A FEW WORDS IN REMEMBRANCE AND HONOUR OF ZAYD MINTY

Tribute to Zayd Minty 2023

Written by Mario Pissarra

DearZayd, I’m grateful for having been your colleague and friend. You were a visionary who challenged me to think beyond the limitations of the present, an enabler who opened doors for many, including for me at the Community Arts Project. It was at CAP (1993-96) that we worked closely together to rebuild an organization brought to its knees after the withdrawal of anti-apartheid funding. It was an immensely challenging period, as we took some difficult decisions in anticipation of broader changes that, for the most part, have yet to be.

After CAP, you made an invaluable contribution in exploring the links between the arts and urban development. You did this in so many ways - as a researcher, cultural manager, curator, writer, consultant, lecturer... Your thesis, for which you were awarded your doctorate earlier this month, will surely serve as essential reading for anyone working in this field.

It says a lot about you that whilst you were pragmatic about your rapidly deteriorating medical condition, you never gave up dreaming of creating new cultural spaces, working to establish a residency in the home you shared with your beloved Tali. I miss you my friend but take some comfort in knowing you had decided it was time to go. Comfort too in that while you may be gone, your legacy lives on.

Image: CAP staff photo (1994). Back: Simba Pemhenayi (RIP), Carol Knowles, Nigel Mentor, Zayd Minty (RIP), Lawrence Makinana, Barbara Voss, Lungile Bam (RIP). Front: MP, Lynette Davids, Sicelo Nkohla, Sophie Peters, Mashabalala Mkonto (RIP). Pablo Pissarra (RIP) on the ground. Source: University of Cape Town. Libraries. Special Collections BC1195 Community Arts Project.