FRIENDS OF IZIKO SOUTH AFRICAN
MUSEUM Non-Profit Organisation 052-511-NPO Postal address: P O Box 61 Cape Town 8000 South Africa Physical address: 25 Queen Victoria Street Cape Town South Africa Phone: 021 481 3913 Fax: 021 481 3993 Cell: 072 225 6893 E-mail: samfriends@iziko.org.za Website http://www.iziko.org.za/; http://www.iziko.org.za/ static/page/friends-of-the-south-african-museum
NEWSLETTER – SEPTEMBER 2015 Spring is on the way and we look forward to sharing exciting lectures, day outings and trips with our Friends on long-awaited sunny days.
UPCOMING LECTURES Lectures are held in the TH Barry Lecture Theatre at 18:00, unless otherwise advertised. Entrance is free to members on presentation of a valid 2015 membership card. Visitors are asked for a donation of R30 per lecture. Tuesday 29 September Speaker: Professor Mike Bruton Title: When I was a Fish: Tales of an Ichthyologist Professor Mike Bruton will speak about his interesting and varied scientific life, from collecting butterflies and beetles as a child, and as a graduate when he carried out research on the fishes, hippos and crocodiles of a remote lake in northern Zululand. As a newly qualified young scientist he embarked on another voyage of discovery in the laboratories, collection rooms and conference centres of some of the great European museums from a base at the Natural History Museum in London. Here he encountered not only fishes but also dodos, platypuses and Loch Ness monster wannabees. Along the way he became one of the leading experts on the behaviour of the famous ‘living fossil’ fish, the coelacanth, and an active proponent of its conservation. He will describe in detail the 1991 and 1996 expeditions off the South African coast to find coelacanths using the German research submersible, Jago.
Tuesday 27 October Speaker: Jaco Boshoff Title: The wreck of the Portuguese Slaver São Josè South Africa has had a long history of shipwreck exploration, unfortunately mostly by treasure hunters. The Slave Wreck Project presents an archaeological alternative to this by looking at slave shipwrecks along the South African coast. The São Josè Paquete d’Afrique is one of the wrecks that has been successfully located. In this lecture maritime archaeologist Jaco Boshoff will discuss the evidence for the identification of the wreck and will highlight the implications for the archaeology of slavery in southern Africa by analysing the potential of the ongoing investigation of the wreck of São Josè Paquete d’Afrique. Tuesday 24 November Speaker: Shadreck Chirikure Title: ‘After all women pumped bellows’: rethinking pre-industrial mining and metallurgy in sub-Saharan Africa Pre-industrial African metallurgy played an important role in the farming communities of sub-Saharan Africa. Metals such as iron were the mainstay of the utilitarian domain, where they produced tools. Non-ferrous metals were used for making expressive objects and those for personal adornment. Usually the production and use of metal cut across various areas of society, from the symbolic and political to the economic. While a great deal of information is now available about the technology and sociology of mining and metallurgy, there has been little introspection on the role of metals. The economic role of metals has been downplayed just like the role metals have played in promoting internal African connections. Metallurgy is seen as the pursuit of men, with women having no meaningful role except in auxiliary services. This presentation combines information from various sources to develop new understandings of the gender roles and cross craft overlaps in mining and metallurgy. It shows that metal was as important as cattle, land and other productive resources, and that woman played a more prominent role than is currently accepted in conventional thinking.
OUTINGS WALKABOUT WITH THE ARTIST Date: Wednesday 1 October at 10:00 The Voice of a Citizen – An Exhibition of Paintings by Arlene Amaler-Raviv Born in South Africa, Arlene Amaler-Raviv received a BA Fine Art Degree from the University of the Witwatersrand where she studied under Robert Hodgins. In the 1970’s she was involved in art education, workshops, teaching and teacher training programmes. She has exhibited her work extensively throughout South Africa and internationally. In 1996 she lived in the Netherlands where she assisted in the curation of the exhibition of ‘Africa meets Africa’ at the Museum of Ethnology, Rotterdam. Amaler-Raviv has been awarded major commissions throughout her career with the ability to transform large corporate and private spaces into dynamic, active environments. Her mediums are oil and enamel worked on surfaces as varied as glass and aluminium. Cost: Members – R50; non-members – R60. HAROLD PORTER NATURE RESERVE Date: Wednesday 21 October 2015 Join the Friends on an interesting guided tour of these lovely gardens. This will be a day tour with a local guide and should be in good time to see the Spring Fynbos of the area. Cost: Members – R140; non-members – R150; Botanical Society members – R125
CAPE POINT WALK AND OVERNIGHT STAY AT OLIFANTSBOS GUEST COTTAGES Dates: 22 to 23 November & 23 to 24 November 2015 This outing provides a unique opportunity to spend the night at the beach camp ‘Olifantsbos’ in the Cape Point Nature Reserve. It includes a hike guided by members of the Friends of the Cape Point Nature Reserve. Cost: Members – R 860; non-members – R 900 KAROO FOSSIL EXCURSION 2015 Dates: 16−20 SEPTEMBER 2015 Join Roger Smith and Georgina Farrell in the Karoo for five days of fossil hunting and reading the rocks exposed in the hills and valleys around Beaufort West. We will be based at the historical Lemoenfontein Game Reserve situated high on the escarpment outside Beaufort West overlooking the vast Karoo plains. The days will be spent searching for fossil bones of long extinct reptiles and learning how the rocks were formed back in the Late Permian. The package includes luxury accommodation, all meals, including cordon bleu picnic lunches, lots of fresh air and healthy exercise as well as the exciting possibility of finding something new to science. Evenings will include optional game viewing, stargazing, slide shows and lively scientific debate. The field trip is suited to anyone, regardless of age, who is willing and able to walk for a few hours each day over uneven terrain. Participants will be required to stay in shared accommodation and will have to use their own transport to and from the field sites. Cost: Members – R3 400; non-members – R3 900. Includes shared accommodation, all meals and refreshments in the field each day. There are a few places available for this field trip. Booking and payment in advance is essential on all outings in order to secure your place as numbers are always limited.
Above left: Madiba on canvas by Arlene Amaler-Raviv (1990). Above right: Young fossil hunters at work. Photo from the 2013 fossil trip.
REPORTBACKS
SOCIAL HISTORY CENTRE VISIT
BOLAND MOUNTAINS OUTING WITH THE CAPE LEOPARD TRUST AND MAXINE’S FOLLOW UP
In July the Friends enjoyed a behind-the-scenes tour at the Social History Centre, led by Curator Esther Esmyol, where we saw some of the Iziko treasures housed in that building.
The Friends met at the Iziko South African Museum and were welcomed by Hadley Lyners, Environmental Educator at the Cape Leopard Trust, who showed us the way to the Glen Olive farm in the Boland on a beautiful winter’s day. At the farm we met Jeannie Hayward and Anita Meyer of the Boland Leopard Trust, and the owner of the farm. As planned, we set off towards the kloof through the riverine vegetation, with Jeannie and Anita explaining the latest biological control of black wattle and other invasive Acacia species, and showing us evidence of porcupine activity and other interesting details, until we reached the camera trap. Hadley provided some of us with magnifying lenses and binoculars. Excitement was in the air as the images from the camera trap were downloaded, especially since a leopard had visited the farm recently. We imagined, as Jeannie and Anita scrolled through the pictures, how thrilling it must be to come across the picture of a leopard. Although over 50 leopards have been photographed in the area between Bain’s Kloof and the Kogelberg, we only found evidence of a troop of baboon and of our fellow mountaineers. We then continued on the uphill path that leads to the giant Rooiels that marked our picnic spot by the river. All water bottles were filled with crystal clear water and we then returned to base camp. There the Paarl/Wellington members of the Mountain Club of South Africa hosted a delicious lunch of soup and bread. On the return journey, Maxine arranged the sponsorship of the Manenberg schoolchildren’s visit to the Museums with Hadley. Pascale Chesselet
Marine Biologist Jaco Bishoff with group
Our visit began on the top floor, which is occupied by Iziko’s Marine Biology Department, where we were hosted by marine archaeologist Jaco Boshoff. Jaco recently made headline news with the discovery of the wreck of the slave ship São José. He told the group about this historic find and showed us some of the artifacts from the wreck and how they are being preserved. We were also privileged to walk through the store of historic items retrieved from the sea. Curator Esther Esmyol then showed the group a diverse selection of items from the vast collections on the other floors. Exquisite porcelein, fragile textiles, basketry, ancient knives and daggers and even imaginative wire toys. An interesting morning with just a glimpse of this wide ranging collection. Special thanks to Esther Esmyol, June Hosford, Jaco Boshoff and their team. Maxine Davies
SOUTH AFRICAN JEWISH MUSEUM VISIT A group of Friends enjoyed a visit to the well curated South African Jewish Museum recently where we were shown around by Joy Rubenstein who gave us a comprehensive overview of the history of the Jewish community in Cape Town and a quick overview of the Netsuke exhibition. This collection of exquisite miniatures is worth a return visit to focus on the detail and significance of the displayed items. The tour ended with a visit to the Great Synagogue where Jill Lazard explained the different aspects of worship as well as the symbolism and history of the stained glass windows. Another interesting visit to our neighbour across the Gardens. Maxine Davies
MONTAGU, MOUNTAIN PASSES, HOT SPRINGS, POORTS AND HOME! Early one cold Saturday morning an enthusiastic group of Friends set off to explore some of the spectacular mountain passes and geological features of the Cape led by geologist Coenie de Beer. Driving over Du Toitskloof Pass reminded us of the beautiful scenery along that winding road with a viewing point to stop and take it all in – such a contrast to driving though the tunnel. A welcome stop at the Du Toitskloof Hotel gave Coenie the opportunity to explain the complex changes in the mountain formations over time resulting in the scene we looked out on as we sipped our hot coffee. The day was filled with interesting and differing geological gems from the Brandvlei hot spring (64°C) in its original natural setting with the warm steam rising from the surface to the spectacular Cogman’s Kloof with the folded and tilted formations all around. After a pleasant overnight at the Montagu Country Hotel the group saw many more interesting geological sites including a quick explanation of the Montagu hot springs, Burgers Pass (Koo Pass), the Koo Valley to the Rooihoogte Pass where we saw an interesting example of a dry-packed bridge equal to anything discovered from antiquity. Also at this stop we could see first hand the evidence of a fault line in the mountain. Grateful thanks to Coenie de Beer for explaining the geological phenomena we saw all around in a way which helped our understanding of the incredible forces which have created these spectacular mountain formations we see all around us. Special thanks also to Rosemary Smythe for organising this interesting and enjoyable outing.
Above: The Great Synagogue. Photo by Maxine Davies. Below: Brandvlei Hot Spring. Photo by Rosemary Smythe.
Maxine Davies
FRIENDS OF ISAM SPONSOR LUNCH FOR VISITING SCHOOLCHILDREN FROM MANENBERG Hadley Lyners, Environmental Educator at the Cape Leopard Trust, arranged a day visit to the Museum and Planetarium with Maxine Davies as part of the Cape Leopard Trust Holiday Programme for young learners from Manenberg. The group consisted of members of Rock Girl – a dynamic and passionate group of young women who focus on creating safe spaces for girls and promote education and upliftment. They included the athletic Jag Runners, Hadley, Catherine and Justin, Sydney Hendricks and his wife Cheryl. Museum educator, Anton van Wyk, led the tour of the museum displays, which the children enjoyed thoroughly. After a picnic lunch sponsored by the Friends, the afternoon was spent stargazing in the Planetarium. Access to the Museum and Planetarium was facilitated by Dr Wayne Alexander, Director of Education and Public Programmes at Iziko, and the lunch organised by Maxine Davies.
When asked whether the children enjoy these outings, Sydney Hendricks, Deputy Principal of the Red River Primary School, responded that being included in such holiday programmes has an enormous impact on the children’s performance at school, to such an extent that even their handwriting improves. Pascale Chesselet WELCOME TO NEW MEMBERS It is a pleasure to welcome new members to the Friends and we look forward to meeting you all at future Friends activities. Werner Knuffel Lorraine Forbes Kenneth Nelson Penelope Gracie Maxine and Pascale Friends of Iziko South African Museum
Above: The energetic members of Rock Girl enjoyed their trip to the museum. Photos by Hadley Lyners.
What’s on at IZIKO South African Museum