_Hippy

Follow the event page : @Okapilifestyle

Picture gallery here: Facebook