Ella Rabe has traveled widely. She has lived in Brazil, Puerto Rico and the United States. But it is the time she spent in her homeland, South Africa, that inspires her and feeds her creative and nurturing spirit.

Her new home is in Charlotte, North Carolina. The South, and Charlotte in particular, is very well known for its fabulous hospitality...something all ex-pat South Africans understand. Ella together with her friend Diane Stewart, Chairman of the “South Africans in Charlotte” club, felt the need for a festival that celebrated South African cuisine, hospitality and generosity. There are thousands of South Africans in the area and the whole concept has grown exponentially.

The Rand Easter Show comes to mind as the most superb agricultural show in South Africa. It certainly was the largest in the Southern Hemisphere. Many South Africans made the annual pilgrimage to this annual event where the best products in South Africa were exhibited. In later years it morphed into the industrialized Rand Show and several similar events in various towns also developed. Ella, while working for the Citizen newspaper, covered the Randfontein show. This is one of the leading agricultural shows in South Africa and the fourth largest South of the Equator. Ella befreinded the Festival Director and gained a great understanding of how it operated. And so taking some of the concepts from and agricultural show and marrying them with a festival of feasting, culture and entertainment, Ella and her team are presenting the South African Festival 2009 in September, from the 25th to the 27th in Charlotte, North Carolina.

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The Food, the Wine, the Art and the Entertainment are all South African, but there is and added bonus – this festival isn't only for those in attendance. Ella has given the festival the theme of “A Time to Give,” and some of the poorest orphanages in Southern Africa will benefit from this joyous event. House Eldad is a place of safety for abused, abandoned, neglected and HIV positive children in Randfontein, and Vilanculo Ministries in Mozambique is a refuge that has been badly hit by a cyclone. This orphanage run by South African missionaries is in dire need of financial help. The United Family Services of Charlotte NC, which helps local families in Charlotte, is also represented.

For Ella this is a dream come true. She says, “I have such a passion for giving. I find that whenever I get involved with fundraising for a good cause, and I give a tremendous amount of myself, I receiver so much more back in my heart and in my soul. Giving nurtures my spirit.” the meaning of the name Ella is “Truth and Light. One who emphasizes the truth and a shield for those in need.” This is exactly what Ella Rabe strives for each and every day.

By visiting the festival, you will get a great taste of South African culture, be able to purchase goodies and also stretch out your helping hand to some very worthwhile casues.

For more information contact festival director Ella Rabe at info@ejmevents.com. The excellent website www.southafricansincharlotte.org is choc-a-bloc full of information too. This is going to be a festival to remember!

By Dorianne Berry