Today we went out to Sibusisiwe High School to launch the second phase of the Ulwazi Schools Project, run in collaboration with the Goethe Institut.

The kids were excited and eager to learn, the computers were connected to the Internet and Mabusi, our mentor, was ready to share her knowledge. I’m sure this school will be as successfull as the previous two!

The culmination of a three-year research project run by the Sinomlando Centre – a research and community development centre attached to UKZN’s School of Religion, Philosophy and Classics – and local NGO Mpophomeni Tourism Experience (ZMTE), was one of the highlights of the pre-launch of the Zulu Mpophomeni Eco-Museum on 12 December.

The Sinomlando Centre presented two volumes of interview transcripts relating to the history of Mpophomeni which will be showcased soon at the Mpophomeni Eco-Museum in Montrose House. The project was funded by the National Lottery.

Interviews were conducted by community members trained in oral history by the Sinomlando Centre.  The two volumes of interviews represent a massive amount of information on the history of the township: 310 pages in English and 210 pages in isiZulu.

Sinomlando is isiZulu for ‘we have a history’. The mission of the Sinomlando Centre is to build capacity in oral history and memory work in people and communities.

Established in the vicinity of Howick in the late 1960s, Mpophomeni paid a heavy price as a result of the civil war between the UDF and Inkatha in the 1980s and 1990s. Hundreds of residents lost their jobs after a strike at the nearby Sarmcol factory in 1985.

A delegation from Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) in the United States, attended a week-long oral history workshop facilitated by the Sinomlando Centre in Pietermaritzburg, was present at the launch. They gained valuable insights for an oral history project they intend to conduct with former members of the civil rights movement; mostly African American activists, in the state of Virginia. The delegation included Henry L Marsh III, a member of the American Senate and a former civil rights activist himself.

Also present at the event were representatives of the Department of Arts and Culture and the Umgeni Municipality as well as community members and foreign visitors.

Editor of artSMart, Caroline Smart, talks to Mr Paul Mashatile, Minister of Arts & Culture on November 29, 2011.

Ever since Paul Mashatile was appointed Minster of Arts and Culture, I have just missed meeting him on a number of occasions. However, yesterday I was privileged to spend some time chatting to him on his walkabout of public arts events included in COP17.

“We have encouraged crafters to create work with materials that are environmentally friendly or from recycled materials,” he explains. ”We felt this conference was the biggest opportunity to showcase South African art and crafts. This is an approach we are taking for the future. We need to use all major events to showcase our creative talents in this country.

“Whenever people come to conferences,” he adds, “they take a break and see what’s on offer. We must use these opportunities to tell the story of our people as well as showcase creative people and their products. We want visitors to come back. Very often, they don’t realise that there is such beauty here – all this creativity.

“For us, the approach is no longer craft for the sake of craft,” he continued. “These products become many people’s livelihood. Craft is already a major contribution to employment creation but we need to find more ways to expose this work.”

A tall man with an engaging smile, one is immediately drawn to his personality as well as his passion about his subject. He readily admits that he has no prior background in the arts – in fact, previous portfolios included Finance, Transport and Housing. However, it is his experience in finance that will prove a definite plus for arts practitioners, many of whom battle to stay afloat at all levels and in all disciplines.

The Minister was in Durban to launch Mzansi’s Golden Economy at COP17, a concept created this year which grew from an idea that arose when he attended a conference in Italy. “Creative culture was marked as a major contributor to the economy and the biggest driver of growth,” he explains. “This is true for us as well – and we have mining and gold!”

The vision is to create a much wider number of museums and heritage sites as well as to substantially assist the film and audiovisual industry.

Another project is the creation of a touring company to take craft around the country so that crafters are able to reach new markets. Government departments will be encouraged to buy products from this company to fulfil their large corporate gift requirements.

An additional – and extremely welcome – project is the creation of a national skills academy.

Another pro-active plan is to create exhibition spaces in all government buildings nationwide as well as embassies and consulates worldwide. Spaces in these institutions will be created for South African art which will be sold or auctioned at the end of every year.’ ’We want to put South African art on the map in a big way,” he explains. “We want to approach cultural attachés to promote our work. South Africa has a lot to share.”

When he was handed the Arts & Culture portfolio, the Minister remembers his initial response: “I thought: “Wow!” … because it’s very exciting. This sector is bigger than people imagine – and there is so much to do. But I am very positive about the arts and culture in this country”

At the official launch of Mzansi’s Golden Economy in Durban last evening (November 29), the Minister revealed his pièce de resistance – that of introducing the arts back into the school curriculum. If he achieves nothing else but this, during his time of office, he will have achieved a massive turning point in the training of professional, pro-active and sustainable skills in the arts at all levels.

Source: Article by Caroline Smart, Pictures by Betsie Greyling.

The Climate Change Response Expo is located in a collection of tents next to The Workshop.  The expo hosts a number of stalls – from climate robots (courtesy of UKZN) to solar water heaters, electric cars and enviro-NGOs and I would encourage all Durbanites to head down there this week (it closes on Friday)!

More info on their website http://ccrexpo.com

Durban hosts COP17 for the next two weeks and the city is full of delegates attending the conference.

A number of free events are also being run concurrently. Most of the action will be concentrated along the Beachfront, from Ushaka Marine World to the uMngeni Green Hub near Blue Lagoon. Please refer to the attached docuemnt for names of the specific areas along the Beachfront. There will be lots and lots other events happening all over the City as well, some of which are listed in the attached programme.

Please watch the press and check the website www.cop17-cmp7durban.com for details of additional events, and updates on schedules.

FINAL COP17 EVENTS.pdf

The COP17 Tree at the Durban Beachfront