Kaya 959 Reporter
South African contemporary artist Dr. Esther Mahlangu was one of the biggest draw cards at Expo 2020 Dubai when she unveiled a pair Air Jordans (AJ1) worth an estimated $500,000 or R7.5 million.
The Expo 2020 Dubai, which was postponed by a year because of the global Covid-19 pandemic, hosts 192 participating nations, each with their own pavilion inside the 45,000-square-metre exhibition centre.
A range of sneakers were on display, each customised to represent South Africa’s 11 official languages.
Also Read: Esther Mahlangu’s heritage
If you missed it, I feel bad for you kid.
The #Dubai #Expo2020Dubai was BIG for #SNEAKER #Culture 🔥#Shouts to the LEGENDARY #DrESTHERMAHLANGU & our people @MenziMthethwa & @Ayashisaamateki
“They said we couldn’t do it but it’s done, they said we couldn’t win but we won” 😊 pic.twitter.com/rAsz559Aea
— moeti damane (@iamSANhedrin) November 3, 2021
Also Read: Meet Dr Esther Mahlangu
Mahlangu is world renowned for her colourful Ndebele-inspired art which has adorned a classic BMW, Rolls-Royce Phantom, British Airways airplane, and bottles of Belvedere vodka in collaboration with Grammy-award winning singer John Legend.
The sneakers are valued at R7.7 million gets its real value in a showcasing fee which supports development of South African artists through the Ayashisa Amateki academy.
The Expo 2020 Dubai kicked off on Friday 1 October and will end on Thursday 31 March 2022.



