WINELANDS
what I could do to bring hundreds of years of slavery and oppression to an end.” He invited his workers to his kitchen table in the Manor House to introduce them to a modern style of open discussion. At first he was met with incomprehension: the workers, inured to their oppression, had no idea of how to live without a strict divide between owner and worker. Today, as a result of a collaboration with the community and his business partner Richard Astor, the workers at SolmsDelta own a third share in the farm, an initiative which earned Richard and Mark the 2010 Inyathelo Award for Community Philanthropy. The workers are involved in every aspect of running Solms-Delta, from tending the vines, to giving farm tours. Education is a priority and the workers’ children have their schooling fully paid for. Families are provided with neat homes, fully equipped with modern conveniences, including DStv. Today Mark sports a worse-for-wear T-shirt and slip-slops. On the way to his home, he greets everyone by first name. I see the big vision that drives Solms-Delta reflected in small details. Mark’s home has no high walls or snarling guard dogs, only two delightfully rambunctious Labradors that sniff and lick me as I arrive. Sitting at the large table in his home, Mark runs his hands through his snowy hair, recalling the many conundrums that confronted him on his return to South Africa with his wife and two children. Even building a swimming pool for his children was problematic – he was concerned that a pool in his garden would attract all the farm kids, disturbing his peace. So he offered to build the workers their own pool, but his offer was declined – the community also didn’t want to entertain the inevitable hoards of kids from neighbouring farms. Finally, he thought that perhaps the best idea would be to offer to build a public swimming pool at the school. He was thanked for his kind suggestion but given a long list of other things that the school needed much more urgently. Reflecting on the saga of the swimming pool, Mark says, “It shows you something about your own
concept of generosity.” After an entertaining and informative half-hour, I understand why the workers call Mark “long breath”. He’s a verbal whirlwind of ideas and his thoughts bounce like electrical impulses between the two poles of his mind that repeatedly reference past and future – he is equally enthusiastic about excavating and reclaiming the history of the farm and creating a new world. Mark’s passion for social upliftment isn’t purely philanthropic – he believes his ethic affects the wine as well, with reference to the much-debated concept of terroir, or creating wine that reflects the region where it is produced. Terroir, he believes, extends beyond the type of soil and prevailing weather conditions affecting the grapes, but incorporates the state of mind of the workers who tend the vines. “The history of South African wine is the history of shit wine,” he proclaims, citing the fact that in the late 1800s, when the British occupied the Cape for the first time, an official commission was set up to investigate why the wine tasted so bad. He is convinced that after Mandela’s release, a distinct upswing in workers’ selfesteem led to a measurable improvement in the flavour of South African wine.
T
he sound of Solms
While the workers surely appreciate having their monthly DStv bills paid, the foremost entertainment at the wine estate is music. Solms-Delta might have been just another fine example of social development, a place where politicians would come and nod their heads in agreement. Now, thanks to the music, when the Franschhoek wine makers come here on Saturday evenings, they often find themselves dancing langarm on the lawn with one of the farm workers. As Mark says, “We’ve done a lot of things at Solms, but it has been the music which has had the biggest impact.” After smelling and tasting the Solms wine, it’s tempting to imagine that if you put your ear to it you could hear it emitting various sounds. Listen carefully and you can almost detect the rousing notes of the vastrap emanating from the blend of Chenin Blanc,
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Clairette Blanche and Semillon, or a jubilant and defiant carnival sound coming from the Cape Jazz Shiraz … The manager of the Music van de Caab project is Adriaan Brand, the trumpeter and keyboardist of the Springbok Nude Girls and a Music Therapy student at the University of Pretoria. Adriaan’s mission is to “protect a dwindling and threatened culture with appreciation”. He believes that the best way to protect something is to stimulate its growth, and the Music van de Caab project is growing with the vigour of Jack’s beanstalk. On stage, Adriaan adds a touch of rockstar persona to the 15-strong women’s choir, the Delta Soetstemme, that he accompanies with accordion and trumpet. It’s a mesmerising collaboration of male, female, young, old, professional and amateur, united by a passion for rural Cape folk music and performing traditional material and songs by renowned South African musician Leslie Javan, the current artist-in-residence at Solms-Delta. After a rousing performance at a summer concert, choir manager Susanna Malgas greets me with a wide, toothless smile. By day, Susanna, who has been the Solms family housekeeper for nine years, keeps their home as neat as a pin, quietly humming Cape tunes as she polishes the ancestral furniture. On the weekend, she belts out the same songs loudly on stage. “Everything that I sing, I sing out of my soul,” she announces. “Imagine,” she says, as though she still can’t believe it herself, “that at 45 years old, I’m in a studio recording my own CD. I’m so proud. That CD is there forever. My children and grandchildren can listen to it.” Currently the women are still reeling from the recognition they recently achieved when they were asked to accompany rock band Die Heuwels Fantasties and Afrikaans pop legend Coenie de Villiers in a song on his latest CD. Susanna’s musical journey continues. “My dream was always to play the guitar and sing at the same time. Now, thanks to the Music van de Caab project, I’m taking guitar lessons and I can do just that. It makes me feel like I’m a magician.” (DK)
2011
2/21/11 5:36:10 PM