“My idea for Joernaal / Journal was born during the height of lockdown when a large part of the South African magazine industry imploded,” says le Roux. “As far as I’m concerned, there’s no better time than now to launch a magazine, given the void that was created virtually overnight.”
Expanding her current position as editor-owner of Idees and Ideas magazines — titles that she has published independently since 2017 when Media24 decided to close the publications — le Roux will now also edit and publish Joernaal / Journal, in both Afrikaans and English, herself.
“When I conceived of the idea for Joernaal / Journal, I thought about what I would like to read,” says le Roux. “I’m no longer interested in fashion, make-up, celebrity gossip or how to handle issues with children — my son is grown up and out of the house. I want content that is in touch with my reality — in other words, age-positive — but that will challenge me, interest me and keep me up to date with the latest on health and mindfulness.”
Ultimately, Joernaal / Journal aims to offer readers a well-balanced combination of long-form, thought-provoking reads, practical how-tos and meditation, puzzles, décor and food ideas, book reviews and humour.
For the 140-page issue, le Roux says that readers can look forward to long reads on everything from epigenetics and positive ageing to how Hollywood actress Hedy Lamarr became the mother of Wi-Fi.
While Joernaal / Journal strives to embrace the 'here and now', it also aims to make room for nostalgia. "Especially poignant is the first in a series of features on telling your stories. It is illustrating how taking a picture of a collection of one’s most treasured, sentimental possessions not only offers one the opportunity at introspection but to preserve one’s own story for future generations in a beautiful way," adds le Roux.
Le Roux says that she is kicking off the series with her own ‘self-portrait’, which includes a pair of vintage pair of white gloves with black polka dots from Venice that she almost had to leave behind to catch a train, a ticket from a Bob Dylan concert that she attended in London while pregnant with her son and an 1850s amethyst engagement ring from Paris.
“Essentially, I want Joernaal / Journal to embody the essence of a traditional journal — somewhere to document one’s stories, help organise one’s life and allow one to reflect,” says le Roux. “I’d love readers to take the magazine, pencil in hand, and slowly make their way through it, all the while making time for themselves.”
Joernaal / Journal will make its debut on Friday, 11 December. The magazine will retail at R85 and will be available at Woolworths, Spar and select Clicks stores.
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