Photographs. Faces. Each face a person; each person different; and each different person an inspiration. A boxer, a beggar, a steelworker, a paramedic, an artist, a biker, a sangoma, a priest’s son. Framed in black and white, each intimate portrait is part of Justin Dingwall’s exhibition Portraying Life at the Imaging Hub Photographic Studio in Pretoria.

At 22, Dingwall is a young photographer, but his work is startling, mature and self-aware. His exhibition reflects a conceptual shift in his understanding of himself, of South African society and of photography.

“Starting out as a photographer,” Dingwall laughs, “all I wanted to do was photograph good-looking people”. This didn’t satisfy him for long. He had many preconceptions about what it was to be a photographer, “but then I realised that people respond to honesty, and I could just be myself. I started noticing ordinary, honest people, using less models, less pretentious people.”

He attributes part of this change to a colleague’s interest in social-development photography, which opened his eyes to the detail around him. He picks up this detail in his work, from stitches in a woman’s nose to the man with no hands and a woman holding a small rat.

Dingwall also attributes this more mature view of the world to the experience he gained working with South African photographers such as Crispin Plunkett, Peter Bosch and Philip Schedler.

He talks with respect and excitement about the photographers that have inspired and educated him. “When I started out, I wanted to go for simple pictures, with simple lighting, but seeing how these incredible photographers’ work has really drawn me to exploring subjects dramatically,” he explains.

He uses strong studio lighting, and every shot is organised and set up and full of heightened drama. At the same time, the pictures retain a documentary feel. This aesthetic has evolved from Dingwall’s original interest in glamour photography, his growing social awareness, his technical interest in creating sfumato effects and the people he photographs.

He cites David la Chapelle and Richard Avedon as having influenced the work in this exhibition. “I use a white background, like La Chapelle, and let the person stand out. I give the exhibition my own feel, though,” he adds, “with very harsh lighting and a fashion-like feel that works well with the grittiness of ordinary subjects.”

Dingwall uses this combination of grittiness and staged drama in his approach to his work as well. For this exhibition, he went out to Brakpan, Daveyton, and Itwatwa, without a planned shoot. “I just watched people and then asked to photograph them,” he explains. “When they said yes, then I’d get professional and haul out the lights and tripods and white background and set up the shoot.”

Working like this has influenced Dingwall personally too. “I’ve met people who don’t want to be found, people who’ve left behind families, and finding out their histories and their stories and their characters.”

His mother also finds him subjects through her work in a doctor’s office. “It’s about an interesting face,” he says, “good planning, and then that intangible, the moment when the picture comes together and you get the shot.”

Dingwall used to take pictures of subjects; now each subject seems to give him something of him- or herself. He is open to the person, and this is reflected in each portrait in his exhibition. The picture only captures a moment, but, as Avedon says, that moment is the foundation for the legacy of a lifetime.

Dingwall is laying some solid foundations. His favourite pictures from the exhibition are the ones that capture a moment of cynicism, a moment of fear and a lapse in concentration: a steelworker, a sangoma and a Russian gymnast.

Dingwall studied at the Tshwane University of Technology and fell into photography “by accident, really”. Then, last year, the Professional Photographers’ Association got students from the university to enter the Fujifim Southern Africa Photographic Awards. Dingwall entered four pictures, and came first in two categories and second in a third.

“I haven’t thought about how people will react to the work,” says Dingwall. “I’d like people to leave the exhibition with extended boundaries, a sense of respect for the subjects and,” he adds, with a hint of modest insecurity, “I just hope they like my work.”

The Imaging Hub Studio will be hosting a range of high-profile exhibitions throughout the year. For more information visit http://imaginghub.co.za

Written for and published in Altitude Magazine

Reg Lascaris was a chubby child who liked white mice. He is now President of the Africa, Middle East, Mediterranean and Eastern European region of the TBWA global advertising group and creative agency, and the founding partner of TBWA Hunt Lascaris, South Africa. “And I’m less chubby”, he laughs.

Lascaris is articulate and honest and as he talks about how he has achieved what in 1983 was a distant vision for the young entrepreneur and his partner, John Hunt. “We sat down over a couple of beers one day and we decided we wanted to build the first world class communications company out of Africa” Lascaris says. It was as simple as that. The operation began out of the boot of an old station wagon. TBWA Hunt Lascaris, South Africa is now one of the leading creative agencies in South Africa, with a string of high profile clients and a reputation for professionalism and creative daring.

“When we started this in 1983 there were one or two agencies that were pushing the creative thing, but we really tried even harder to break the rules and come out with stuff that was so different that everyone would notice us and that worked very well for our clients” smiles Lascaris.  “It was never creativity for the sake of being creative but it was relevant creativity, with the strategy behind it” he adds.

As the local success of TBWA Hunt Lascaris grew, so did their vision, “and that was to be a world class creative agency and to play in the global area”, says Lascaris, “fortunately for us that’s happened”.

Lascaris attributes this international success to a combination of things, including the backing of a great team. “But in the end you have to have a philosophy and a set of values and the first thing we did was set own our mission, our vision and our values”, he explains, “and that vision should always be greater than what we could actually achieve”.

By staying true to their vision and always striving towards their goals, Lascaris, and his partner, Hunt shaped TBWA Hunt Lascaris, South Africa into a model that works for the global TBWA network, of which the original agency now forms a part. “The network has leant from us and we’ve learnt from the network” says Lascaris, who has spent the last five years travelling the world and developing the Asian, Eastern European and Mediterranean branches of the organization that has 258 full service agencies worldwide, with expertise in all of the disciplines required for the positioning, launching and long-term management of brands.

“We’re now the leading agency in Turkey, and in the top five in Eastern Europe”, says Lascaris, “but we still have a hell of a lot to do of course, as hell of a lot”.

This is despite the fact that the TBWA network was voted ADWEEK’s “Global Agency of the Year 2006”, their most recent in a long list of international awards and accolades. “We’ve also become the most creative network in the world” Lascaris adds, “and at the Cannes festival over the last three years we’ve dominated, so we’re going in the right direction”.

The challenge now is to maintain their position, and to keep winning the awards. “My biggest lesson is that you’re as good as your last ad or creative project and you have to keep on trying. And pushing” he says. “No matter what you learn, it will never be enough, and the creativity is “our catalyst, our magic potion-we can never forget that”.

TBWA’s latest creative ventures involve effectively using new and emerging technologies, which align with new consumer trends. A combination of digitization, increased consumer sophistication and a kind of brand socialism is leading TBWA into new exciting territory. “This industry is changing dramatically” he says, “you can’t just have a big bang approach any more. Change is inevitable, and we shouldn’t be scared of going where we haven’t been before”.

This attitude shift is reflected in TBWA’s overall strategy if not strictly under the banner of TBWA Hunt Lascaris, South Africa. “We’re looking at specialist companies and more will be revealed this year” he says, describing some of the work being done in the states with the Media Arts Lab, a creative partnership with Apple, as well as collaborative projects with Sony Play Station as examples. “We have to bring media back into the middle”, he says, “and we need to understand what media types are out there and what they’re delivering and then start catering for those”.

Although TBWA Hunt Lascaris, South Africa has been going through a difficult time recently, Lascaris believes the things are turning around.” It’s going be a year of change for the industry and for myself” he adds, giving little away other than a confident smile, “and more than anything, life’s too short to be mediocre”.

Written for and published in AbouTime Magazine

Think about peaches. Fresh peaches filled with the juice of summer, dried peaches, delicious reminders of seasons past. Peach preserves, spiced and sticky. Fiery peach mampoer and warming brandies, peach scented beauty products, peach blossom, canned peaches and fresh farm cream, long days and lots of sunshine…There is something about the peach that epitomises country living, in all its simple abundance. The farmer is alchemist, spinning earth and water and sunshine into orbs of delicious gold.

10 years ago, a small festival sprung up in celebration of the peach, in an area of Mpumalanga renowned for the plumpness of it produce and the abundance of its late summer harvests. Tonteldoos, home to the festival, is an historical hamlet overlooking the rough end of the Steenkamp mountains. The festival is being held on Witvlei, the farm of retired civil engineer turner farmer, Alex Talevi. While relatively new to the farming business, Talevi’s farm has some grand old neighbors like the O’Grady’s and the Struwigs, who have been on the land for six generations. It is this mix of the old and the new, larger farms and smaller holdings, that makes this valley the vibrant home to a large enough array of characters, produce and products to build a festival on peaches and dreams. All the charm of country living is bottled, baked, boiled, braised and crafted into a delightful cornucopia on offer to the public in all its abundance. Festival goers can anticipate feasting on the golden splendor of peach products, pickles and preserves. They can look forward to enjoying the tender delights of eisbein, slow cooked venison and crisp and fragrant home baking. Other highlights on offer at the festival will include delicacies like lavender shortbread and liqueur and sweetly scented chocolate from Maison de Lavande, the famous ‘Tonteldoos Vuurwater’ from Kristalwater, and cheeses from Pendle Hill Dairy. “It’s all about inspiration, and appreciation for this beautiful place”, says Bets Labuschagne, one of the festival organisers, “we’re inviting new people into our community to get a literal ‘taste’ of what it’s all about.” Labuschagne believes that broadening the scope of the festival means that while peaches still have a central role to play in this extravaganza, there is also room for so much more, “from fly fishing to horse riding, to the colourful fruit rolls from Koringhuis and Tannie Malie Botha’s preserved peaches, to the beautiful linens from Froggy Pond Farm…” she enthuses. The local residents who will be sharing their wares with the public are friendly, enthusiastic, and as varied and authentic as their produce. Ursula Vermaark, who has been involved in many a Tonteldoos festival, invites me to tea over the phone, “do pop in any time” she says, after spontaneously sharing her recipe for peach cobbler with me. “How do I like my peaches”, muses Peter Duck, chairperson of the Tonteldoos Conservancy, “I enjoy my peaches best out of a bottle” he jokes, adding “be sure to contact Johnny Kunneke about his Vuurwater.” Gerda Whitehorn from Dullstroom Accommodation is most helpful, “just contact me with anything you need” she offers. “We’re a community that mix hard work with simple pleasures”, explains Labuschagne, “and we’re privileged to be able to do this.” The community promotes the sustainable use of their natural resources, and the Tonteldoos Conservancy, chaired by Peter Duck, ensures that Tonteldoos valley remains the fertile and creative haven it is by monitoring how the land is used, and liaising with provincial authorities and other local conservancies. He believes the festival puts Tonteldoos on the map and promotes its local produce. This is vital to the long term sustainability of the area’s farms. There will be about 25 stalls selling their wares at the festival, and up to a thousand visitors are expected. Luckily, the surrounding area has a number of lodges and accommodation options available, “although”, says Whitehorn “it’s imperative that people book fast.” Aside from the produce on offer, there will be displays from Dullstroom Birds of Prey and the South African Police (SAP) dogs from Pretoria. South African Breweries (SAB) will also be hosting a beer tent at the festival and there will be a raffle, beauty competitions for kiddies, teens and young adults, horse riding, donkey cart rides, a mini zoo, waterslides and jumping castles on offer. The lyrics from Peaches, that song by the Presidents of the USA spring to mind: “Movin to the country gonna eat a lot of peaches…If I had my way I’d eat peaches every day, Sun soakin bulges in the shade…” If you can’t pack up and move to the country, the Tonteldoos Country Festival of peaches and dreams, splendid, sweet, savory and sticky, seems like a good compromise, where the alchemist farmers spin earth and water and sunshine in orbs of delicious gold, and anyone can share in some good country living, the Tonteldoos way. For more information on the festival contact Bets Laubschagne on 013 254 0207 and Gerda Whitehorn at Dullstroom Accommodation on 079 5157799 or at info@dullstroom.co.za

Written for and published in Indwe Magazine, March 2007

They were performing together in the back row of the chorus of a production of the Vagabond King at Wits University. “Dawn was a barefoot flower child, in painting smocks with hair down to her waist”, Des remembers, “and Des looked like a Viking and sang folks songs, and had a captivating smile”, adds Dawn. Thus began one of South Africa’s most enduring personal and professional partnerships. Des and Dawn Lindberg are entering their fifth decade together, in an industry known for its personal and professional break-ups.

As I sit chatting with them on a warm summer’s evening at their Park Town North home, I can’t help but think of their lives together as an on going fairy tale of sorts, with Des and Dawn in the starring roles, and I wonder what has made it work?

They officially began their life together when they married in 1965, and it was a life filled from the start with song, passion and political awareness. Their shared perspective on the world, and complimentary professional skills naturally compelled them to seek out the stage as a platform to express political and artistic ideals, “and we were idealistic”, says Dawn, “we traveled the sub continent in a caravan for three years, with our two cats, singing our folks songs, entertaining at the Troubadour in Noordt Street (a coffee bar/shop which Des managed for 4 years) and searching for a way to make a difference to South Africa’s political landscape”.

For Des and Dawn, Apartheid was the villain in the early chapters of their story. After seeing a production of Godspell in Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe), the couple knew they had found the perfect vehicle from which to make a strong stand against the country’s racial laws. They obtained the Rights and staged Godspell as a multi racial production that would directly challenge the group areas act. “That was part of our shared vision”, says Dawn, “not just to sing, but to make a difference”.

After taking on the Publications Control Board with a successful Supreme Court case to challenge the banning of Godspell they produced Pippin, also with a multiracial cast, and then opened The Black Mikado at Diepkloof Hall in Soweto, always fighting determinedly for the rights of theatre managements and actors countrywide, contesting bannings, and often clashing with security police. And doing it together.

As well as remaining married when so many other showbiz couples don’t, Des and Dawn have remained politically involved over the years. Des turned down invitations to stand for parliament on nine occasions, “simply because I didn’t see myself on the back benches”, he says, but “our contributions through our music and art provided, and continue to provide, a more appropriate platform for social and political issues”.

Juxtaposed with the strong political ethos of these years is the innocent magic of Unicorn’s Spiders and Dragons Tales, a wonderful mix of fantasy and humor, which is just a popular today as it was in 1968.

In the 70’s, Des and Dawn began their family, “having children is just incomparable to anything”, says Des. Images of love and laughter fill the house. “Family has always been so important”, says Dawn. She comes from a large family of seven children, while Des was an only child. “He loved all the excitement and madness of my family” says Dawn, laughing. “And Dawn wasn’t used to anyone paying as much attention to her as I did” chips in Des, “so it worked both ways”. Their two sons are both married now “and my plans to write more original children’s stuff has quite a lot to do with the prospect of Grandchildren”, Des smiles.

The eighties was a decade of turbulence and enchanted evenings. While South Africa’s political future churned restlessly along towards democracy, Des and Dawn hosted what were well known as their Sunday “soirees” in the Houghton home they lived in for 35 years. They filled this house with extraordinary people and extraordinary talent. Johnny Clegg, Sipho Mchunu, John Kani and Winston Ntshona first performed publicly on their ‘stage’, along with many others, in a celebration of South African artists, music and creativity. And still the marriage stayed strong.

As we talk our way into the nineties, where highlights include performing for Madiba and FW de Klerk at the Newsmaker of the year Awards, Dawn pauses, “I’m constantly surprised that we’ve been able to sustain ourselves in a very difficulty industry with no subsidy from anybody really, no sponsorship, no management”, she laughs, “I’m surprised and grateful and humble for our life together”.

Through all of Dawn’s sophistication and experience, this moment of reflection conveys a genuine sense of wonder. And Des is warm, supportive and proud. “I can never believe she’s stayed with me all these years”, he teases.

They are relaxed and unstudied, and I tell them how comfortable I feel talking to them. “I think that’s part of why the brand works” says Dawn, “People have been able to relate to use, we like talking to people, and this has always served us well”.

Their golden world is ruled by a stubborn practicality. They’re down to earth and organized and ambitious. Their success comes as much from hard work, intelligent decisions and determination as it does from talent. “To survive, we’ve just had to re-invent ourselves; we’ve worked at it”, says Dawn.

This constant re-invention manifests itself in their marriage too. “It’s constantly been like that” say Des, “Dawn surprises me, she produces the most beautiful graphic works and then- the tap dancing!” he exclaims. “Last year I came home one day and Dawn was in front of the stove, cooking dinner and going tap tap tap. She said ‘I’ve been cast in Peter Toerien’s Show, Stepping Out, and I’ve got to learn to tap dance’. So she did”.
“Des can’t dance, sadly”, laughs Dawn, “that’s been the biggest disappointment of my marriage”. The banter continues and they comfortably interrupt each other, stop to laugh, correct, contradict and encourage each other. They have always had the same values, and seem to share an endless energy, an honesty, and a sense of hope that the future is always a bright one, so long as you can sing and dance and paint, love, have fun and work with passion and integrity.

There’s a roast chicken cooking in the oven, and props from Dawn’s latest project, “The Good Body” by Eve Ensler (of Vagina Monologues fame) scattered around. Ensler specifically requested that Dawn direct her new play, which runs from the 1 to 31 March at the Liberty Life Theatre on the Square. “It’s going to be great fun” Dawn laughs, “and I’ve a wonderful, cheeky and talented cast of Lizz Meiring, Anne Power and Esmeralda Bihl”.

As Executive Director Dawn is also busy with the Naledi Theatre Awards, held on the 19 of February and Des is talking about writing a book, possibly two.

Then there’s Dawn’s painting, “which she has to pursue”, says Des, “and Des’s writing”, he’s got an extraordinary talent” says Dawn, “oh, and of course, a couple of grand children…please Josh and Zee, and Adam and Andi!”

Their love story seems suspended in the “happily ever after stage” as they continue to support each, respect each other and love each other, while they casually dispense art, light, music, dance and drama, as though scattering fairy dust through the decades, and into people’s hearts.

“Perhaps extraordinary begins with ordinary” I think, as I imagine them sitting down with their roast chicken and a glass of wine, this dancing flower child and her Viking, who still sings folks songs, and plays the guitar.

Once upon a time, at the heady dawn of a decade of flower power, political activism, hippies and bell bottoms, a beautiful young artist and dancer met a handsome blonde law student who played the guitar.

The beautiful Kruger landscape is home to an amazing array of fauna, flora, and, on occasion, cricketers! The cricket oval near Skukuza is a hidden gem, carefully maintained in amidst the Kruger bushveld. The players? An assorted bunch of Scientists, Rangers, Field Guides and community members from Skukuza, Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, and the SANParks online forums, who plan to come out in the summer sun to play cricket and raise funds for SANParks!
 
Skukuza, Kgalagadi and the SANParks Forums have put together cricket teams to play against each other at Skukuza on the 24 of February. Accommodation has been booked and strategies are being discussed.

Says KNP spokesperson, Raymond Travers, the cricket field in the Skukuza Staff Village has hosted some interesting games over the years and annually hosts a Cricket Clinic for all the local schools.

“We get a number of the top cricketers to come and help with the clinic in the morning – Ntini, Crooks, Nel, de Villiers etc have regularly been visitors- and then all the names are thrown into a hat together with those from the Skukuza Cricket Club and team “A” and “B” are formed and play against each other later”, he explains.

Travers recalls how four years ago Justin Kemp knocked a ball right over the boundary, over a line of houses and splash into the N’waswitshaka River. “Last year it was fun watching someone like Don English padding up to Andre Nel and actually knocking a couple of runs off him too”, says Travers, “I think he was eventually caught behind”.

Another highlight was when Derek Crooks got hold of the PA system and started giving match commentary. “While he was busy pulling AB’s leg, a few warthogs ambled onto the field so Derek said: ‘And now the replacement fielders go onto the field and take up the Silly Mid On position’. As you can see, the actual game isn’t very serious, unless you facing Andre Nel or Makhaya Ntini”, laughs Travers, “and we hope to host it this year again”.

Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park in the meantime put together a cricket team in 2006. “As far as anybody can remember there has never been an official cricket team in the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park”, says Jan Kriel, head of Field Guiding in the park. “The local community challenged the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park to get a team together and to play a friendly against them and we obliged”, he explains.

The game was played at Welkom Community Village just outside the park. “Playing in the dirt was rough”, he explains, “because it made the ball slow and also bowling was very difficult, but under circumstances we had to make the best of it, dust and all!”

The KTP team won the match by 5 wickets, “but what was important was the fact that the community and the park could get together and have some sport” says Kriel.

One thing led to another and Kgalagadi contacted Kruger, challenging them to a ‘clash’

KNP’s reply: “Bring. It. On”.

As this discussion took place online, it wasn’t long before the SANParks Forum Members were putting together a team, and the date for the match, the 24 of February 2007, was confirmed.

The SANParks online community has over has 8900 registered members, a number of whom have been involved in various events and activities revolving around SANParks, from ‘forum meets’ in the Netherlands to fundraising adventures in the KNP. “We thought, why let Kruger and Kgalagadi have all the fun?”, laughs DinkyBird, a forum moderator, “We decided to join in and in the process raise some money towards one of SANParks projects, the Nossob webcam ” adds DinkyBird.

Money will be raised by way of donations via the SANParks website. So far, people have pledged hundreds of rands towards the purchase of the camera to see the ‘musketeer’ forum team come out to play in mini-skirts, there’s another R100.00 pledged if the Forum team beats the KNP guys, and R50.00 for every catch an “angel” (woman player) takes to dismiss a batswoman in the women’s match, “it’s all a lot of fun”, adds DinkyBird, “and all the pledges add up”. The fundraising target is R20 000.00.

The day’s matches will run as follows: Forum Men’s team vs. the KTP team in the morning, with the winner then playing the Skukuza team in the afternoon. In between, there will be a fun match where a women’s forum team will play a Skukuza women’s team.

KNP will host the match, and the event is set to become SANParks largest gathering of forum members, some of whom are travelling from as far as Holland to attend. “Over a hundred people in total will be involved in this great initiative”, says Travers, “we’re looking forward to a fabulous day”.

A number of the Kgalagadi players are community members who have never had the opportunity to travel outside of their local area, “so this trip of 7000 kilometers is a once in a lifetime opportunity”, says Kriel. “Thank-you to Avis, who have generously sponsored the vehicles, Cricket South Africa, who have supplied us with equipment, and Anton van Schalkwyk who, in his personal capacity, has sponsored the petrol money for the Kgalagadi team”.

There will be floating trophy, kindly donated by forum member Muhammed, live online commentators, a webcam broadcasting the game for those who can’t attend the match in person, and an evening event where all involved in the match can relax after a day in the sun and soak up some Kruger magic.

Watch this space for details on how to follow the game online, and get involved is what surely will go down in history as an epic day of cricket@skukuza.
For more information, please contact Dianne Tipping-Woods

Pictures: the Kgalagadi team in action
*Please note that forum members names used refer to their on-line names

Wim Botha, Standard Bank Young Artist of the Year winner for Visual Art is erudite and reserved, accommodating and wary, as he talks about his exhibition Premonitions of War on display at the National Arts Festival in Grahamstown. “I work with art history, but not Art History as an academic discipline”, explains Botha. He draws on iconic and venerated images from art and religion over the ages, “things that people perceive as being great” he says, “for whatever reason.

For some people these images are just background noise with no personal meaning, for other people, it’s what they live by”. All these images have recognizable content and because people respond to them in a certain way already, Botha uses this to do, as he says in a characteristic understatement “interesting things”. Premonitions of War consists of recent works, and while Botha stresses that what you make of it may be different, his intention was to create a sense of unease brought about by the combination of various different images, “just a sort of lingering nervousness that you can’t put your finger one” he explains. Botha juxtaposes images to create this effect, for example combining the “Mieliepap Pieta”, a life-sized mirrored replica of Michaelangelo’s original modelled in maize meal and epoxy resin, with an image of Christ’s crucified body. Only, it’s not Christ hanging in the characteristic pose, it’s what most people will recognise as the devil. The material is very important, because “that’s what the actual thing is made of and like images, the specific materials has a specific kind of associations depending on who you are” says Botha. For example, maize meal and coal, two of the materials Botha works with have South African associations. Botha believes this brings his images, many of which are drawn from Western Art History, into a local context. Botha smokes as he talks, considering each question, slightly disdainful but unfailingly polite. He’s most animated when talking about the work itself. The small bronzes are his personal favourites from this exhibition, “they’re precious, they’re tiny, they’re likeable and very violent” he says. The first bronze shows Isaac slitting Abraham’s throat. The second shows, Bacchus, “and instead of drinking and fucking, the satyr is killing his god” says Botha, looking up at the bronze; “the beauty of the jewel-like nature of them is a nice contrast to the violence implied”. Botha is pleased about the exposure he’s getting from winning the Standard Bank award, and personally, it serves as some kind of affirmation, “but one should remain sceptical about awards of all kinds” he says stubbing his cigarette and standing up. The interview is over, but there’s a lingering sense of unease in the room. It’s so much more than interesting. But let’s leave it at that.

By mixing sunlight with imagination the students from the Ningizimu School for children with mental handicaps have created magic, finding treasure (Umcebo) in the rubbish and debris of daily life.

“When I first saw the works from the Umcebo exhibition in a smaller space in Durban, shoulder to shoulder, they glowed like jewels”, says Andrew Verster, who is conducting the Umcebo exhibition walkabouts at the 2005 National Arts Festival in Grahamstown.

“Some actually appeared to have light coming from them, not just reflecting light like the moon, but shining light like the sun” he says, pointing to the astounding tapestries of liquid colour that adorn the walls of the Standard Bank Gallery of the Albany Museum.

Verster likens the experience of encountering these tapestries for the first time to stepping into a Byzantine Church. Intrigued by this vision, he moved closer. “Only then did I see it was all cast off junk”, he laughs, “but I’ll never forget that magical moment of transformation when I stood at the door and saw a room completely blazing with light, totally inspiring in a happy, joyful way”.

Up close, the tapestries, are literally made of rubbish; old fanta cans, buttons, bits of fabric, and stones. And that’s precisely what makes them so extraordinary. They encapsulate the kind of double vision that characterises all great art, “you look at it”, explains Verster, “and things appear to be one thing then miraculously turn out to be totally different”.

The tapestries are produced by children with mental handicaps; “this encompasses the whole human race”, Verster explains, “nobody is perfect”. The children who attend Ningizimu school often come from backgrounds where Verster believes they do not receive enough food, enough warmth, enough stimulation, enough opportunity to express themselves or enough recreation. As a result, these children often harbour a build up of frustration.

“A child will come to school, shaking with terror and anxiety, and unable to talk even and they will be given some areas of work to do, on one of [the tapestries] for example, and they become so absorbed in that process that it is a very calm child after a few hours”.

Each tapestry is themed around ideas or images, from abstract ideas like “Dream”, to more concrete ideas like “Flowers”, “The Sun” and “HIV/Aids” The themes are explored sensitively and imaginatively by the students. The focal point of the HIV/Aids tapestry is a heavily fringed eye made out of mirror, another one, “Moon and Stars” details tiny, jewelled fish swimming through the cosmos.

In Verster’s opinion, the creative act is a process of empowerment, “we have choices made for us everyday”, he explains, “but through making choices between this colour and that, or this shape and that, you’re in a kind of god-like position, and that very act of making choices gives you power that may be lacking elsewhere in your life”. He believes the children come to know themselves through their art in a very unique way, and possess a “latent creativity”, which should be developed through art, dance, music and other forms of expression.

“Beauty has a tangible power” he says, “feel it working”.

The Umcebo exhibition is presented by the Embassy of France, the Alliance Francias, and the French Institute of South Africa.

In Hostile Takeover, three characters, played by Martin le Maitre, Lindelani Buthelezi, and Mpho Molepo, meet over a freshly dug grave and what ensues is a strange kind of debate about Black Economic Empowerment, the new South African economic policies, religion, morality; “It’s very very contemporary, right on the nub of this weeks ANC stories, and its comic, and strange and perverse and very dark humour”, explains Purkey.

The play, revolves around an encounter between a white foreign affairs man from the old regime who lost his job and now runs strip clubs, and a hitman who was a former MK soldier.

“Mike is just a very good writer” says Purkey, “and that’s quite rare in itself; when you pick up his plays you can read them right through, you can see that they’re formed, you can see that there’s a command of the language”.

Over and above this, Purkey believes that Van Graan has a profound understanding of what’s going on at the level of politics in South Africa, “especially the perverse politics of the current moment”. Purkey also likes Van Graan’s wit, and his strange characters, “I hope that he will grow from strength to strength, I’m encouraging him to write a play built on a more emotional base for the future”, says Purkey.

Purkey has been at the Market Theatre since January, when he officially took over from John Kani. As Artistic Director, Purkey’s primary role is to devise a “diverse, challenging and provocative programme that some how engages with questions of what South African Theatre can be in the 21st Century”.

To that end, Purkey’s developed a mantra, “I say to myself that the meaning of the play lies not so much in the play itself as in the clash between the plays”. He believes that this allows one to think of a series of plays as somehow challenging each other about how we represent the world, South Africa, “our politics, our pain, our desire, and so on”.

While theatre audiences often tend to settle into being a middle class audience or an intelligentsia or a working class audience, the Market Theatre serves all of these constituencies at once. “It’s almost as though there are many Market Theatres all on top of each other” says Purkey.

Diverse plays like House of Shaka, Green Man Flashing, Tshepang and Cards seems to be serving the diverse audience, as these have all played to full houses. “I absolutely believe Hostile Takeover is an example of what we’ve started at the Market Theatre” Purkey explains, “as for the next thing of value, I’ll know it when I see it”.

“I want plays with rich, complex ideas, thoughts and feelings, challenges, theatricality, images, feelings, depth emotion, tragedy, comedy, history, all those words from Hamlet” says Purkey smiling wryly “as opposed to plays where the impulses are far apart and the thoughts turn to dinner”.–RU-NM

Hostile Takeover is on at the Victoria Theatre in Grahamstown until July 5.

Women from the Hamburg region of the Eastern Cape have taken the fabric of their daily lives and literally woven a tapestry of hope so rich and so magnificent that it dominates the quiet interior of the Grahamstown Cathedral. The Kesikamma Altarpiece, which is in Grahamstown for the 2005 National Arts Festival, is a product of the Keiskamma Arts Project.

The project was started by Carol Hofmeyer and a group of women from the Hamburg region of the Eastern Cape in 2000. Hofmeyer believes that art brings people hope and that by creating something with their own hands, these women gain a sense of pride and self esteem. The work the women produced as part of the Arts Project began to sell and now each of the women involved earns a monthly salary in a region that has very little in the way of employment for the community. The original Altarpiece was designed to bring hope to the sufferers of ergot poisoning in the 15 century. “The women in Hamburg see a parallel between this disease and HIV/Aids”, explains Jacqui Downs, one of the Artists involved in the project. Downs talks passionately about how the Keiskamma Altarpiece is a way to address the lack of employment in the Hamburg region of the Eastern Cape and give these women a voice to tell their stories. The design of the Keiskamma Altarpiece began in December of 2004. The project was inspired by the Issenheim Altarpiece, by Matthias Grünewald, and mimics it in size and scale. The Altarpiece opens up to reveal three layers, each one a vision of hope and humanity infused with detail from the women’s daily lives. Each women’s name is embroidered somewhere on the Altarpiece, which is destined eventually for a humble interdenominational church in Hamburg. Noseti Makwabalo has been involved in the Keiskamma Arts Project since it began 5 years ago. She’s from Hamburg and believes that working on the Altarpiece is “just something that comes from love, from your heart, just to help the others working as a team. The women feel so happy because it changes our lives in Hamburg, and because of the story of the Altarpiece talks to them, telling the story of their lives”. Noqwanda Nokubalo has also been involved in the project for 5 years. She began doing embroidery and now helps manage the women in the project. “Organizing the women is difficult”, she explains, “but with tender care for these women, looking after them, we are very happy”. She emphasises that these women’s lives are often very hard, and that the project, as well as the regular skills training workshops really have changed these women’s lives economically and emotionally. “The story in the Altarpiece is about HIV/Aids” says Nokubalo. “Spiritually it comes from Christ, on the cross but we’ve made it using the image of the widow”, she explains, adding that this image means a lot to the women in Hamburg because “the widows are the ones who are left behind and the Altarpiece shows the way we are feeling and living our lives”. The tapestry, after being blessed in the Grahamstown Cathedral, will be exhibited in Canterbury hall for the duration of the National Arts Festival. It will then be displayed at Constitution Hill in Johannesburg and entered for the Brett Kebble Art awards. The hand spun and dyed wool used for the tapestry comes from South Seas, near Port Alfred. The women also use thread, beads, wood, wire and Nguni hide to display their vision for the future of the plants, animals and people living along the Keiskamma River. Last year, the Keiskamma artists’ 135m long Xhosa history tapestry (inspired by the Bayeux tapestry) caused a sensation at the Festival, which was selected for many competitions and exhibitions, such as the FNB Craft Vita Awards, and took a much-coveted prize in last year’s Brett Kebble Art Awards.–RU-NML

In the vastness of the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, a story is being written in the wilds. The authors are the animals, the wind, the trees and the myriad of creatures that live in the park. Very few people can read this story and decode the meaning of the smallest, subtlest signs of the wild.One man who could was Karel Kleinmann, popularly known as “Oom Vet Piet”
In the vastness of the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, a story is being written in the wilds. The authors are the animals, the wind, the trees and the myriad of creatures that live in the park. Very few people can read this story and decode the meaning of the smallest, subtlest signs of the wild.One man who could was Karel Kleinmann, popularly known as “Oom Vet Piet”.
Oom Vet Piet was honored with a Life Time Achievement Award at the Kudu Awards on the 29 June 2006. His widow collected the posthumous the award given to acknowledge Oom Vet Piet’s lifetime commitment to his people and his park.
The nickname Oom Vet Piet came from Karel’s love for loads of fatty meat when he was young. He was a descendant of the #Khomani San and born in what is today the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park. Oom Vet Piet valued the park and, in his own words explained his feelings: “this was the land I saw, with all my love and experience, as coming from my forefathers”. He realized that what was left of his ancestors and of his land is of vital importance and must never be lost.
Oom Vet Piet officially started working for SANParks in 1984 as a junior game ranger and retired in 2000 as a senior game ranger. This description however cannot begin to capture the contribution he made to the park. He is regarded as a legend and over the years had become known as the best tracker that Southern Africa has ever seen. He was awarded the master tracker title based on his amazing proficiency in reading animal spoors, vegetation and other environmental factors that came from his extraordinary knowledge of the land.
Even though Oom Vet Piet never went to school he was literate beyond imagination when it came to reading the wilds of the Kgalagadi and the language of the creatures that live there. He was also a great teacher and transferred his some of his skills to a new generation of trackers.
When the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park officials recognized that the #Khomani San youth were losing the skill of tracking, Oom Vet Piet was appointed by the park to work hand in hand with Louis Liebenberg to be the trainer and assessor of the new trackers. Watching Oom Vet Piet read spoor was absolutely fascinating. He did a holistic reading and analysis, telling you the time of day the spoor was made and decoding the marks made by the grass. He could tell you the wind direction as well as the state of the animal when it made the spoor; whether it was injured, tired or had been hurt. If there had been a kill he could even demonstrate how the animal had been killed, using his body to show you, and in the process identifying so strongly with the creature it was uncanny.  Oom Vet Piet’s analysis ranged from the miniscule to the most obvious; from a millipede spoor to that of the largest mammal in the park. 
As a result Oom Vet Piet assisted researchers studying animals, particularly lion. His skills supported those he trained. One such trainee assisted in the study of caracal behaviour when farmers were blaming caracals for the killing of their sheep. Other trackers used their skills when guiding tourists in the park. Oom Vet Piet was also the subject of a number of documentaries on tracking and brought about a lot of positive publicity for the park. He also brought about attention to the plight of the #Khomanani San people as an international figure.
He was instrumental in facilitating improved relations between the park and the #Khomanani San community. He also tracked with local #Khomanani San children through the park as part of the schools programme.  
He participated at the Durban World Protected Areas Congress in 2002, highlighting the importance of community conservation issues. Oom Vet Piet was also a senior elder member of the #Khomani San community who participated in the Community Property Association which won the #Khomani back 25 000 hectares of land within the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park and 36 891 hectares outside the park.
He passed away on 27 March 2004. In the hearts of the San community he will always be remembered as a hero and he is honoured today as one of the SANParks greatest and most well known and loved employees.