Mawande our host in Knysna’s Khayalethu township (which translates to our home) is not a man short on charisma and charm. From the very moment we meet him we get on as though we were longtime friends reuniting after years apart and picking up right where we left off. “Prepare yourselves to see the township big five – cows, dogs, goats, pigs and chicken”, he jokes. His name in isiXhosa translates to multiply/multiple and true to his name he is a man of many layers. Throughout the time we will spend with him he will slowly reveal his many different layers and so too show us the complex interconnecting narratives that make Khayalethu a place like no other.