The JRB cover image this week comes from Johannesburg. Made in China, the ninth book of Fourthwall Books’s acclaimed series Wake Up, This is Joburg.

Johannesburg. Made in China
Mark Lewis and Tanya Zack
Fourthwall Books, 2017

From Fourthwall Books:

In Johannesburg. Made in China, photographer Mark Lewis and writer Tanya Zack follow professional shoppers who cross national borders in search of high quality goods in Johannesburg’s bustling inner city for their customers back home in Mozambique, Botswana, Zambia, Malawi …

The shoppers, mostly women, navigate the perils of Johannesburg—muggers, corrupt City officials, unscrupulous police—to conduct their business and, in the process, contribute billions in annual revenue to a city that remains largely hostile to their presence.

Johannesburg. Made in China gives us some insight into how the combined efforts of these shoppers and traders, who have carved out businesses over decades of networking and trading, contribute to the growth of Johannesburg and indeed to the region as a whole. It is a story of gutsy entrepreneurship and tenacity that should make city officials and others sit up and take notice!