As we begin to see the re-emergence of African culture in museums, archives, and heritage centres around the world, more questions about the future of Africanisation and decolonisation will be unpacked at the Reimagining Heritage, Archives & Museum convention in Cape Town.
In Africa especially, a careful examination and reclamation of exhibitions and historic landmarks becomes ever more important. This new art and museum conference aims to explore, collaborate, and build solutions around these issues for the present and future. We round up some of the highlights below.
From Broken Bones to Healing Hearts: My Journey with Sarah Baartman
Dr. Diane Ferrus, an internationally acclaimed poet and storyteller, presents a performance lecture about her famous poem ‘I’ve Come to Take You Home’ which contributed to the repatriation of Sarah Baartman’s remains to South Africa from the Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle in Paris. She is joined on stage by renowned South African spoken word poet Siphokazi Jonas.
Cost: R500pp for adults and R200pp for students with student cards. The rate includes access to all the talks, experiences, and lunch networking events over the 3-day period. Register via website registration page and follow the steps
When: Wednesday, 14 February from 9:30am
Where: Star Theatre at Homecoming Theatre, 19 Harrington St, District Six, Cape Town
Contemporary Design as Heritage Preservation & Engagement
Join fashion designers Thebe Magugu, Lukhanyo Mdingi, Mbali Mthetwa, and Nkuli Mlangeni-Berg as they unpack the power of heritage in traditional craft practices and design. This engaging discussion is chaired by Daily Maverick’s Emilie Gambade and features a film screening of Genealogy by Thebe Magugu.
Cost: R500pp for adults and R200pp for students with student cards. The rate includes access to all the talks, experiences, and lunch networking events over the 3-day period. Register via website registration page and follow the steps
When: Thursday, 15 February from 10:30am
Where: Star Theatre at Homecoming Theatre, 19 Harrington St, District Six, Cape Town
Collections Care and Heritage Management For Africa: Who Are Collections Really For?
Classification, conservation, and interpretation of artefacts in museums and heritage sites can be greatly improved by indigenous knowledge, community-centred practices, and technology. This panel discussion delves deeper and looks at more contemporary approaches.
Cost: R500pp for adults and R200pp for students with student cards. The rate includes access to all the talks, experiences, and lunch networking events over the 3 days. Register via website registration page and follow the steps
When: Wednesday, 14 February from 2:30pm
Where: Star Theatre at Homecoming Theatre, 19 Harrington St, District Six, Cape Town
Reimagining the South African Museum: Beyond the 200-year-old Wunderkammer
The conference kicks off with a cocktail evening held in the mesmerising Whale Room of the Iziko South Africa Museum. Guests will be treated to a performance by “indigenous electro” act Ukhoikhoi and have the chance to mingle with panellists and participants.
Cost: R500pp for adults and R200pp for students with student cards. The rate includes access to all the talks, experiences, and lunch networking events over the 3-day period. Register via website registration page and follow the steps
When: Tuesday, 13 February from 4:45pm
Where: Star Theatre at Homecoming Theatre, 19 Harrington St, District Six, Cape Town
Community Engagement – Engaging Communities: What Does it Mean to Serve the Community Well?
Moderated by Caryn Green, CEO of Sibikwa Arts Centre and Cultural Policy and Management PhD Candidate at the University of the Witwatersrand, this discussion aims to answer the question: How can museums and heritage institutions be more reflective, inclusive, responsive, visible, and accountable to the people they serve?
Cost: R500pp for adults and R200pp for students with student cards. The rate includes access to all the talks, experiences, and lunch networking events over the 3-day period. Register via website registration page and follow the steps
When: Thursday, 15 February from 9am
Where: Star Theatre at Homecoming Theatre, 19 Harrington St, District Six, Cape Town
Lunch & Walkabout: Kewpie Daughter of District 6 Exhibition
This lunchtime walkabout explores an exhibition about the life of Kewpie (1941–2012), a dancer and hairdresser who lived in District Six, through her collection of prints dating from the 1950s to the 1980s. Kewpie was a much-loved socialite in the community who played an integral role in District Six queer culture and nightlife in general.
Cost: R500pp for adults and R200pp for students with student cards. The rate includes access to all the talks, experiences, and lunch networking events over the 3-day period. Register via website registration page and follow the steps
When: Thursday, 15 February from 12pm
Where: District Six Museum, 25A Buitenkant St, District Six, Cape Town
Unboxing Mayibuye: Access to Digital Heritage
A short documentary screening and discussion delves into the issues surrounding public access, personal privacy and digitisation of the Mayibuye Archives, the Collections Unit of the Robben Island Museum. This also forms a presentation of the project ‘Unboxing Mayibuye – Access to Digital Heritage’, a collaboration between the museum, the French National Audiovisual Institute, and the Agence Française de Dévelopment. The aim is to provide public access to selected, digitised collections.
Cost: R500pp for adults and R200pp for students with student cards. The rate includes access to all the talks, experiences, and lunch networking events over the 3-day period. Register via website registration page and follow the steps
When: Thursday, 15 February from 9am
Where: Avalon Auditorium at Homecoming Theatre, 19 Harrington St, District Six, Cape Town
The Urgency of Preserving and Archiving African Languages Through Storytelling
The upliftment of Africanization and decolonialisation through African languages is explored closely in this workshop. Participants will leave with practical tools for language preservation through storytelling and a network of colleagues and community partners.
Cost: R500pp for adults and R200pp for students with student cards. The rate includes access to all the talks, experiences, and lunch networking events over the 3-day period. Register via website registration page and follow the steps
When: Thursday, 15 February from 10:30am
Where: The Workshop at Homecoming Theatre, 19 Harrington St, District Six, Cape Town
A Radical Commitment to Repair: Perspectives on Restitution
In the current ‘earthquake’ of confrontation with the traditional identities of museums, is the restoration of heritage happening in the ways that Africans envisaged? This keynote address by Molemo Moiloa (Artist, Director, and Head of research of Andani.Africa and co-founder of Open Restitution Africa) seeks to answer this question and look to the future.
Cost: R500pp for adults and R200pp for students with student cards. The rate includes access to all the talks, experiences, and lunch networking events over the 3-day period. Register via website registration page and follow the steps
When: Wednesday, 14 February from 9am
Where: Star Theatre at Homecoming Theatre, 19 Harrington St, District Six, Cape Town
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