South Africa - Day 3
The morning of the third day began with a visit the District Six Museum. District Six was a successful, racially integrated neighborhood in Cape Town that was razed by the government under apartheid to forcibly relocate residents and deny that integration could work. We were so incredibly fortunate to have a former resident share his story and walk us through the museum. After declaring the location now only for whites, residents were stunned and refused to leave, having spent generations in the community, some even with fully paid off homes. The government cut off electricity and water, then bulldozed the homes, leaving residents displaced. I've learned the correct term for this is not refugee, but "internally displaced people."
The afternoon was free time for Fellows to explore. We celebrated the sunshine in a variety of ways: hiking up Table Mountain, wine tours, connecting with South African teachers, walking the beaches, touring marketplaces, visiting the Company Gardens, Green Point Market. My small group decided to visit the Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa (MOCAA). It. Was. Amazing! The diversity of materials and subjects expanded my limited knowledge of African art, and I look forward to sharing the photos I took of works and artist's statements.
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| The former street signs were instructed to be trashed, but instead were secretly kept safe. |
The afternoon was free time for Fellows to explore. We celebrated the sunshine in a variety of ways: hiking up Table Mountain, wine tours, connecting with South African teachers, walking the beaches, touring marketplaces, visiting the Company Gardens, Green Point Market. My small group decided to visit the Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa (MOCAA). It. Was. Amazing! The diversity of materials and subjects expanded my limited knowledge of African art, and I look forward to sharing the photos I took of works and artist's statements.
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| Mary Sibande |
Goals Update:
Goal 1: Connecting with Peers from the Program, and in the Field
At the crack of dawn I started the day with a group who jogged three miles past the Cape Town Stadium to the coast and back. Standing at the "bottom of the map" was mind-blowing and will forever be a top memory from this trip. My peers are seasoned runners, so I greatly appreciated that my Pennsylvania colleague slowed his pace to match mine and our conversation on what high school in rural Appalachia is like.
Goal 2: Finding South African Art to Share with Students
Contemporary African art books have been incredibly hard to find in my local libraries, even through inter-library loan. To update our classroom library, I purchased an anthology of current African artists published by the museum and the most recent copy of Art Africa magazine.
Goal 1: Connecting with Peers from the Program, and in the Field
At the crack of dawn I started the day with a group who jogged three miles past the Cape Town Stadium to the coast and back. Standing at the "bottom of the map" was mind-blowing and will forever be a top memory from this trip. My peers are seasoned runners, so I greatly appreciated that my Pennsylvania colleague slowed his pace to match mine and our conversation on what high school in rural Appalachia is like.
Goal 2: Finding South African Art to Share with Students
Contemporary African art books have been incredibly hard to find in my local libraries, even through inter-library loan. To update our classroom library, I purchased an anthology of current African artists published by the museum and the most recent copy of Art Africa magazine.
Goal 3: Make Personal Art Daily
During an evening presentation by Primary Science Programme on how current South African schooling came to be, I sketched my colleagues faces- difficult because they kept moving! The day's exhaustion was catching up with me, but keeping my hands busy kept me awake and helped me concentrate on listening to jot notes in a separate journal.
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