The MakarabaThe Typical South African Soccer Hat
What is a makaraba?A makaraba or makarapa, is the artfully created headgear of the South African soccer fans. You can also call them fan helmets.Soccer in South Africa is supported by loyal fans who do not only wear their teams colors but also create their own headgear to show their support.
What does the word makaraba mean?The word is taken from the local word for miner’s hard hats. Originally the term was used to describe workers who went away to seek work, mainly at the mines. Later the term was used for the hats the workers wore, namely miners’ hats.
Where does the makaraba hat originate from?The word which was originally used to describe the hats of the South African miners, is today used to describe the colorful protective headgear at soccer games.
Read more about the soccer matches at Cape Town stadium.
South African soccer fans used to take the hard hats to the soccer matches to protect their head against these flying objects. So the hats were originally used by the rival soccer fans in Johannesburg and Pretoria. Because the hats looked pretty boring, the idea of decorating the hard hats was born. Luckily nowadays most of the matches are peaceful and the beautiful fan helmets now only serves as decorative headgear. Cape Town MakarabasIn Cape Town the fan helmets are now created with builders' hats, which are much easier to cut and work on than the stiffer miners’ hats.Soccer fans in Cape Town decorate their fan helmets for soccer matches of their favorite teams. The hats are created and traded in the townships and there are some special design features the local artists incorporate.
Who makes the beautiful hats in Cape Town?These wonderful hats are designed and created by some local artists under the supervision of Cape Town graphic designer and artist Michael Souter.Michael who already made paintings of soccer fans with their stunning headwear, had the idea to make them a valuable soccer souvenir in Cape Town. With his desire to uplift talented but disadvantaged young people from the townships in one big social project, he wanted to create jobs and opportunities for talented young black artists while raising awareness of the local soccer culture as well. Currently there are nine people working fulltime at this project in Meadowridge which is called Makoya Makaraba. Here on this picture you see one of the painters, Nathaniel, working on a new design.
How long does it take to make one hat?Usually several people are working on the hats. They have to decide upon the design, do the cutting and priming of the hats and later the painting.What was amazing to see was how Mischak, one of the workers, visualizes the design of each hat. Then the hat gets cut and primed before the different colors and designs are applied. Finally Michael Souter always has got a good check of the hat’s quality before the brightly colored hats are ready for sale. So altogether it takes about 4-5 working days to finish one makaraba.
Where can I get one as a souvenir or order a collection?At the moment your best bet is to order them directly at Michael Souter's website.You will find many different amazing designs on their impressive website and should you want to have some own ideas or logos incorporated on your hat, this all can be discussed and in about four to five days your hat will be ready for delivery or pick up. Their hats are available from R290 and the business is still small. So you will not find them in many shops yet. However the business is run very professionally, so if you order via email, they keep their promises. I have been there and done that;-) and I am really impressed. And Thanks Rona for the tour. Yes, they also offer tours around the workshop in Meadowridge for small groups. Just give them a call ahead.
Have a look at the stunning designs here. And remember: Soccer in South Africa is unthinkable without Makaraba!
Did you enjoy reading this article, then how about reading more about South African Soccer in Cape Town?
Go to the South African Football A-Z.
If you like to learn more about the brightly colored hats, see the video with an interview of Michael Souter here . This 5mins long video by CNBC is a gem, it will take some time to upload, but really interesting to watch. Enjoy!
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