City Views July 2013

Page 1

CITYVIEWS

July 2013

Photos by Lisa Burnell

YOUR FREE CAPE TOWN CENTRAL CITY PAPER

Cape Town as a CHANGING CITY

Remembering Mandela at City Hall >> page 4&5

Citizens

creating change >> page 8&9

Connecting Cape Town one story at a time

Cape Town: then and now

>> page 10, 11&12


2

about

town

CityViews

July 2013

City Views is

changing

Cape Town as a CHANGING CITY

Remembering Mandela at City Hall >> page 4&5

Citizens

creating change >> page 8&9

Cape Town: then and now

>> page 10, 11&12

Connecting Cape Town one story at a time

Photographing change isn’t easy. How, in one frame, do you capture something so fluid and intangible? For this cover, City Views photographer Lisa Burnell tracked the changing skies of the city over a few days.

have been almost synonymous for 13 years – after being set up in 1999 in response to the state of Cape Town’s central business district, the Cape Town Partnership’s first big project was to set up the CCID – their mandates and geographies have slowly changed. While the CCID continues to focus on keeping the central business district clean, safe, caring and open for business, the Partnership’s geography and mandate has gradually expanded to include the Table Bay area (with connections across the metropole) and has shifted to ensuring that this space becomes more inclusive, sustainable and liveable for the good of everyone who calls Cape Town home. To better cater to these two very different geographies, mandates and audiences, the CCID and the Partnership will be separating out their communications.

S

ince March 2013 we’ve been experimenting with the content of the publication and asking you for your input and feedback. We’ve heard your requests, and we’re taking them seriously. That’s why, as of August 2013 onwards, City Views will be going through some major changes.

Why is it changing? As you might know, for the past two years, City Views has been co-published by the Central City Improvement District (CCID) and the Cape Town Partnership. While these two organisations

CityViews

THE MANY FACES OF THE MOTHER CITY

Cape Town as an

AFRICAN CITY

Mother City multiculture

makes for competitive advantage

Cape Town’s

award-winning pan-African publication

>> page 3

CLEAN | SAFE | CAR I NG

>> page 4

New mobility

for a people-friendly city >> page 5-7

The Central City Improvement District – who originally started City Views in 2001 as a one-page newsletter to retailers and residents in the area – will continue to publish City Views every two months, with a different focus. If you’re interested in Cape Town’s Central City, and what’s happening in the area from a focused “facts and figures” point of view – from commercial and retail to entertainment and events – pick up the new City Views, published by the Central City Improvement District (CCID) and available from August 2013 onwards

CityViews

October 2011

YOUR FREE CAPE TOWN CENTRAL CITY PAPER

What to expect from City Views from August 2013 onwards

February 2012

YOUR FREE CAPE TOWN CENTRAL CITY PAPER

A brief overview of the changes: A new editor: Carola Koblitz More focused information: The new City Views will focus on the Cape Town Central City with news and information on business, lifestyle, events and entertainment in Cape Town’s vibrant CBD. Geography: The Cape Town Central City (specifically focused on the area from Buitensingel Street to Table Bay Boulevard, and from Canterbury Street to Buitengracht Street) Months on street: February, April, June, August, October, December of every year (with special editions from time to time) Launch date: August 2013 Distribution: For the next while, you’ll find the new City Views where you always did – on the street, in your letter box, at your local coffee shop or in the reception area of your building. If you’re a regular subscriber or distributer and would like confirm or adjust the number of copies you receive, contact aziza@capetowncid.co.za directly. Where to go for an online copy: www.capetowncid.co.za

What now? As a way of celebrating what was and looking towards what is yet to be, our final edition of City Views (at least in its current format and with its current team) reflects on how Cape Town’s city centre has changed over time, and how you can be part of creating the city you want to see. We’d love to hear your recollections about what Cape Town was like, now and then – and what kind of place you’d like it to become. Until we meet again in the pages of a new publication, we’ll see you on the city streets.

Write to us: On Twitter: @City_Views On Facebook: www.facebook.com/CityViewsCapeTown By email: judith@ capetownpartnership.co.za

Where to go for citizen stories The Cape Town Partnership has heard reader requests for people-focused interviews, a more participatory process, a greater sense of history, a wider geography and more online integration,

CITYVIEWS

YOUR FREE CAPE TOWN CENTRAL CITY PAPER

and is committed to publishing interviews with people who make Cape Town home and who are helping change it for the better – people like you, wherever you’re from in the Cape Town metropole. While the organisation looks at the best way to do this, you can find these kinds of stories online at www.capetownpartnership. co.za.

June 2012

Through the post: Cape Town Partnership The Terraces, 34 Bree Street Cape Town 8000

CITYVIEWS

December 2012

YOUR FREE CAPE TOWN CENTRAL CITY PAPER

Cape Town as a

TRENdsETTINg CITY

What’s driving

inner-city industry?

Artists

take to city streets

>> page 3

CLEAN | SAFE | CAR I NG

>> page 10

More markets for your money

>> page 11

Cape Town as a

LITERARY CITY

By: Lisa Burnell

July 2013

Photos by Lisa Burnell

YOUR FREE CAPE TOWN CENTRAL CITY PAPER

Cities seem to exist on multiple timelines. In some ways, they change incredibly quickly – as people flow in and out, shops open and close, buildings go up and down. In other ways, they move like molasses. Here in the editorial department of City Views, we’ve been thinking about the nature of change a lot – the theme of this month’s edition – in many ways because we’ve been going through changes of our own.

Photo: Sydelle Willow Smith

CITYVIEWS

The local publishing landscape

Mapping our city’s stories

>> page 4&5

CLEAN | SAFE | CAR I NG

>> page 6&7

The future

of publishing >> page 10&11

Cape Town as a

PLAYFUL CITY

Your

24-hour city

Cape Town as an

urban playground

>> page 3&4

CLEAN | SAFE | CAR I NG

>> page 6&7

Mapping

serendipity

in the city

>> page 8&9


July 2013

about

CityViews

town

3

CITYVIEWS

Reader feedback

Your city, your views The moments that have made producing City Views truly worthwhile are those when we’ve managed to connect with you, the reader, or helped you connect with the people and the place around you. Here are just a few moments that made us smile. “I’ve walked past Deluxe Coffeeworks for how long and there was never anybody in it. Until City Views did an interview with one of these celebrity-type people, where you asked which building they like and where they drink coffee. They mentioned Deluxe and I decided to go in. At the time I didn’t drink coffee and asked for a hot chocolate. Those guys looked at me like I just landed from the moon. All embarrassed, I pretended it was a joke and asked for a coffee. I was instantly hooked and it was not only the start of my love affair with coffee but also of a collaboration. Carl and the guys there have really created a little community. They were awesome in helping us set up Heaven [the coffee shop at the Central Methodist Mission]. Heaven’s coffee is only possible through the generosity of Deluxe – they shared their resources and don’t mind that we’re selling their coffee 50 metres up the road … So the moral of the story is, if

you’re going to read City Views, stuff is going to happen; good stuff.” Alan Storey

“I got your email from the City Views paper, which I’ve got into the habit of picking up downstairs at Deluxe Coffeeworks. I’m a born-and-bred Capetonian but I’m appreciating a whole new side of my town. I really enjoy the tips, perspectives and inspiration in the City Views paper and wanted to say thanks for the effort and thought that goes into it. I think the paper goes a long way to making a lot people like me feel like part of a community and proud of it too.” Chris Human

“At a Loeries dinner last night, City Views was mentioned and spurred an excited

and congratulatory discussion on ‘print media getting it right’ – there were plenty of compliments on the quality, composition, content and inspirational value of City Views. They’d all received a copy of the latest edition for Creative Week. The guys from Joburg were a bit jealous that they didn’t have something of the same standard in Jozi.” Jodi Allemeier

“As a resident of Bo-Kaap, City Views is a paper I so look forward to picking up. As an artist, I appreciate the composition and graphics and copy writing, and of course the relevant and interesting issues. As a member of a family of creatives, we collect this small paper. Also, it is a newspaper where PEOPLE MATTER. EQUALLY. Thank you.” Fatoom

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

Created by: Alma Viviers, Ambre Nicolson, Judith Browne, Jaxon Hsu, Lesley Hay-Whitton, Lisa Burnell

Contact: Judith Browne: 021 419 1881 judith@capetownpartnership.co.za www.capetowncid.co.za www.capetownpartnership.co.za

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

Telling your story in City Views

CITY VIEWS

// March 2013 Both the Central City Improvement District and the Cape Town Partnership start to evaluate the impact of City Views: who is reading it and for what reasons. We invite reader feedback on what we’re doing right and what we’re doing wrong, and begin to experiment with what goes into every edition.

a brief timeline As we say goodbye to City Views in its current format, here’s a reflection on the publication’s many incarnations over time.

// July 2013

// 2007

The last edition of City Views (as you know it) is released.

The Central City Improvement District partners with Mustard Seed Relationship Marketing – who specialise in shopping centre and retail marketing – to bring out City Views. The publication starts to run advertising and distributes 50 000 copies per month.

// August 2013 The Central City Improvement District releases its new-look City Views, focused more on Cape Town’s central business district.

// 2001

2001

2003 2002

City Views starts to take on more of a community paper feel and focus, as a paper co-published by the Cape Town Partnership and the Central City Improvement District.

2005 2004

2007 2006

2009 2008

2011 2010

2013 2012

// 2008 Local design firm Infestation takes over the design of City Views. Having previously run advertising, the paper becomes purely editorial .

// 2003 City Views starts to look a little more professional, becoming a monthly fold-out newsletter on glossy cardstock.

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

// 2011

City Views starts out as a very humble publication – a one-page A4 newsletter for the Central City Improvement District, printed on an office printer and handed out on the streets of the city centre.

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.

// 2012 City Views wins six awards in the space of two months – one from the International Downtown Association for excellence in the category of marketing and communications, and five from the SA Publication Forum, for excellence in design, communication, writing, best publication with a small budget (2nd) and best newspaper (3rd).

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@capetowncid.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


4

about

town

CityViews

July 2013

Cape Town’s City Hall Presiding over the Grand Parade for over a century, City Hall has been witness to many changes – physically, socially and politically – in the city. Its role as seat of local government has changed over the years to include the Central Library and the traffic courts. Today it also serves as a place for cultural expression. City Views explores its many faces and phases. By: Alma Viviers

Past and present // The conservation architect: Mike Scurr

HITECT sen THE ARCrin ina Ingwer

Photo: Lisa Burnell

Ka

// The facilities manager: Cynthia Court

// The orchestra CEO: Louis Heyneman

“While the building has stayed the same in many respects, its usage has changed dramatically over time. Beyond just concerts, the auditorium is now a popular venue and hosts a variety of events, from graduations to fashion shows. The second floor, which used to house the Central Library, is often employed as exhibition space or a party venue. People from different backgrounds and parts of the city are coming here. When I started working here I realised that I needed to know every nook and cranny from dungeon to steeple of the building. These are also lots of ‘secret’ spaces that public don’t have access to like the carillon and the clock tower. When I was a child my father always wanted to take us to visit the City Hall and we couldn’t understand his fascination with the building. Unfortunately he passed away the year before I started working here … before I realised how special the building is.”

“The Cape Town Municipal Orchestra was formed in 1914 and its first concert was staged here on 28 February 1914, so the City Hall has been the ‘home’ of Cape Town’s orchestra for nearly a century. For years, the symphony concert series has been a fixture on the cultural calendar for lovers of classical music. The shoebox shape of the auditorium provides the best acoustics for unamplified orchestral music. “One of City Hall’s unique features is the Norman Beard-built organ. It is a typical Victorian organ and one of the last remaining instruments from this period in its original form. It has a warm, late-Romantic sound, which expresses all the excesses of the period. While there are better organs in the country, this is an important period piece and should be kept as just that.”

TIMELINE OF CITY HALL

1947

30 April 1925

The Abe Bloomberg Mayor’s Parlour is inaugurated for the British Royal Family visit.

Originally 37 bells, now 39, the carillon was first rung on the Prince of Wales’ visit to this country.

29 August 1900 City Hall’s cornerstone is laid. Designed by architects Henry Austin Reid and Frederick George Green from Johannesburg and built in Italian Renaissance style by contractors T Howard and FG Scott, City Hall is made from honey-coloured oolitic limestone imported from England. 1905 The building is inaugurated as the centre of city administration and the seat of the Mayor of Cape Town. The organ, with its 3 165 pipes, was designed by Sir George Martin.

1900

1910

1920

1930

1940

Photos: Supplied

Photo: Lisa Burnell

“City Hall is constructed in the typical grand civic building tradition of the Victorians, especially in the way it addresses its relationship with the (older) Grand Parade. It was built to house civic functions but the world has moved on; what the building needs now is a vision that sees it as a truly public structure. In terms of conservation of the architecture, we need to ask what is significant about the buildings that needs to be preserved to maintain its unique quality. This includes the spatial quality, materials, finishes or details. How do you enhance these qualities and how do you creatively marry them with new uses? The world over, there are good examples of living buildings that are not frozen in time, but that function creatively.”

Then and now: An archival photo of the orchestra performing in City Hall in the early 1900s. A recent gala concert under the baton of Alexander Lazarev.

1950s and 1960s Former Justice of the South African Constitutional Court, Albie Sachs recalls City Hall as the backdrop to political meetings: “I remember City Hall being packed to overflowing for a meeting in favour of Piet Byleveld, put up as a Congress Alliance candidate against Abe Bloomberg of the United Party. The election was for a [white] representative in Parliament for coloured people in the Cape. The crowd was huge and enthusiastic; Bloomberg couldn’t get 10 people to a meeting. It looked like a walkover for Piet. And it was a walkover – for Abe! There was only a tiny voters’ roll for people classified as coloured, and three quarters of those on the roll had been helped in some way or the other by Abe. “Our main public meeting place was on the Grand Parade, in front of the City Hall … almost every Saturday or Sunday during the 1950s. “The clock and bell chimes on the City Hall were important for those of us detained in solitary confinement under the 90-Day Act in the early 60s. It was our only marker of time. To this day I get goose pimples when I hear that carillon!”

1950

1960


July 2013

about

CityViews

town

5

Where were you on the day of Mandela’s release from prison and his first public address after 27 years? If you have a story or a memory you’d like to share, write to us and tell us about it. Nelson Mandela delivers his first public speech in 27 years, on the day of his release, at City Hall, Grand Parade, Cape Town on 11 February 1990. Photo by Chris Ledochowski

// Sound Engineer: Steve Gordon

11 February 1990:

Two perspectives // Photographer: Chris Ledochowski Chris Ledochowski is the photographer who captured Nelson Mandela’s first public address at City Hall in a single iconic frame. Chris had been documenting the life of people in the townships in the 80s. “I was part of Afrapix Photographic Collective that was documenting a wide range of things; much of it was politically grounded. While a lot of this was capturing protests and rallies, I was more interested in the everyday: the townships, the communities, families and individuals. Casspirs and people getting beaten up wasn’t really what I was after.” On the day of Mandela’s release, Chris was not looking for the typical press shots: “Everyone wanted the first picture of Mandela walking free. I was interested in that first moment of interaction with the people. And not just seeing him, but hearing his voice. We were going to hear Mandela speak after 27 years of silence. I wanted to capture a picture that

would evoke the feeling of his speech. “I decided to hang around the parade and get as close as I could to the balcony. That was not easy because there were thousands of people. It was important for me to be in position and amongst the people to get a picture from their perspective. I had one camera with one lens and one roll of film. “I was lucky to bump into a group of youths I knew from Tambo Square, a small informal settlement in the heart of Guguletu. They took it upon themselves to get me to a good spot. My feet weren’t even touching the ground because of the pressure of the people, so my friends formed a circle around me and manoeuvred me into the best spot. Because it was already low light and I had no flash, I was shooting at a slow exposure and any movement would have been caused a blur. They held me steady like a human tripod. From that entire roll of film there was only this one picture that came out okay.”

9 May 1994 Newly elected President Nelson Mandela addresses the crowd from the balcony of City Hall. The following day he is inaugurated as South Africa’s first democratically elected president at the Union Buildings in Pretoria.

1978 City of Cape Town local government moves from City Hall to the new Cape Town Civic Centre on the Foreshore.

1979 The Cape Town Central Library moves into City Hall.

Following the unbanning of the organisations including the ANC on 2 February 1990, a National Reception Committee prepared to receive prisoners and returning exiles. Steve Gordon of Making Music Productions worked with the UDF and alliance partners providing sound for rallies and cultural events, and was tasked by the Committee to stand by with a sound system and broadcast feeds for Mandela’s first public address after his release. “We anticipated there would be a lot of people waiting, so we planned a programme that was typical of the meetings and rallies of the 80s, with music acts who had been active in the cultural struggle like Sabenza featuring Basil Coetzee, a few marimba groups and a Goema band. Two flatbed trucks parked tailto-tail in front of City Hall served as the stage with speaker stacks on either side. We didn’t have lighting because it was meant to be a daytime event. “This was before cellphones, so updates on the progress from Victor Verster Prison were relayed to us by comrades watching the release on TV in nearby buildings. “By late afternoon people had climbed onto buildings and statues, and up trees; the crowd

2010

• March Spier Contemporary Art Exhibition, South Africa’s largest biennale of contemporary art, opens in City Hall. • June City Hall serves as the official media centre and VIP hospitality space for the 2010 World Cup from June to July. • September Jay Pather presents Qaphela Caesar in City Hall, taking the audience on a journey through 14 rooms in the historic building, alternating between installations and performing art and incorporating dance, spoken text, multimedia and opera.

2011

11 February 1990 Nelson Mandela is released and his first public address takes place on the balcony of City Hall.

• September Creative Cape Town launches City Hall Sessions (produced by Steve Gordon and Making Music Productions) aimed at repositioning City Hall as a cultural space for all Capetonians and place of diverse sound experiences.

2008

1980

1990

2000

2012

• July Creative Cape Town hosts City Hall Sessions mini-festival including workshops for students. • September Loerie Awards judging takes place. • September AZA 2012 conference explores the theme of Re-scripting Architecture.

2013

• February City Hall is declared a Provincial Heritage Site • March City Hall Sessions with Paul Hanmer, McCoy Mrubata and Amaryoni and the Moreira Project

The Cape Town Central Library moves from City Hall to the Old Drill Hall.

1970

was spilling over onto the flatbed trucks and pushing into City Hall, so they closed the doors, disconnecting the power. “Next thing we heard that Mandela had arrived. The security police told us but we didn’t believe them, and then comrades confirmed it. At that point we didn’t have any power. We had to open one of the doors and rerun the power against the pressure of the crowd. We got one speaker stack powered up. “We were desperately checking whether we had a line to the microphone on stage, but people were pushing and elbowing over that line. And then suddenly we could tell from the authority coming over the half-working PA that Nelson Mandela was speaking. “There had been so much anticipation, such a sense of expectation, that when that voice finally came through the PA, everyone went quiet. In that moment there was a seismic shift of power. “As the crowds dispersed, we saw that our combi panel van, and many of the musical instruments from Sound on Stage, had been crushed by the sheer weight of humanity. A small price to pay for the privilege of having helped our people and the world hear Nelson Mandela’s voice on that day.”

2010

2020

“My wish is that all the town halls would host performances likes this and bring back the most important aspect of music: the tradition of performance.” Tlale Makhene, percussionist with the Moreira Project


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Time is one of our most precious resources. Sometimes simply being present – to wash dishes or serve a meal – is just what people need.

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Whether you’re a shopkeeper or a cleaner, a Taf el rg CEO or a student, youbehave Rd invaluable skills to teach and share. Put them to good use in the service of someone less fortunate.

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When winter floods or summer fires hit Cape Town, these are some of the main organisations coordinating disaster relief. Call them directly to find out what they’re collecting and how TAMBOERSKLOOF you can help.

Corner Frans Conradie Drive and Hugo Street, Goodwood T: 080 911 HELP (4357) For information and advice: 086 576 1775 In an emergency: 107 (from a landline) or 021 480 7700 (from a cellphone) www.capetown.gov.za/en/DRM

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CityViews

July 2013

nter set in, spare a thought for asons – families flooded out of treet. Start sharing your time, orking to help the people worst hit t of ensuring Cape Town is a more u live or where you’re from.

Help for the homeless

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No one likes to believe that they might one day find themselves living on the streets. It’s not a possibility any of us would like to imagine, let alone experience. And yet homelessness is a reality the world over. Here are some of the organisations committed to providing our city’s homeless with basic services and, where possible, an alternative to life on the street.

1 Adonis Musati provides humanitarian assistance to vulnerable and disenfranchised asylum seekers and refugees in Cape Town. 13 Bedford Road, Observatory T: 021 447 3656 www.adonismusatiproject.org

HARBOUR

individuals and families experiencing problems with drug abuse. There are centres in Observatory and Mitchells Plain. 1 Roman Road, Observatory T: 021 447 8026 www.drugcentre.org.za

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GIVE RESPONSIBLY The Central City Improvement District has tried to make giving where it will make a difference as easy as giving on the street, by setting up an SMS donation line. This winter, text 38088 to make a donation to NGOs that are working to afford people living on the streets of Cape Town’s city centre the right help at the right time. Each SMS costs R10, of which an average of R8 (depending on your cellular service provider) goes to these organisations. To make larger donations, go to www.giveresponsibly.co.za for details on how to make an electronic transfer.

7 The Homestead is a shelter for male street children that provides food and accommodation, and is Dicksoinvolved in an effective reintegration n programme for the boys under its care. 150 Strand Street T: 021 419 9763 www.homestead.org.za

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adults a clean bed and a meal at 14 shelters dotted around Cape Town and the Western Cape. 2 Napier Street, Green Point T: 021 421 6219 www.haven.org.za

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involved in the rehabilitation of street people, giving them training in carpentry and auto detailing (as well as a place to wash every day). 14a Roeland Street, Cape Town T: 021 461 5508 www.tcs.org.za

ment and confidential assistance to

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youth by providing shelter, education, reunification and welfare services. 9 Pickwick Street, Salt River T: 021 448 3430 www.ctmsc.org.za

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one of the few places in Cape Town that take in homeless families (not just individuals). 5 Old National Road, Faure T: 021 843 3927 www.theark.org.za

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8 Mamelani Projects provides community-based health education, youth development and child and family support services to people in need. Wesley College, 20 Durham Avenue, Salt River T: 021 448 2725 www.mamelani.org.za

9 NICRO supports former offenders (some of whom end up on the street after being released from prison) and their families. 1 Harrington Street, Cape Town T: 021 462 0017 www.nicro.org.za Ons Plek is a shelter that helps female street children. It gives shelter, food, accommodation to girls, and also runs a reintegration programme. 4 Albertus Street, Cape Town T: 021 465 4829 www.onsplek.org.za Percy Bartley House works with around 25 young men at a time, providing shelter, education, counselling and, where appropriate, family

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reintegration services. 44 Pine Road, Woodstock T: 021 447 5722 www.percybartleyhouse.co.za

Salesian Institute Youth Projects offers education, skills training and rehabilitation to vulnerable youth. 2 Somerset Road, Cape Town T: 021 425 1450 www.salesians.org.za

Scalabrini Centre provides development and welfare programmes to migrants, refugees and South Africans in Cape Town. 47 Commercial Street T: 021 465 6433 www.scalabrini.org.za Service Dining Rooms offer meals to the homeless and needy for as little as 5c. 82 Canterbury Street T: 021 456 2390 www.servicediningrooms.org.za St Anne’s provides shelter and care for destitute, abused and disadvantaged mothers and their children. 48 Balfour Street, Woodstock T: 021 448 6792 www.stanneshomes.org.za Straatwerk, through Project OPRIUM, focuses on the rehabilitation of street people, helping them improve their circumstances by offering structured employment opportunities. St Andrew’s Presbyterian Church 37 Chiappini Street, Green Point T: 021 425 0140 www.straatwerk.org.za StreetSmart partners with local restaurants to offer a service where you can add R5 to your bill, which is then distributed to local children’s charities focusing on homelessness. 411 MSK House, corner Buitengracht and Riebeeck streets, Cape Town T: 021 418 0261 www.streetsmartsa.org.za The Trauma Centre provides counselling, mentoring, training and support for survivors of violence and trauma – with specific projects focused on refugees and asylum seekers as well as youth violence. Cowley House, 126 Chapel Street, Woodstock T: 021 465 7373 www.trauma.org.za U-Turn works to uplift street people – by offering meal vouchers, shelter, training and rehabilitation. 155 2nd Avenue, Kenilworth T: 021 674 6119 www.homeless.org.za Youth Solutions Africa offers shelter and skills training for young people and adults living on the street or at risk of going back to the street. Pickwick Street, Salt River T: 082 803 5820 www.safyouth.org


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CityViews

July 2013

Being the change There is a quotation, often attributed to Gandhi, that goes: “Be the change you want to see in the world”. We spoke to just a few of the many Capetonians who have started projects to improve their own communities, to discover what happens when these words are taken literally.

Active citizenship The 100in1Day project bills itself as a festival that “temporarily turns a city into a citizen construction site where everything is possible.“ Started in Bogota in 2012, it is part of a global movement for citizen-driven city development, and has so far spread to cities in Costa Rica, El Salvador, Denmark and – on 25 May this year – to Cape Town. On that day over 150 citizendriven interventions occurred across Cape Town: everything from street festivals to soup kitchens, and community cleanup efforts to public art installa-

but with a very different motivation. Her project, titled ‘Unbearable Lightness’ pinpointed specific spaces that seemed to her unsafe. Lindokuhle then covered these “no-go areas” in glitter, feathers and ribbons, in order to make them less intimidating, especially for women. “I’d been thinking about how to reinterpret people’s perceptions of public spaces. Women fall vulnerable in these instances because women’s bodies in public spaces are treated as public spaces. So I wanted to make women feel empowered to tweak or reimagine how they are viewed in these places. I went to a 100in1Day meeting and thought this would be the perfect place to pilot the project.”

Photo: Zarina Nteta

By: Ambre Nicolson

tions. Zarina Nteta, artist, lawyer and environmental activist, was one of the locals who were inspired to take action. She and Björn Westerberg Nauclér decided to build a waterfall and tropical rainforest on Cape Town’s unfinished highway. “We reused plastic for the waterfall (collected from building sites and a plastic factory) and borrowed trees from GreenPop. The idea was to take this hard, concrete symbol in Cape Town and transform it into something beautiful and light by adding natural elements.” Lindokuhle Nkosi also based her intervention around infrastructure,

“I think, in order for people to take action, they need to have a personal involvement, and emotional attachment to what they are doing. They also need to be willing to spark the change, as opposed to being complacent and waiting for someone to do it for them.” Lindokuhle Nkosi

“I’m motivated by the love I have for city spaces and the joy of seeing how people’s behaviour changes according to the kind of space in which they find themselves.” Alex Jongens

Photo: Lisa Burnell

Activating public space While festivals such as 100in1Day offer a formal opportunity for people to start or test citizen-driven interventions, most people come to start their own community project by noticing something specific that they would like to see change. This was the case with Alex Jongens, who, in 2012, noticed the potential of an alleyway situated on Harrington Street in the east city. “I would visit my sister who worked in The Bank, which borders the alley, and every time I saw it I imagined all the possibilities for the space.” Gareth Pearson, the man behind First Thursdays and TEDx Stellenbosch, also saw the possibilities and when he and Alex met to discuss their ideas they agreed

that something had to be done. “We basically said, ‘Let’s hang out in the alley.’ So we borrowed trees from GreenPop and benches from Cape Craft and Design Institute, and created our own temporary intervention. Instead of being closed off, the alley was open during the day, providing people with space to have a coffee, sit and chat, or walk through from the roads on each side of the alley. The great response we had encouraged us to do more. By September, Danielle Ehrlich had joined us and we created four different activations: early-morning yoga, a lunchtime braai and two movie evenings. Once again the response was amazing. From there

we realised that to do more in the alley would require financial support, so we submitted our ideas to the Your Street Challenge – and won! We now have all sorts of plans for Barrack Lane, which is what the space has come to be called, that includes creating an incubation space for start-ups in the form of food hatches and various ways we can encourage the space to include lots of activities at all times of the day and night. We are also excited about the fact that Barrack Lane can be used as a pilot project for other similar projects. In fact, we have already created The Laneway Lab, a way for other people interested in doing the same thing to connect and help each other.”


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Long Street resident, artist and volunteer Yasmin Ezzideen with some boys from the Homestead at the entrance of Vredenburg Lane

A ripple effect In 2010, Candice Mostert moved into a flat that overlooked Vredenburg Lane, just off Long Street. Three years before that, while working in a restaurant, she had met two teenagers of her own age who were living on the streets. “We lost touch after I finished at the restaurant, but then I met Mohammed and Zuki again, now older and much more weathered. They were taking cover in the dark corners of Vredenburg Lane and it became apparent to me that something needed to be done. “My flatmates and I decided to

exhibit local art on the walls of the lane, in which 10 artists took part, working on used vinyl from the Tractor Outdoor Advertising Company. Local businesses, like Café Mojito, Lola’s, Maremoto and Jimmy’s restaurants collected their tins to be used for a planting day with GreenPop. We planted spekboom and the boys from The Homestead helped us to decorate the streets. A week later we had a little market day, coffee was served, TouchWood performed and the artworks were on display. And so, the lane began its journey.”

Now, with the support of volunteers and The Laneway Lab, Candice is hoping to green the Vredenburg Lane and use it as a space for teaching. “I’d like to see public spaces turn into platforms for all types of learning. Through these projects we are building resilience as a community and I would like to see the immediate lane ‘family’ interact with their public space, take responsibility and ultimately achieve a lane that sustains itself and is enjoyed by all.”

Creating community Photo: Candice Mostert Photo: Supplied

Lizzy Mdwekesha and Roni Mira Snitcher with their awards for Pram Jam.

The power of social networking “I read about the Blanket Drive on Twitter when Melanie Minnaar started it. At the time she sent out a call, basically asking people to volunteer, and that is how I got involved. I promote the Blanket Drive on social networks, calling on people to donate a blanket.” This is how Merentia van der Vent became the driving force behind Cape Town’s Twitter Blanket Drive, which this year alone collected over 1 300 blankets, to be distributed to people in need. “The campaign relies solely on Twitter, Facebook and word of mouth. I think it’s a great way of highlighting the positive power of social networking to motivate

people and connect with each other. “This year we worked with Protea Hotel Fire & Ice in the Central City as they were kind enough to offer their hotel as a collection point. We then worked with local NPOs and NGOs to distribute the blankets to those in need. This year the organisations we worked with were Foundation Backbone and Operation Shoebox, which is involved with 55 charities and 15 000 children. “I never got involved in the past because it seemed there was too much to do, I didn’t feel I could make a difference. But then I realised that was silly; you can’t do everything but you can do something, even if it’s small.”

Why don’t more people do it? If becoming an active citizen is not only easier than people expect, but also comes with so many rewards, the question surely is: why don’t more people do it? Chantelle Wyley, a coach and facilitator of organisational and large system change, is clear that emotional resonance between people is the key to motivating social change. “The 100in1day initiatives are examples of this:

Candice Mostert

individuals’ own aspirations and emotional wellbeing are linked to societal benefit via energised resonance between people.” Chantelle also points out that neurobiology research over the last 10 years shows how quickly humans default to a fight-flight response, but also how we have a second primal response toward connection and belonging. “When we are in meaningful emotional

contact with others, working together towards an aspirational goal, the brain’s pre-frontal cortex flourishes, our mirror neurons fire, we can be creative and innovative, we feel good and our stress levels subside. So reaching out, participating and collaborating (‘co-labouring’) meets our own need for emotional nourishment, and our need to make a difference in the world.”

Photo: Peter Herring

If you go down to the Sea Point Library on a Wednesday, you may be in for a big surprise. Especially if you think of libraries as quiet places. Thanks to the efforts of one librarian and a childminder, up to 80 toddlers and their parents or nannies gather each week to enjoy an hour of singing and reading. Says Roni Mira Snitcher, the librarian behind the project: “I first heard the term ‘pram jam’ during a conference I attended in Durban. I realised we had the making of a pram jam at the Sea Point Library. In fact it was Lizzy, a caregiver, and Noa, the little girl who she looked after, who really started things when they attended our story hour. They would come for hours and would be completely absorbed.” The pram jam has been going for six years now and Roni and Lizzy’s work has been recognised by the Western Cape Department of Sports and Recreation for encouraging “cultural warmth and social cohesion”. “I just wanted to help and share my passion for reading and books and literature, because I was fortunate to have a love of these things instilled in me when I was young. I think it has been so successful because I held open a space in my heart for it,” says Roni. “I sing for an hour, which can be tiring, but it is so worthwhile because the songs we sing come from all over the place and I think we all want to know each other’s songs.”

“Anything can be achieved if we put our minds to it. People just need to take the initiative.”

So, what can you do? Mandela Day is “a call to action for individuals – for people everywhere – to take responsibility for changing the world into a better place, one small step at a time, just as Mr Mandela did”. Celebrate this year by making a meaningful donation of your time in your own community. If you’re looking for a place to volunteer in Cape Town, get hold of a copy of Tracey ChiappiniYoung’s book How 2 Help: A Guide to Worthwhile Causes, which gives details of 46 initiatives around Cape Town and how you can best contribute to them. For more info visit www.h2h.co.za Attend local community meetings in your neighbourhood or contact your ward councillor with questions and suggestions of how you can make your community better. To find out how to contact your councillor, check www.capetown.gov.za

Capetonians who are active on Twitter and who donated some of the blankets to the Twitter Blanket Drive 2013 campaign. In the back row, from the left: Mo Khalpe, Lance Witten, Sunil Osman, Bhavna Singh, Merentia van der Vent and Auriol Hayes. In front from left to right: Clarence Watts, Amanda Ernstzen and Nona Nontshinga.

100in1Day: www.100in1day.co.za GreenPop: www.greenpop.org Twitter Blanket Drive: Find them on Twitter: @merentia #TBD2014 Pram Jam: Call the Sea Point Library on 021 439 7440 To discover more about Cape Town’s laneways, contact Candice Mostert on: candice.mostert@inl.co.za


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CityViews

July 2013

Evolving city

Cities are complex environments – sites of constant change and evolution. Cape Town as a city has gone from rural settlement to colonial outpost to cosmopolitan metropole. City Views talks to stalwart institutions, retailers and change-makers in the city about the transformation they have witnessed first-hand. Compiled by: Alma Viviers and Ambre Nicolson

Peter Muller: “The iconic Mullers building, on the corner of Parliament and Longmarket streets, has seen many changes over the past 100 years. Some positive and some negative. The Cartwrights Corner development saw the beginning of a slow change in the dynamics of the city with the ‘centre’ moving away – towards the Foreshore. The exodus of major businesses such as Old Mutual and Permanent Bank and the closure of the post office further changed the dynamics of the east precinct for the worse. Fly-by-night traders and informal businesses held sway. “Fortunately, the development and ‘residentialisation’ in the last decade of the Old Mutual building, along with Cartwrights Corner and Mandela Rhodes Place, has seen resurgence in the zone and an improvement of the retail business being offered. Security has improved alongside! “Stalwarts such as Wooltru and Truworths have remained true to the area and the improvements made to the Groote Kerk square have made the area a pleasant one to spend time in. The link to Parliament has been vital. If only the old post office could be improved. We are confident that the area will continue to move forward with its eclectic mix of businesses, hotels and residential buildings. It is a wonderful mix of African businesses and entrepreneurs. The old buildings with their traditional shop fronts and architecture keep the link between the old and new very visible.”

“We are confident that the area will continue to move forward with its eclectic mix of businesses, hotels and residential buildings. It is a wonderful mix of African businesses and entrepreneurs. ” Peter Muller

Photos supplied by Mullers

Mullers Optometrists

Tasso Evangelinos, COO: “As a born-and-bred Capetonian who grew up along the neighbouring Atlantic Seaboard, the Central City has always been part of my stomping ground: from family visits as a young boy to the indoor conservatory that used to exist in the Company’s Garden, shopping expeditions ‘to town’ with my friends and family, to the tearoom ‘bioscopes’ where for 35c you could watch movies all day long, and to my first job. When I joined the CCID in 2000, the Cape Town Central City was besieged by rising crime levels, fleeing capital investment and falling tenancy rates. I am proud to say that, 13 years on and together with our

partners, the City of Cape Town and the Cape Town Partnership, we have been able to turn these problems around and have created a lively, thriving CBD. As can be seen from the numerous construction sites dotted across the CBD, a great deal of investment has returned. “Since 2000, crime has been reduced by 80 to 90% and, according to a recent independent survey, over 80% of people say they feel safe in the Central City. Of course, a successful CBD is a great attraction for many different people, and the work of our social development team embraces the plight

Photo: Skye Grove, Cape Town Tourism

Central City Improvement District

of the homeless within our boundaries. In the past year we’ve reunited 82 people with their families and staged over 300 interventions with children and adults living on the streets. One of the projects of which I am most proud is the CCID’s job creation project, run in tandem with our partner NGO, Straatwerk, and which today supports 300 people.”

Cape Town Tourism

ariette Du Toit-Helmbold, M Outgoing CEO: “Cape Town has seen major transformation over the past few years. The city has become more efficient, more inclusive and more aesthetically appealing. Residents are actively involved in city developments and there is a focus on citizen wellbeing, the metropole is better

connected than ever before, design is being used to solve real problems and there is the more effective and inspirational use of public spaces. All of this, keeping in mind the city’s close proximity to mountain and sea, adds immense value to our urban tourism offering. “Times have changed, Cape Town has changed and travellers have changed. “There has been a monumental shift toward urban tourism, where 80% of international tourists are now in search of genuine cultural and urban tourism experiences. “There is an increasing nod toward Responsible Tourism, whereby travellers and industry professionals look to fair and sustainable travel offerings that assist people and planet. “And, with that, more change is on the cards for tourism in Cape Town. After years at the helm of Cape Town Tourism, I will stand down at the end of July and Enver Duminy will take the lead. Thank you to everyone who has shared this journey with me. I look forward to continuing alongside you on a more personal voyage.”


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“Probably the most significant change for me is one within. I realised that the ability to make things happen in our city rests with all Capetonians, communities and civil society, and not only with politicians or CEOs. Enthusiasm is infectious and will motivate people to help make the change;” Sheryl Ozinsky

Photo by Jaxon Hsu

Cape Town Partnership

Sturk’s Tobacconists, Greenmarket Square

Abe Bravo: “This shop has existed since 1793. I owned it myself for 17 years until 2011, when Alan Phillips took it over. I think I’m too old to remember all the changes here, there have been so many. I think the city is more cosmopolitan and diverse now, but then I think people are so nice. There have been wonderful friendships formed in this shop, people come from all over just to visit, locals and people from overseas too.”

Cape Watch, Church Street

I an Smith (otherwise known as Reggie) has been working for Cape Watch for 27 years: “Back when I started, about 90% of our trade was for mechanical watch parts; we would supply watchmakers in many other parts of the country and in Africa too by postal order – sometimes we had to make three trips to the post office in one day. Today it’s different; everything is computerised

and we mostly supply hobbyists. I have also seen town change a lot. When we were on Long Street it was much quieter; now it is much busier.” Cape Watch has called the Central City home since it first opened its doors in 1962. Then the store was located in Burg Street and the mechanical watch industry was booming in Cape Town. In 1974 the LCD screen revolutionised the watch trade, and Cape Watch started focusing more on the supply of tools and equipment to local jewellery makers. These precision tools, often miniature in size, soon attracted the interest of the local hobby and electronics markets, and today Cape Watch is known as a specialist tool supply store as well as a specialist in diamond weighing and grading. The store has relocated three times: from Burg Street to St George’s Mall and later to Long Street, before finding a home in its present location on Church Street, where it has been operating for more than 15 years.

ulelwa Makalima-NgeB wana, CEO: “Over the past 14 years since the Cape Town Partnership was established, we, along with our partners, have worked to contribute to co-create positive urban renewal for sustainable and accessible socio-economic development in the Central City. “We believed then, as we do now, that a flourishing Central City will contribute to a stronger metro region. So we have worked to make it cleaner, safer and more caring; we have actively promoted the Central City as a place for business and for people, we continue to celebrate and activate its public spaces for a more liveable and livelier city. “We’re also continuing to engage with our partners on the realities of this space; the need for diversity in housing options, the need for social development, the need to work with communities as local experts and to enable all to participate in shaping the city of our collective visions of the future. Because ultimately cities are for people and the measure of our impact will be if Cape Town is a place where a diversity of people choose to live, work and play.”

Service Dining Rooms, Canterbury Street reg Andrews, G Operations Manager: “Doris Syfret founded the organisation in 1935 after an experience of meeting a beggar on the streets. She wanted to offer a meal instead of giving money. It used to be called the ‘tickey meal’ and the clients paid effectively 30% of the cost of the meal. The original price was aimed at luring people away from alcohol while still providing a sense of dignity in paying for their meal. The cheapest drink at the time cost a tickey.

Photo supplied by the CTICC

Photo by Lisa Burnell

July 2013

“I look back at the last decade as a time when Cape Town became more of a global hub, although I do think there is more to be done in terms of making it an inclusive city.” Rashid Toefy

“The price of the meals has changed slightly over the years. Today 5c covers less than 1% of the cost. The balance of the cost of the meal has always been possible through public donations. Today most of our funding comes from bequests and trust funds. “It’s hard to think of ways Service Dining Rooms has changed Cape Town: so much has changed around Service Dining Rooms, while it has stayed the same. Perhaps as a constant, physically present reminder of the plight of the majority of our citizens, Service Dining Rooms has served to move individuals to respond. As part of a collective of organisations that have served those left out of mainstream society, Service Dining Rooms constantly reminds the city that our job is not done until all of us have a place here.”

Oranjezicht City Farm

heryl Ozinsky, S Coordinator: “One of the physical changes to the city and how it works that stands out for me is the ongoing roll-out of the long-awaited MyCiTi public transport system to all parts of the city. But probably the most significant change for me is one within. I realised that the ability to make things happen in our city rests with all Capetonians, communities and civil society, and not only with politicians or CEOs. Enthusiasm is infectious and will motivate people to help make the change; indifference on the other hand is deadly.”

Cape Town International Convention Centre

Rashid Toefy, CEO: “The CTICC is very much the front door through which many visitors to Cape Town first enter and experience the city. Over the last decade, millions of delegates have visited Cape Town due to conferences and events, so I believe the CTICC has played an instrumental role in positioning Cape Town as a global city. The CTICC has also transformed the physical landscape of the city. What was considered the dusty end of the Foreshore is now a thriving business hub and the establishment of the CTICC has played a key role in that transformation. But, beyond creating infrastructure in the Central City, I also think that you can’t underestimate its economic influence in stimulating the economy of the CBD and driving job creation. In fact, while many people first consider the role of the CTICC as a tourism asset, I believe its power really lies in its role of economic development. Lastly, in terms of the life of the city, I believe spaces like the CTICC are invaluable as spaces in which people can mix and mingle and as a platform for discussion and debate about the city. In a very real sense such spaces are the cathedrals of modern cities. Personally, I look back at the last decade as a time when Cape Town became more of a global hub, although I do think there is more to be done in terms of making it an inclusive city. As a Capetonian I don’t think it’s too much to say that this city on the tip of Southern Africa can and will play a central role in the continent’s development.”


12

around

town

CityViews

July 2013

Street views

We chatted to some of the Central City’s retailers to get a look through their eyes into how the city has changed. Compiled by: Ambre Nicolson

Photos by: Jaxon Hsu Dawit Hadush Friendly Tuckshop, Loop Street “I have been working here for four years now. I think the city changes every day, because every day there are different people who come here. It is also very different between the day and the night.”

Meiga Abdoulaye Mali South, Long Street “We have been here since 2003 and I have seen many changes in this street. There used to be more clothing stores on Long Street, but now there are many more cafés and restaurants. I think the street is quieter too, which is not good for business. If I could change one thing it would be the exchange rate; the rand is very bad now and it hurts my business because I import my fabrics from around Africa. Here in the city we have good security but we need more business, so that I can still do custom design – because here I make you whatever you want. I can make anything!”

Mohammed Babu New Entertainer Cafe, Plein Street “I like Cape Town because the streets are clean and it’s a good place for a business like mine. I don’t know how the city has changed. But I know my customers; they don’t change because I have good food that is fresh and good customer service.”

Faried Begg Snackbox Cafe, Plein Street “When I was growing up, the city was the heart of everything, but nowadays people go to the malls and their spending power is distributed to more places. That’s why it’s hard with the recession, especially on a street like this where there are many Halaal cafes all in the same space. My customers are mostly working-class people as well as foreign tourists, and these days I see a lot of unemployed and homeless people here too.” Marcio De Freitas Cadiz Nosh Bar, Loop Street “This place is an institution. My dad, Antonio, opened it 40 years ago and I have worked here off and on since I was kid. I was practically born here! In the past there were a lot of nightclubs in the area, so people used to come here to get some takeaways after a big night out. Today we have the same menu we have always had, but the city is different. It’s quieter at night these days.”

Sulaiman Ismal Majal Price Tailors, Long Street “I’m a born-and-bred Capetonian and I have worked on Long Street for 35 years, so I can really say I have seen some changes here. Things are busier in town, and I would say it’s cleaner too. But one thing that doesn’t change is that this street always has so many different kinds of people on it, and people here like to party.”

THE CYCLE BEGINS:

2

PART ONE:

3

1

THIS IS MY

STORY of dreams

Gi v e where i t makes

A difference

Please sir?

Oh, you poor girl

Stop hurting me

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

BASED ON A TRUE STORY

TO BE CONTINUED ...

4

6

DO YOU...

5

You again?

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

OR...

YES?

YES?

HELP BREAK THE CYCLE?

Give

? SMS ‘DREAMS’ TO 38088

Check your phone for the link &

SEE HOW YOU CHANGE THE STORY

Read more of Smiley’s stories at

www.giveresponsibly.co.za

BY SMSING, YOU HELP OUR CITY’S NGOs HELP SMILEY

Rather give responsibly. Donate directly to Cape Town NGO organisations and know your money is making a real difference in the lives of those who need it most. Your donation helps improve Smiley and his friends’ lives and getting them off the streets. The next time someone asks you for money, rather SMS 38088 and give responsibly. www.giveresponsibly.co.za facebook.com/GiveResponsibly #GiveResponsibly R10 will be deducted from your account. On average R8 will be donated to the NGO depending on your service provider. Vodacom carrier fees waived to a total annual value of R40 000. SMS service fees sponsored by iTouch. Please visit our website for detailed Ts & Cs.


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