City Views: Cape Town as a happening city by Cape Town Partnership

CITYVIEWS

March 2013

Photo: Martin Hahn, Muti Films

YOUR FREE CAPE TOWN CENTRAL CITY PAPER

Cape Town as a

HAPPENING CITY

Our journey

to 2014

>> page 4&5

See your city turned

inside out >> page 6&7

Connecting Cape Town one story at a time

The community stories behind Cape Town Carnival

>> page 10&11

about aroundtown town

CityViews

March 2013

CITYVIEWS City Views is a placemaking publication and free community paper co-published by the Cape Town Partnership and the Central City Improvement District. It aims to grow and connect people and places – through storytelling – to help us, as a city, acknowledge our past, overcome our differences, and shape our future.

Under construction While this March edition of City Views is focused on the many things happening in the city – all of the events on the go and the many citizen-driven initiatives springing up in our city – I’d like to focus this month’s letter on something happening closer to home.

ack at our offices at 34 Bree Street, we’ve been discussing City Views and its future in great depth. In its time, the publication has changed dramatically: We started in

2001 as a simple newsletter from the Central City Improvement District. In 2007, we upped our game, coming out as a community paper funded through advertising, modelled more on the destination marketing you might find in a mall. Today, you’ll see that all that advertising has fallen away, and that what we run

is simply quality content – stories about the diversity of people who shape what this city is, and what it can be. We then make these stories available to you, for free, by co-publishing this paper with the Cape Town Partnership and distributing it on the streets of Cape Town. In the interests of doing our job even better, we’ll be experimenting a little with the content held in these 12 pages – as a way to garner your feedback, and find out what you like, what you don’t like, and what you’d like more of. Let me be clear: We’d like to hear from you – the good, the bad, the ugly. Details on how to contact us with your feedback follow below. With those impending changes

“In the interests of doing our job even better, we’ll be experimenting a little with the content held in these 12 pages – as a way to garner your feedback”

in mind, this is also the last time you’ll be hearing from me for the next while – we’ll be experimenting with publishing a rotating opinion editorial in this space, as a way to frame the conversation happening in the pages that follow. That said, if you’d like to continue hearing more specific details about the work of the Central City Improvement District, please visit www.capetowncid.co.za and sign up for our newsletters and alerts. You can also follow us on Twitter at @CapeTownCID. Tasso Evangelinos COO of the CCID

Help us imagine the future of City Views While this publication is under construction and evaluation, we’d invite any and all reader feedback: Help us imagine in what direction we should grow. Give us your thoughts, ideas and feedback by:

CE BUSINESS CONFIDEN

Retailers have their say

Tweeting us @City_Views Facebooking us your thoughts at www.facebook.com/CityViewsCapeTown

Emailing the editor at judith@ capetownpartnership.co.za Writing to us: Cape Town Partnership The Terraces, 10th Floor 34 Bree Street Cape Town, 8000 We’ll be publishing the best of your ideas and letters over the next few months.

In November last year, the CCID conducted a retail opinion survey. This is the seventh survey conducted among retailers in the Central City Improvment District since 2009, and gives interesting insight into business-owner sentiment.

241

Retailers’ opinions on the health of their business.

retailers participated in the survey.

87%

37%

of business owners feel conﬁdent that they’ll continue to do business in the CBD a year from now.

21%

42%

21% say business is growing 42% say business is declining 37% say it’s business as usual

Editor: Judith Browne: 021 419 1881 judith@capetownpartnership.co.za

Contributors: Alma Viviers, Ambre Nicolson

Website: www.capetowncid.co.za www.capetownpartnership.co.za

Design: Infestation www.infestation.co.za 021 461 8601

Telling your story in City Views We’re always on the lookout for stories of people who are shaping their city, their community, their lives for the better. If you would like to be featured or know of someone who is worth featuring, please send your story to judith@ capetownpartnership.co.za. We cannot promise to publish every story, but we can promise to consider it.

Sharing City Views’ stories All of the stories found in the pages of City Views are available for syndication, for free. If you have a community paper or publication that you believe would benefit from the use of these stories, please contact judith@capetownpartnership.co.za

Distributing City Views

Retailers across the Central City reported that October 2012 was a great month for business. Here are the top ﬁve reasons business owners gave for this increase:

1 “More tourists” 2 “Good service” 3 “Increase in foot trafﬁc”

continues to be one of the biggest problem areas for retailers when it comes to expanding their businesses. That said, dissatisfaction with parking prices dropped somewhat (from 71% of respondents citing it as problematic, to 67%) between March and November 2012.

Published by: The Cape Town Partnership and the Central City Improvement District (CCID)

4 “Specials and promotions, along with better marketing”

5 “It’s just picked up in the last two

months; I think people are starting to recover ﬁnancially and want to spoil themselves”

If you’re an eager reader of City Views – and you know others who would enjoy reading it too – consider becoming a distributor. All we need is your contact details, address and how many copies you need each month. Or, if you would just like to track down where you can obtain your FREE copy, send an email to Aziza Patandin on aziza@capetownpartnership.co.za.

SAVE THESE NUMBERS ON YOUR PHONE If you live or work in the Central City Improvement District, be sure to save these numbers on your phone. CCID Security Manager: 082 453 2942 CCID Deputy Security Manager: 082 442 2112 CCID 24-hour number: 082 415 7127 SAPS Control Room: 021 467 8002 Social Department: 082 563 4289

about

CityViews

town

Photos: Sydelle Willow Smith

March 2013

3/ Specials for cyclists

Retailers helping make the city happen Pop-up shops, enticing window displays, retail collaborations and freebies aren’t just clever ways to attract people’s attention. They can also add surprise and delight to our urban experience. Alma Viviers looks at three examples in Cape Town ‘s CBD. 1/ More than window dressing One store that is certainly making the most of shoppers’ senses is Merchants on Long. With monthly launches, pop-up shops and rotating window displays, this high-end concept store, which opened its doors in 2011, combines traditional and nontraditional strategies to offer people an evocative and engaging experience. Merchants on Long’s creative director, Tammy Gibson, explains that they take a holistic approach: “Every month one of our exclusive brands launches a new collection. Much of

“My fellow retailers on Bree Street are very open to working together. We’re colleagues, not competition, and just want to be good neighbours.” Heather Moore

our work is about collaboration, so we always launch items that were developed along with the designers. For that month the collections get pride of place in our pop-up space above the regular shop.” These temporary retail experiences give people a sense of a special experience that won’t be repeated. For that month the featured designer then also collaborates on the window displays for which the shop has become known, and on launch night an event is hosted at the Merchants Café across the road. “I like to give designers the platform of the window display to bring their particular flavour to the shop,” says Tammy. “Because our designers are from across Africa and exclusive to Merchants on Long, we want to give them a real home in Cape Town.” The window itself is becoming an attraction and people walk by just to have a look at what’s on display. Some of the most memorable windows for Tammy were the collaboration with Speke Photographic during the Cape Town Month of Photogra-

phy last year October, as well as a joint effort by Lalesso and Pichulik using hundreds of white balloons, creating the illusion that the whole building was floating. “Because the building is a heritage site we also have to work sensitively. The window is subdivided by wooden frames and so you can’t just pop a mannequin in there and think it is going to work. You have to work around the building to make the most of it.” And it works. According to Tammy, many people come in just to comment on the window display.

2/ Retail collaborations Collaboration is also high on the list of strategies for retailers in Bree Street. Retailers along the upper part of Bree Street, including shops like Skinny LaMinx, Missibaba and Kirsten Goss, have formed a loose collective that promotes Bree Street as a destination. “I come from a blogging background and launched my first shop online. I found the online environment to be extremely supportive,

and people were very willing to share information. So when I opened a physical shop I wanted it to have the same kind of ‘we’re in it together’ feeling,” says Heather Moore of Skinny LaMinx. “My fellow retailers on Bree Street are very open to working together. We’re colleagues, not competition, and just want to be good neighbours.” They started a Bree Street Facebook page and Twitter profile to help shape the perceptions of what the area is about: “Like Long Street, we want people to get the sense that there is something happening on Bree Street; that they can come here and that there is something to do,” Heather says. During the December festive season, Missibaba and Kirsten Goss’ Vivien Warmbier organised the Bree Merry shopping experience and asked other retailers in the area to join in. “I come from Germany, where Christmas markets are huge,” says Vivien. “I wanted to have the same feeling of people out on the street, walking from shop to shop, sharing in the festive spirit.” Fourteen businesses, including restaurants and bars, participated in the two-day experience, with several offering special value-added deals and extending their retail hours to contribute to a vibrant street life.

Special offers are still an effective way to get feet through the door, and retailers are employing them to appeal not only to the bargain hunter but also to a more specific audience. One such audience is the growing cycling community in Cape Town. Restaurants are helping incentivise the use of non-motorised-transport by offering freebies and discounts to those arriving on bikes or boards. Your bike or helmet acts as a voucher to qualify for the specials, not only giving cyclists an incentive to frequent these establishments but also encouraging the use of pedal power rather than petrol. During the monthly Moonlight Mass cycle from Green Point to Greenmarket Square, the influx of cyclists brings additional customers to restaurants en route. As the event grows, so more people are drawn into town, making the city “happen” on new levels.

Be sure to walk past Merchants on Long to view their special Design Indaba collaboration with Ambra, a new jewellery designer, during the month of March. Join Bree Street on Facebook and follow @Bree-Street on Twitter to stay abreast of what’s happening. Want to know more about the biking bargains? Visit www.moonlightmass. co.za/commutingfriday. If you spot any other innovative ways in which retailers are engaging city dwellers, share it with us on Twitter @City-Views

A cross-section of the shops on Bree street

around

town

CityViews

What Design (Indaba) can mean to Cape Town Beyond the visitor numbers and the related economic contribution, beyond the educational and reputational value of the core event, Design Indaba is an interesting case study in how design events can actively engage in making Cape Town a more liveable city. By: Alma Viviers

he ﬁgures speak for themselves: in total, more than 52 000 people interacted with events around the 2012 Design Indaba. Of those, 3 000 attended the ﬁlm festival at the Labia in Cape Town, and 2 800 attended simulcast screenings of the conference in Cape Town, Johannesburg and Durban. The Design Indaba Expo attracted 40 232 visitors in 2012, and sales from the expo exceeded R200-million. Design Indaba as a global creative event adds great value to Cape Town’s offerings, but the relationship between the event and the city is certainly not one way, but symbiotic. “Besides the Mother City’s magnetic pull for creatives, Cape Town was a useful tool to add to our international

marketing their work.” This year, more than ever before, Design Indaba took the experience beyond the Cape Town International Convention Centre, hosting a ﬁlm festival on the rooftop of The Bank in The Fringe, and bringing design stories to the local silver screen. The Design Indaba Music Circuit also had 32 artists performing at 10 gigs at eight venues across the city. As a result, more people had an opportunity to sample a slice of creative inspiration, and visitors were encouraged to experience different parts of the city. Design Indaba has also harnessed some of that local creativity to the beneﬁt of the city. Their 10x10 Low-Cost Housing competition held in 2008, resulted in a pilot of the winning design in Mitchells

charm offensive. In the early days of Design Indaba, in 1994, it helped to paint a picture of the glorious sun-drenched city awaiting our international speakers across the globe. And we did our utmost to make sure they fell in love with the place once they got here!” recalls Ravi Naidoo, MD of Interactive Africa and founder of Design Indaba. “Quite a few of our top international speakers have, as a result, returned numerous times and even bought holiday places here. In turn, as Design Indaba has grown and news of this special once-a-year event has travelled, people come for the inspirational experience itself. The event – now encompassing ﬁlm and music – and our activities through the year have also nurtured local creatives, giving them a platform for

Plain, where 10 houses were built. Similarly, the Your Street competition challenges local designers to seek out ways to make city living in Cape Town – no matter where you’re from – more liveable, more sustainable. In 2011, the awarded projects tackled issues of urban agriculture, place-making and shack ﬁres as well as celebrating the micro-narratives of citizens. This year’s prize money of R1-million is going to be divvied up between winning proposals that can help make a tangible difference in Cape Town. Cape Town will be World Design Capital next year and given the prospect of a year’s worth of design events, we can’t wait to see all the ways in which design can help make the city happen.

March 2013

“Besides the Mother City’s magnetic pull for creatives, Cape Town was a useful tool to add to our international charm offensive. In the early days of Design Indaba, in 1994, it helped to paint a picture of the glorious sun-drenched city awaiting our international speakers across the globe. And we did our utmost to make sure they fell in love with the place once they got here.” Ravi Naidoo

If you’ve never been to Design Indaba, did you know that you can watch the videos of previous speakers for free online? Go to www.designindaba.com

CAPE TOWN’S JOURNEY TO WORLD DESIGN CAPITAL 2014

Feb 2010

BID JOURNEY BEGINS

Cape Town joins 32 cities in signing the Design Declaration at the 2010 World Design Cities Summit in Seoul. Cape Town Partnership – with funding from the City of Cape Town – commits to drive the bid process.

“We hope to inspire the judges with our innovation, passion and humanity. Cape Town has an important story to tell of a city that is using design to overcome our historical problems of disconnection, inequality and urban sprawl to create a more inclusive and livable city for all citizens.” Bulelwa Makalima-Ngewana, MD of the Cape Town Partnership

Jun 2011

CAPE TOWN SHORTLISTED

Cape Town, Bilbao and Dublin are named the World Design Capital 2014 finalists.

BID MOTIVATION VIDEO PRODUCED

June 2011

CAPE TOWN HOSTS ICSID

Cape Town Partnership submits a bid video to ICSID to strengthen Cape Town’s case.

PRE-ANNOUNCEMENT PARTY

ICSID’s World Design Capital organising Committee visits the three shortlisted cities. Cape town Partnership coordinates the local visit. July 2011

BID BOOK PRESENTED TO PREMIER CITIZENS ACTIVATED

Citizens are invited to support Cape Town’s World Design Capital 2014 bid at the Design Indaba Expo. The stand is set up as a blank canvas on which visitors are encouraged to write down why they think Cape Town is a great design city.

“The tip of Africa is the tipping point!”

“Our history has made us the brilliant trendsetters and creative leaders that we are today”

“A cultural melting point gives birth to inspired thinking!”

Feb 2011

March 2011

BID BOOK COMPLETED After working for more than a year on compiling the bid, with the assistance of the World Design Capital 2014 bid committee, the Cape Town Partnership officially hands over Cape Town’s 465-page bid book to the City of Cape Town, a day before the International Council of Societies of Industrial Design’s (ICSID) formal submission deadline of 31 March 2011.

Aug 2011

2011

“The year 2014 is the moment when the past and the future will come together for Cape Town, in contemplation and in action. In South Africa, cities were designed over decades to divide people. But since our new democratic era, we have been focused on trying to bring people together, to create a sustainable city that fosters real social inclusion.” Executive Mayor of the City of Cape Town, Patricia de Lille

Oct 2011

2010

“It was a difficult decision, but the World Design Capital selection committee has shortlisted three incredibly well thought-out and altogether remarkable bids that have created unique competitive advantages for their cities through design. These proposals have conveyed very workable and deliverable plans to use design as a means to reinvigorate their city’s social, cultural and economic development.” Martin Darbyshire, World Design Capital organising committee member and ICSID executive board member

The Cape Town Partnership officially presents Cape Town’s bid book to Western Cape Premier Helen Zille, and new Mayor of Cape Town, Alderman Patricia de Lille, at a ceremony held at one of the “active boxes” designed and built by the Violence Prevention through Urban Upgrading in Khayelitsha.

Cape Town’s design community gathers at a pre-announcement party, firstly the night before at the Assembly, then the morning of at the Field Office.

26 Oct 2011

CAPE TOWN NAMED WORLD DESIGN CAPITAL 2014 At the International Design Alliance Congress in Taipei, Cape Town is named World Design Capital for 2014. The congress is attended by a delegation headed by the Mayor of Cape Town along with representatives from the provincial government, Stellenbosch municipality, the Cape Town design community and the Cape Town Partnership.

March 2013

around

CityViews

town

Local designer on a global stage

CV Tell us a little bit more about your background.

I was born in Bethal, Gauteng, and we moved to the Paarl in the Boland when I was three, so I consider

before, about creating within the grey area. I love overstepping the lines.

myself to be from Paarl. I graduated from the Gerrit Rietveld Academie in Amsterdam in July last year. I’ve now moved back to Cape Town, where I’m starting my own studio to continue my investigations of fashion and beauty. I currently live in Oranjezicht.

CV If you could splice Cape Town with another city, which one would it be and why?

Why did you decide to settle in Cape Town?

What a fun thought! It would have to be Atlantis – we should all be able to breathe under water.

I went to Amsterdam to get a great education; I came back to put it into practice. I want to be a part of South Africa’s exciting evolution and make a difference where it matters to me.

CV How was your world changed after the success of Scary Beautiful?

CV How would you describe what you do?

I’ve always wanted to be a fashion designer because of how strongly fashion communicates to everyone. It’s an interesting medium to work within. However, I think I’ll stick with 3D accessories, because sewing with ﬂoppy fabrics really frustrates me. I like to create in the grey area between fashion, art and product design.

Getting recognition for my efforts has given me more substance in other people’s eyes; I’m being taken a bit more seriously now. CV What does presenting your work at Design Indaba mean to you?

I could never imagine myself speaking at a conference, so it’s a bit of a surprise to me. I am honoured and petriﬁed.

Why is it important that we talk about and reﬂect on design and design practice?

I guess it’s because I always want to break the rules, like I mentioned

Design is people-friendly and therefore a great communicator for innovative ideas. It introduces people to new things in digestible and often tangible ways.

A lot of your work seems to explore splicing, merging and creating hybrid forms. Why does this interest you?

Photo: Supplied

Leanie van der Vyver didn’t just graduate top of her class at the Gerrit Rietveld Academie in Amsterdam last year – the video she produced as part of her thesis project entitled Scary Beautiful has been viewed more than four-million times on Vimeo and has propelled this Cape Town-based designer into the international design limelight. Not only has Leanie received coverage in major online publications, including Vogue, Dezeen and designboom, and various TV talk shows, she can now also count herself among the prestigious list of Design Indaba speaker alumni. Alma Viviers caught up with her.

A still from Leanie’s video thesis, Scary Beautiful

To watch Scary Beautiful and learn more about Leanie’s work go to www.cargocollective. com/leanie.

Moments "World Design Capital is not so much what we are but where we want to be. The designation can support our long-term city visioning and strategy processes. It is the ultimate opportunity to focus on how to grow our knowledge economy, expand creative industries, and get more young people trained to get jobs or start businesses in these economic sectors.” Andrew Boraine, CE of the Cape Town Partnership

2012

Milestones

You are here

2014

2013

June 2012

ORGANISATIONAL SET UP

Cape Town Partnership manages the first World Design Capital signature event in anticipation of 2014, and on behalf of the City. Cape Town and ICSID sign the official Host City Agreement on 29 June 2012. The Cape Town Partnership spearheads the selection process for the board of the World Design Capital 2014 implementation company, with the assistance of a voluntary selection committee, and board nominations open.

Nov 2012

HELSINKI HANDS THE BATON OVER TO CAPE TOWN

Cape Town Mayor Alderman Patrica de Lille is presented with the official World Design Capital 2014 plaque at a convocation ceremony in Helsinki.

ENTRIES CLOSE Entries close for the first public proposal call.

FIRST PROJECT CALL OPENS

Cape Town’s bid vision becomes a reality as the first call for suitable projects is launched at Design Indaba.

The Cape Town Partnership coordinates a World Design Capital 2014 stand at Design Indaba 2012 on behalf of the City, showcasing the transformative power of design. The City of Cape Town also hosts a forum on the meaning of the designation.

WORLD DESIGN CAPITAL 2014 BOARD ANNOUNCED This board – of fourteen voluntary members – is to be chaired by Professor Russel Botman, vice chancellor of the University of Stellenbosch.

Submit your ideas online and be part of Cape Town’s journey at www.wdccapetown2014.com

Nov 2012

Sept 2012

Feb 2012

March 2013

“We’re asking people for their ideas and how they would make them a reality. We all walk the streets and inhabit the city in different ways, and we’ve all had the experience of thinking, ‘If only this was like that’ or ‘What if this worked like that?’ Now is an opportunity to do something, and the challenge is to put the right pieces in place and to do it spectacularly. We’re not only looking for new projects or ideas but also for existing initiatives that are already doing spectacular work.” Alayne Reesberg, CEO of Cape Town Design

Feb 2013

DESIGN INDABA 2012

SOUTH AFRICAN DESIGN SHOWCASED IN HELSINKI at the World Design Capital 2012 International Design House ‘Everyday Discoveries’ exhibition, with the Cape Town Partnership coordinating the project, supported by the World Design Capital steering committee.

Highlights

Jan 2013

CEO APPOINTED FOR CAPE TOWN DESIGN The City of Cape Town announces the appointment of Alayne Reesberg as CEO of Cape Town Design – the independent company established to run Cape Town’s year as World Design Capital. 1 January 2014

Cape Town welcomes the world

F RT

DEVONPO

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Infecting the City

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Thibault Square Art falls from the sky, as 1 000 paper jets fly off the roof of the tallest building in Cape Town’s city centre. Each jet carries the work of one of 10 artists, creating a curated flyingR E YP exhibition. KU

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Artist: Nkule Mabaso

6 Concert To

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Adderley St Fountain

Station Interior

Amidst the bustle of the city lie unexpected sacred places where

Artist: Jason Potgieter

Cape Town’s ever-moving station is an unlikely concert

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Artist: Tebogo Munyai

3 Shembe

Station Forecourt

Black Rapunzel struts the streets of Cape Town, questioning women’s responses in the instruments that render them objects and traps them within a self-imposed role of self-objectification.

4 Flown

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Artist: Catherine Henegan LL ME and Jimmy Rage

Artist: Pedro Espi-Sanchis

5 The Black Threat

Artist: Xolile Mazibuko

AANDBLO

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A roofless shack is transported to a business district. Holes pepper the walls allowing passersby to peer into a world you might normally choose to ‘not see’. ISH

Thibault Square

Be surprised by a seemingly impromptu musical performance ICK ARW Wof the African musical tradition of the Tshikona and Dinaka CLO pipe VEL E LinY ensembles, then join in with CLIV struments designed to reinforce VAN your community spirit. RYNEV

Thibault Square

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1 Right Inside

E Vand contemyou can observe ILL IER of plate the Shembe space S worship, a kraal temple made of clean white stones.

2 Pipe Flash

DERBY

VREDENHOEK

Wednesday 13 March and Friday 15 March from 12h30 to 17h00

Greenmarket Square

UTION

MIL

PROGRAMME D

Dream Factory

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2 The Afro Galactic

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1 BUITE the fringe

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Go on a journey through the ‘in-between’ worlds, places, locales, boroughs, cities, provinces, countries and continents. This living installation shifts shape and form to embody poetry, performance, music and video, EZ transporting youRto ISN places G between origins past and imagined futures.

LEY WES

ROO

St George’s Mall Skateboarders who have been banned from public spaces now claim the streets to deftly demonstrate the relationship between skateboarders and the cityscape

RD YNA MA RE CLA

Skatepark

Artist: Antoine Schmit

This performance begins with 20 000 glow-sticks spilling onto a paved surface to create a drawing. Mid-creation, the artist is interrupted by people in red overalls who sweep away his drawing away with brooms. Their ac-

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1 Beyond the

Artist: Sk8 Collective

South African National Gallery stairs

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Friday 15 March from 18h00 to 22h00

With the active involvement of the city’s residents, Cape Town becomes a light orchestra as a silent visual symphony permeates the windows of the city.

5 Erosion

PEPPER

T SCO

PROGRAMME CEDA

CORPORATION

HOP

VILLE

Church Square

N DI

CHUR

ALBERTUS

GLYNN

WANDEL

4 Open Windows Symphonietta

BLOEM

BARNET

AY OR

Artist: Tiffany Carbonneau

PLEIN

ST. JOHN’S

A fascinating relationship exGEcommunity ists between the N RA of Cape Town O and societies R on a global scale that live by PE industrial UP waterways and the shipment of commodity. PR IN Cthe This artwork brings visual E and social juxtapositions into sharp relief through deft film projections.

COMMERCIAL

DON

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Artist: Aeneas Wilder

Taj Hotel wall

BUITEN

DORP

BECKHAM

DORMAN

HATFIELD

S ON NT

3 Between Here and There

PARLIAMENT

UI .Q ST

Artist: Michael Elion

2 7

5 WANDEL

oranjezicht

Are the buildings, institutions and cities we create everlasting or temporary? Do they make us feel protected or vulnerable? Under Construction painstakingly constructs a complex, tense yet tenuous wooden structure in the District Six Museum to ask: what does it mean to be a resident in the city?

AL FESTIV E CENTR

BARRACK

District Six Museum

LONG

KEEROM

COMPANY’S GARDEN

ANN

tion

A whimsical treat, an ethereal vision, or a personal moment of unexpected magic happens when a city rainbow is spotted and does, for a moment, unleash pure joy, awe and wonder.

RIEBE

BREE

AND ALE

1 Under Construc-

2 Spotting Wale Street

VICTORIA

CARLSB

CARLSBROOK

PARK

RHEEDE

ORA

MOUNT NELSON

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Rainbows

NEW CHURCH

LONG START HERE Start your Infecting the City journey on 11 March at 18h00 outside the Iziko South African Museum QUEEN VICTORIA

NGE

WILKINSON

CAMP

LINGEN

Artist: Antoine Tempé

Tuesday 12 March and Thursday 14 March from 18h00 to 22h00 CURTIS

Be transported, transformed and moved to movement with this collection of giant photographic portraits of EEND WELGEM celebrated African and AfroAmerican contemporary dancers in full flight.

WELTEVRED

PROGRAMME B

Company’s Garden

WALE

WHITFORD

ROOK

HILLSIDE

KLOOF

EATON

UPPER

CAMP

1 Let’s Dance STEPHEN

FAURE

Artist: Marcus Neustetter

UNION

TZ DE LOREN

UNION

NICOL

WARREN

HASTINGS

ST. MICHAEL ’S DERWEN

KLOOF AVE

gardens

KLO

BUITENGRACHT

KLOOF STREET

’S GREY

Monday 11 March and Wednesday 13 March from 18h00 to 22h00 T R T OF S EE

BRYANT

LOOP tion alludes to local cultural landscapes that are eroded when global economic trends threaten our sensitivity to site and context.

TABLE MOUNTAIN

HOFMEYER

LION

MI LIT Every year, Infecting the City –TAAfrica Centre’s public AR arts festival – turns MBOERSKLOOF Y the city inside out, turning sidewalks into theatre sets, walls into galleries, PEACE JORDAAN and Cape Town’s CBD into a giant pulsing heart, throbbing with people BUITENGRACHT and CAMPS activity. year’s festival takes place fromUPPER 11 to 16 March 2012 TO CABLEWAY, BAY, HOUT This BAY NEW CHURCH KLOOFnew NEK and features over 54 works by local and international artists. Follow eight different routes to see, hear, smell and touch your city in completely different ways. Here’s just a sampling of what’s on offer. JAMIESON

BRE BELLE OM

LEEUWENVOE

bo-k

UPPER LEEUWEN

Turning Cape Town inside out

PROGRAMME A

MILNER

E BURNSID

CAMDEN

AM BANT

BROWNLOW

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HILLS GILMOUR

BOND

SPIN

ALBERT

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CALEDON

town

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WATER KANT

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DE S

ICH DLE

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WATERKANT

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Government Avenue MECHAU

COEN STEYTLER

HANS STRYDOM

CAPE TOWN STATION

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GRAND PARADE

CITY HALL

OLD MARINE

THE CASTLE

CIVIC

KEIZERSGRACHT

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venue from which to consider the electronic composition of some of SouthNAfrica’s ANT top muTEN sicians echoing from on high.

1 Verbal Mapping

Artist: Pierre-Henri Wicomb

Adderley Street

7 The Commuter

rict six Station Forecourt

RIS

Government D.F. MALAN Avenue Whatever our circumstances, ARTSCAPE the images we seem to treasure most are of ourselves, our loved ones and our ancestors. This project FOUNDERS GARDEN affirms a pride in identity and a sense of self-worth. Tired of SMUTS where photos a greedy JANworld are so often taken but so rarelyMAR given, TIN photographer Alexia Webster aims to create a photographic project that is based on community participation – to create a similar South African ‘family album’. Formal outdoor photo studios will be set up on street corners over two days, and anyone can pose for a formal portrait. The photo is printed immediately via a portable printer, for free, and given to the participant.

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graphed work, Moving News explores ways in which the media packages news for different classes of people in the city and how that affects our society. The storyline will draw from current news, as it is printed at the time of the festival in local papers such as Die Son, The Voice, Die Burger, The Cape Times, The Argus and the Mail and Guardian.

WOODSTOCK

Artist: Emeka Ogboh

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Artist: Adriana Roos

A Lagos noisemaker brings the hustle and sounds of his hometown’s vibrant taxi ranks to Cape Town. Displaced, yet strangely captivating, this sound invasion questions globalisation, immigration and the politics of multiculturalism.

E do theyCKwork and why do they U comeSTinto the city of Cape Town? Using this information, together with a portrait, a visual map will be built during the festival, revealing our connections to one another and to the city.

L PE AS

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This piece looks at the movement of train commuters as they CHA P EL flow in and out of Cape Town. An interactive piece that depends on audience participation, The Commuter collects information from the commuters: Who are they? Where do they live? Where

4 Street Studios

Artist: Alexia Webster Thursday 14 March and Saturday 16 OULEVARD B 5 Moving News ELA March from to D12h30 N A St George’s Mall M 08h30 to 17h00Nand O An exhilarating choreoS respectively 13h00 EL

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Artists: Isa Suarez and the New Teenagers Gospel Choir

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Adderley Street Twelve gospel singers will perform songs about change, hope, protest and aspirations for the future – while cycling through the CBD, on bicycles with brightly coloured ribbons and extracts from their songs.

LOUIS GRADNER

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2 1

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3 Cycling Voices

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Artists: Guto Bussab and the passing public

HERTZOG BOULEVARD

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We all like to play. We all like a challenge. 100 giant scrabble-like lettered wooden tiles are available on Government Avenue. Celebrating words and everyone’s innate ability to play, this interactive installation will stimulate and engage the passing audience and hopefully express the imaginative and humorous CTICC South African psyche.

BREE

LOOP

PROGRAMME E+

Artists: Jazzart Dance Theatre Company

Saturday 16 March from 09h30 to 19h00 CAN DUN

PRESTWICH

2 Scrabbling

Marking Shadows Castle Street Marking shadows will capture silhouettes of the shadows of people as they pass by and talk in the streets, of birds and leaves as they blow in the wind – reminding us of the movements of time, our own impermanence, and the shifting mood of the city.

Artist: Lynette Bester and students from Ruth Prowse School of Art

The Widow St George’s Cathedral Characterised by bold inscriptions of metaphor, image, dance and text, this work follows the journey of three women from young beautiful girls to widows, combining traditional theatre techniques with contemporary flair.

Artist: Mandisi Shindo

PROGRAMME F

Wednesday 13 March to Saturday 16 March from 08h30 to 12h30 DUNCAN

STRAND

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The Cape TownMidwest Connection Festival Centre On a park bench, a café table, a shoe store, you could happen across a set of four limited-edition artist postcards that create intriguing visual, conceptual and physical links between the Midwestern United States and Cape Town.

The heart of Infecting the City There simply wasn’t enough space on this map to run all artworks coming your way as part of Infecting the City, so be sure to stop by the festival centre at the 6 Spin Street Restaurant (run by Robert Mulders). This is where you can go to find out more information about the festival and performances, collect a programme as well as an MP3 player for The Uncommercial Traveller audio tour, and grab a bite to eat while walking the festival routes. On your way out, stop by the Twankey Bar at the Taj for the official Infecting the City mojito, infused with vanilla and pear (cost is R40). For the full programme and for further updates (knowing that details might change at the last minute), go to: Website: www.infectingthecity. com Facebook: www.facebook.com/ InfectingTheCityFestival Twitter: @infectingthecit

Artist: Jonathan Johnson

2 The Uncommercial Traveller Festival Centre One of the great sociorealists of his time, Charles Dickens wandered through London, documenting life by capturing the city’s everyday joys and tragedies in The Uncommercial Traveller. Using Dickens’s approach of seeking out forgotten places and uncovering hidden stories, go on a creative and reflective guided audio tour of locations in and around the city.

Artists: Owen Calvert Lyons, Raquel Meseguer and James Webb

PROGRAMME G

Tuesday 12 March to Friday 15 March from 10h30 to 12h00 1 Thinking the City Festival Centre Cape Town is often spoken of as a “creative city”, yet the question remains: “Creative city for whom?” Join the discussion with Edgar Pieterse, Rangoato Hlasane, Jenny Fatou Mbaye, Ismail Farouk, Rike Sitas, Ralph Borland and Oddveig Nicole Sarmiento.

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CityViews

March 2013

Monthly events in Cape Town:

Just add people Photo: Lisa Burnell

Many of Cape Town’s most interesting events are now happening on a monthly basis. Take in some art on a summer’s evening, listen to local music while enjoying Greenmarket Square, or activate your city’s streets with a nighttime bicycle ride – the choice is yours. By: Ambre Nicolson and Alma Viviers

RE O F BE

R TE F A These photos are of Greenmarket Square at night – the first on an ordinary week night, the second as part of Cape Town International Jazz Festival’s people’s concert. See what happens when you just add people.

First Thursdays

City (H)all Sessions Introducing City All Sessions: a free concert series that turns City Hall Sessions inside out by taking it to the streets of Cape Town – giving all Capetonians an opportunity to enjoy quality music in a public space on the first Thursday of every month.

n 2011, City Hall Sessions – a series of concerts designed to reposition Cape Town’s City Hall as a cultural space for all Capetonians – was launched. The successful series showcased international collaborations and line-ups that included Congo’s Ray Lema and Brazil’s Chico César (performing as a duo), Thandiswa Mazwai Trio and Kesivan and The Lights, and Senegal’s Ismaël Lô and the Azania Ghetto Sound band. Now you can look forward to City All Sessions, a new addition to the ongoing City Hall Sessions programme. Although the flavour of the music will stay true to the exciting array of entertainment embraced by the vision of the original initiative, City All Sessions will take the music to the people by going beyond the building. The free monthly concerts will be hosted on

Greenmarket Square while flagship City Hall Sessions will continue at key moments through the year. “As part of the City’s vision of becoming a peoplefriendly city and celebrating the soul of the city, the Cape Town Partnership, through its Creative Cape Town programme, is using the language of music to animate Greenmarket Square on a regular basis,” says Bulelwa Makalima-Ngewana, managing director of the Cape Town Partnership. “The concerts will give people a reason to linger in the Central City after work and give them more ways to enjoy the city in the evenings. My hope is that this initiative will spark similar regular events that will continue to transform Cape Town into a vibrant and liveable city 24 hours a day, beyond the

annual landmark events in the city.” The monthly concerts will be held on the first Thursday of every month to coincide with the arts-and-culture movement First Thursdays, kicking off on 7 March. The early-evening concert will give you enough time to also explore the galleries in the area, which will remain open till 10pm, and to make the most of the city’s bars and restaurants.

What is First Thursdays? It’s an open invitation to stroll through the city streets as the sun goes down, pop into your favourite gallery to appreciate the art and then meet some friends for dinner and drinks at a local bar or restaurant.

There is no set route, so you get to choose how many galleries to visit and in which order. A map is available to help you find your way around. If all that art gives you an appetite you can also enjoy a meal and a drink or two at any of the area’s many dining establishments.

Discover more about First Thursday at www.firstthursdays.co.za

Other monthly happenings MOONLIGHT MASS

The line-up for City All Sessions will be revealed in the monthly Creative Cape Town newsletter, delivered to your inbox on the first Tuesday of the month. Sign up at www.creativecapetown. net so that you don’t miss a beat.

hat began as an experiment in November 2012 has turned into a must-do monthly event: on the first Thursday of every month, the Central City galleries between Wale and Hout Street all stay open until 21h00. An agreement between six galleries has now grown to 12, along with film screenings and pop-up exhibitions. Numerous shops in the area are now also getting in on the action. The fifth event in the series will take place on 7 March.

Activate your city by taking to the streets with your bike as part of Moonlight Mass. This nighttime ride through the streets of the Central City aims to draw attention to the possibilities of cycling in Cape Town and happens every full moon. The next ride takes place on 27 March. For more details visit www.moonlightmass.co.za, visit their Face-

book page or follow them on Twitter @moonlightmass.

CREATIVE MORNINGS Be inspired with Creative Mornings Cape Town, the local chapter of a global phenomenon involving a series of “free monthly breakfast lectures for creative types”. For information on the next event visit www.creativemornings. com, visit their Facebook

page or follow @creativemornings on Twitter.

A SECRET NEW MARKET There’s another monthly event coming to Greenmarket Square in June/July this year. It involves city stories, and you’re the start of the show – but that’s all we’re saying for now. Keep reading City Views to find out ...

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Photo: Amber Nicolson

March 2013

What museums can mean to us and our city: Rooksana’s vision Iziko Museums of South Africa’s CEO Rooksana Omar – who has been in her position just over two years – tells us why museums matter and which spaces inspire her in Cape Town. By: Ambre Nicolson CV What made you accept the role of CEO of Iziko Museums of South Africa?

I believe in museums and I want to help create vibrant cultural institutions thronging with people, places that are always hubs of activity. I want people to feel safe in our museums. I think that too often people feel a little fearful of going to a museum or an art gallery, almost as if they are expecting there to be an aunty with a bun at the exit asking them, “What have you learned today?” I want our museums to be places where people feel they can be themselves. Of course the seriousness of what we do is still there but we want our museums to be happy places for people to come and enjoy. CV Tell us about the journey that brought you to Cape Town?

It’s been a long journey for me: I’ve been working in the heritage sector for 30 years. I started off at the ground level, working in libraries, interacting with the public and creating activities

for children. I had the rare opportunity to work at a closed access library called the Don Africana Library in Durban. This is where I discovered ‘rare’ books, ancient maps and literature about Africa and South of the Sahara. This experience opened up a whole new world of knowledge, exploration and discovery for me. Later I worked for the Local History Museum and I was appointed the research officer at the KwaMuhle Museum in Durban. Here I helped to research narratives around African people in urban settings and how the sale of alcohol helped to enable apartheid to thrive. It was a painful history to portray but the experience of witnessing people’s determination to reclaim their stories really stayed with me. Similarly, when I worked at the Luthuli Museum, the same story was there too, in Albert Luthuli’s ability to transcend his circumstances and set an example for others. That’s why, when the opportunity arose for me to play a part at Iziko, I accepted.

CV Where do you go in the city when you’re looking to be inspired?

I really love the Castle. It resonates with me and I find it fascinating. It’s a place that is stark and has a difficult history, but it’s also a place built by ordinary people. I feel a bit like a child in a maze there, there are so many nooks and crannies that I always feel there is something new to discover.

What role do you see Iziko Museums playing in Cape Town? CV

Iziko is made up of natural history, art and social history collections – all these elements have an important role to play in the life of the city. Our science collections tell us about the world we live in and how we influence our environment. Our art collections are more than ephemera, they are all about people making serious comments on the world around us. Our social history collections are vital when you look at Cape Town and its history, because there are deep issues that have been buried in our collections for so long – the history of slavery at the Cape, for example. Iziko also has a role to play in economic development, by bringing more people into the city. If you think about it, every time a tour bus arrives at one of our museums it means that people are spending time and money in the city.

Most importantly, though, there is an educational role that our museums can play. We want to be able to influence young people to engage with society and their own histories, and to help ensure that young people can think creatively and critically. We want people to ask questions and stand up for their convictions. Our museums are resources that need to be exploited for their knowledge, entertainment and cultural value. As EH Carr said, “History is an unending dialogue between the present and the past.” If we respect this idea we realise that we should always be reevaluating ourselves and our space in the world. In this way we can realise how much there is to learn, explore and conquer, and this is what we want to convey to people, the excitement of being a little child searching through a treasure trove of knowledge. CV More and more, museums are looking at engaging people using non-traditional methods that rely on interactivity and new technologies. What is Iziko doing in this regard?

While we’re looking at things like apps, it’s important to remember that many people don’t use smartphones so we often use more traditional means to make sure that the museums are accessible to everyone. Using

“I want our museums to be places where people feel they can be themselves. Of course the seriousness of what we do is still there but we want our museums to be happy places for people to come and enjoy.” Rooksana Omar

the resources we have, however, we really focus on engaging with young people, through everything from teaching them about engineering by playing with LEGO blocks to Morris the Mouse, who teaches children who come to the Planetarium about the stars. There are also our youth programmes that include workshops and an essay writing competition, drumming circles and even a watercolour class. I feel that, if children feel comfortable in our museums, it will be a lifelong positive experience for them. It means one day they will bring their own children to experience the museums too.

Discover more about any of the 11 Iziko Museums by visiting www.iziko.org.za. Keep up to date with happenings at Cape Town’s museums on the Iziko Facebook page or follow @Iziko_Museums on Twitter

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CityViews

March 2013

The community stories behind

Cape Town Carnival The Cape Town Carnival doesn’t only bring people together on the day of the parade. Behind the costumes and colourful floats, it also shows how a single annual event can help build communities all year round. By: Ambre Nicolson

“I

think the carnival can help bring an idea of who we are, as Capetonians and as Africans, to life,” says Brad Baard, creative coordinator of the Cape Town Carnival. As he speaks, he seems oblivious to the enormous blue sparkly turban, complete with feathers and giant fake gemstone, that is being carried across the office by another member of the carnival staff. “Social harmony cannot be legislated,” he continues. “So let’s focus on the positive, on celebration, on the things that connect us, on the things we can laugh about. Let’s come together freely, on the streets, publicly, in music and dance and in recognition of who we are, in a way that reflects our culture but is not putting it into a glass box in the museum. I think that’s what carnival is all about.” This time, as another staff member passes by almost completely obscured by the half-dozen violently pink feather boas she’s carrying, Brad notices my reaction and smiles. “You get used to sights like that around here,” he says, “but that’s part of the power of carnival. It makes you go ‘wow!’. Whether it’s the 20m crocodile from last year or the giant mobile praying mantis from this year, it allows us to tell a story in a supersensory way that is also a shared experience, because you are witnessing this together with other people with whom you share the city.” While most people associate carnival with the pizzazz of the floats, music and exotic costumes, this is only a small part of the overall value of the event, Brad explains. “It’s also about community involvement and skills sharing. So many people put huge amounts of energy into this, they put so much focus into their performances … I mean, you should see how Bheki Ndlovu, the choreographer, puts the lead dancers through their paces – he makes them sweat! And people love it and feel passionate because of what they get out of it. You should go see the warehouse and the amazing work being done there by the float builders.”

“At the carnival workshop we were soon laughing and arguing about the stories we all heard when we were growing up. Some of the stories were the same, no matter whether that person came from close or far.”

Yandiswa Mazwane

Many hands make light work From the outside the warehouse looks unassuming, but step into this cavernous space and you’re confronted with teams of people hard at work on what seem like giant metal sculptures on the backs of trailers. Alongside the skeletons of floats from past carnivals, I spy the beginnings of an enormous elephant, a ship and what looks like it could be the outline of a very large chameleon. About 40 men and women from diverse fields and all parts of Cape Town come together to build these floats. After the metalworkers and carpenters have created the basic structure of each float, the scenic and softs team “clothe” each structure in brightly coloured fabric and soft materials before crafters add details like beading. The costume

“(The music and dance) have to happen while moving forward, so it’s like we really have to walk the talk to make sure we tell the story. In a way I’m like a chef with everybody contributing different ingredients to the pot.” Bheki Ndlovu

department is separate and consists of another 60 people who work with the community dance groups to create costumes for each performer. According to the floatbuilding production coordinator, Leo du Toit, all carnival staff work hard to recycle and repurpose as many materials as possible. “Not only do we dismantle old floats to build new ones, we’re also quite good at repurposing

materials in new ways because we work to very tight budgets,” he explains. While the floats are being built, the dance groups are practising their performances. The choreography is handled by Bheki Ndlovu, a professional dancer, in consultation with the individual groups. “I try to match their unique dance style with the theme and specific musicians so that it’s always

authentic. One thing you have to realise is that all these things have to happen while moving forward, so it’s like we really have to walk the talk to make sure we tell the story. In a way I’m like a chef with everybody contributing different ingredients to the pot.” Participation in the Cape Town Carnival is open to anyone who can attend an audition, is affiliated with a group and is able to

March 2013

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“To feel the life and soul of a city you have to experience it, you have to get out there on the streets. Don’t read about it, come to carnival and experience it!”

Brad Baard

A team of hundreds of people come together to create the ﬂoats, costumes, choreography and music that make up the Cape Town Carnival. Welders like Lucille Barnard (1) create the frames of ﬂoats so that crafters like Yandiswa Mazwane (2), Nonthembeko Mgqanqho (3) and Thebe Thoaele (4) can add details. Dancers like Charlene Constables, together with a range of musicians, create the rhythm and vibe of the event.

who are new to this genre,” she says. “People are able to see that there’s more to Indian dance than Bollywood. It also shows that there’s a place for the Indian community in Cape Town and South Africa, and that we have so much more than Indian food to share.”

4 meet the demands of meetings and rehearsals arranged by the organisers. According to Angie Peterson, the carnival community facilitator, many of the groups that participated last year are back again in 2013. “Once we know who will be participating, we group the academies according to dance genres,” she says. “Fortunately we have some dance groups that are flexible enough to be able to fit wher-

ever they’re needed, whereas dance groups have a unique dance style that we take into account.” One such a group is the Vadhini Indian Arts Academy, an Indian dance school that has been operating in Cape Town for 26 years. Teacher Maya Kooverjee explains why the school volunteers to take part in the carnival: “It’s an opportunity to share Indian dance with others

Photos: Ambre Nicolson

African legends brought to life In the office of the warehouse I notice that the walls are covered with drawings, fabric swatches, diagrams and photographs. Among the hundreds of images, I spot a praying mantis and what looks like a picture of a skeleton. “These are the inspiration boards for each of the floats,” explains Brad. “When it comes to choosing the theme of the carnival, we have an initial brainstorm around possible themes that are accessible but that also have that little bit of a brain tickle to them, that get people’s imaginations fired up. For example, this year, with the theme being African Legends, we had to make sure that all the legends we choose reflect our diversity by being broad but also recognisably local. That is the case with the story of Van Hunks and the devil, or Kaggen the praying mantis, or even the Flying Dutchman, which is in fact a legend from our local shores. So watch out, Pirates of the Caribbean, we’re claiming our stories back!” (Hint: look out for the skeleton crew of gumboot dancers.) “Once we have the basic idea for the theme, we get everyone together to discuss the details. This year we gathered a group of lovely community leaders, ‘carnavalistas’, float builders, facilitators and crafters, and spoke about how to best make the stories of the legends legible and concise. We realised in the

process that we’d created a storytelling circle of our own.”

The power of storytelling Yandiswa Mazwane, coordinator of the group of crafters Ilithalomso Craft from Waste, was one of the participants. The group has been a part of the Cape Town Carnival since 2011. “At the carnival workshop we started talking about the floats, but soon we were just laughing and arguing about the stories we all heard when we were growing up. Some of the stories were the same, no matter whether that person came from close or far,” she says. “I remember visiting my grandmother in the winter, around harvest time. We would braai miellies round the fire and she would tell us stories. Sometimes it was scary and sometimes it was exciting. That’s why I think it is very sad for the youth today, because the stories are important and they don’t have anyone to tell them these stories.” It is Brad’s hope that the Cape Town Carnival will make a difference in this regard too. “What is passed down from one generation to another is quite fragile and also very valuable. Stories can get lost so they’re very precious things. We’re hoping that the carnival will help tell some of them. “To feel the life and soul of a city you have to experience it, you have to get out there on the streets. Don’t read about it, come to carnival and experience it!”

Photo: Velman Design and Photographs

See these community stories come to life Get into the spirit of carnival and see local legends come to life on 16 March. A free street party – fit for all ages – kicks off in the early afternoon on the Fan Walk, culminating in the float parade at 19h00. Look out for these ﬂoats built on local lore and a lot of hard work: Namaqualand daisies Every spring the Namaqualand blooms in an explosion of colour. Below a giant daisy is our interpretation of a Namaqua chameleon, a messenger credited with magical powers of transformation. Van Hunks Have you seen Cape Town’s tablecloth, when the clouds come pouring over Table Mountain? It’s smoke from Van Hunks, a retired pirate, challenged to a smoking duel on the mountain by a shady character. Knysna elephant Within the Western Cape lies the Tsitsikamma forest. Hidden within the forest, there is a legend, still living: the mysterious Knysna elephant. Nyami-Nyami Through a shimmering cascade, a giant serpent emerges: Nyami-Nyami, the spirit of the Zambezi, evokes widespread Southern African legends of strange creatures connected to rivers, pools and waterfalls. Mantis and the moon As the silvery moon rises, it is greeted by the mantis, taking us back to the most ancient Khoi-San creation mythology of Kaggen. Depending on the story, the moon is his galactic home … or his unrequited love. The Flying Dutchman A ghost ship, doomed to sail the seas forever, rises as a ship of bones, manned by a skeleton crew and cruises down Somerset Road. Queen of Sheba Through the haze of the desert, emerges a spectacular silhouette. It’s the Queen of Sheba, dripping with jewels, leading a retinue of sumptuous colour.

The fourth annual Cape Town Carnival takes place on Saturday 16 March 2013. The parade will start at 19h00 on the Fan Walk in Green Point. For more information and how to get involved, visit www.capetowncarnival.com.

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CityViews

March 2013

What it’s like living on Cape Town’s streets:

Delice’s story

A simple sequence of events – the death of her husband-to-be, a move from Johannesburg to Cape Town, a job opportunity that didn’t work out and her son developing a drug habit – landed Delice Hopkins on the streets of Cape Town in 2009. It took her four years of survival, resourcefulness and faith to get back on her feet.

“I

remember the first night. I had to face the fact that my whole life as I knew it was now gone. You think – and excuse me for the generalisation but this is what I thought – it is only the low-class, the poor, the destitute, the criminals, the drug addicts and the scum of the earth that squat, not people like me.” Delice Hopkins (55), who was born and raised in Cape Town, worked as a radio operator and communicator for the Navy. In 2000, with the prospect of a second marriage, she resigned from her job. But the death of her fiancé 10 days before the wedding kick-started a chain reaction of events that eventually led to that first night of 14 months of squatting in a building in the Waterfront. But this, too, was temporary: in June 2010, while

South Africa was captivated by soccer fever, Delice, her son and their adopted rescue dog Schnookums were evicted from the building. Then they were truly living on the streets – wandering from sleeping spot to sleeping spot, trying to find a safe space to spend the time. Having Schnookums meant that they couldn’t be taken in by the shelters. Nevertheless, Delice praises the efforts of shelters. “You can always get food from the shelters,” she says. “That is why I get so angry when people on the street beg for money for food. The Haven in Napier Street and District Six and St George’s Cathedral all serve meals. At The Haven we used to get breakfast, lunch and supper – not necessarily inside, but once the residents had been fed, as long as we had our containers ready. There were also

“If only more people could see past the cover of the book and read the story inside.”

A real low point was her first night alone on the street without her son, who’d been providing a measure of companionship and safety. He was taken in by her ex-husband and sent to live in Port Elizabeth. Luckily, a chance meeting with a friend at the District Six Haven shelter, who in turn introduced her to Poppie Saliem at the Adderley Street flower market, led to a 16-month stint working and staying at the market. She also began selling flowers at The Palms Market every second Saturday, and things started to look up. On 13 June 2011 she moved into a faith-based place of safety in Milnerton. During her time there

a few restaurants, which I shall not name, that gave us whatever was left over at closing time.” Delice also remembers how, despite great difficulty, she tried to keep up appearances. “All I wanted was a job so I tried to maintain my appearance. I may not have had a bath every day but at least once a week I’d save up my pennies for a shower at the Long Street Baths. In between I’d take a bucket bath. When you walk around, the disabled toilets are also great because they have a big space and a basin.”

she made several contacts that have led to work opportunities recycling broken jewellery and bookkeeping for two companies. Finally, in December 2012, she took the leap to rent a room, a place of her own, for her and Schnookums. But, since then, two work opportunities have fallen through and she’s back to only doing book-keeping for two days a week. Yet she stands firm in her belief that her God will provide. Delice has ambitions to study Christian counselling, has enrolled to do an online course and has also set up her own employment agency. She believes that part of

THE CYCLE BEGINS:

Please ma’am?

A difference

Oh, you poor kid

When someone asks you for money, what do you do? Even though your intentions are good, giving handouts can help people stay on the street. It’s a vicious cycle.

STORY of SUCCEss BASED ON A TRUE STORY

TO BE CONTINUED ...

Got the stuff?

the lesson of this journey has been to lose her own arrogant pride: “I now see that arrogance and judgment in people when they look at me, and I feel sorry for them because I know that next week it could happen to them. On the other hand, some of the people I’ve met during this time have been wonderful. Often the people who help have got nothing themselves. Street strollers often gave me money to feed my dog, and people with very little would share their food with me. If only more people could see past the cover of the book and read the story inside.”

Gi v e where i t makes

You can stay with us on the streets but you gotta work for it.

THIS IS MY

Poppie Saliem (seen here in front) helped Delice out of homlessness – by letting her work and stay at the Adderley street ﬂower market.

Delice Hopkins

PART ONE:

Photo: Sydelle Willow Smith

By: Alma Viviers

DO YOU...

You again?

KEEP GIVING HANDOUTS? GO BACK TO FRAME 3 AND REPEAT THE CYCLE.

OR...

YES?

HELP BREAK THE CYCLE?

Give

? SMS ‘SUCCESS’ TO 38088

Check your phone for the link &

SEE HOW YOU CHANGE THE STORY