Conversations, meals, laughter, cultural and intergenerational connections gave shape to a two-weeklong residency that began on the 8^th of February.  Within this fellowship, six women artists/crafters drawn from varying contexts explored their individualities in relation to the collective.  Lobolile Ximba (Umsinga), Charlene Clempson (Birmingham, UK), Zama Mthiyane (Ladysmith), Sarah Walters (Cape Town), Nontobeko Msomi (Amanzimtoti) and Kim Bagley (Durban) were the participants in this intense engagement with images and objects.  Friday, the 12^th saw Kobus Moolman conducting an incredible poetry workshop for the fellows. This fed into the weekend interaction with the Ulwazi youngsters at Lidgetton, once again adding a different layer of contribution within a community situation.   The accumulated experience of the overall process is evidenced in the dynamic visual interpretations that have culminated, sealing the overarching theme: Anatomy of Celebration.       

Witty Nyide

09 December 2009

 Isipho CreACTive Centre Isipho leader, Khululiwe Mabanga and her group outdid themselves in preparing for their celebration on the 7^th of December.  Using beaded and embroidered and grass-woven products, their idea of ‘celebration’ could be experienced in the artistically festive atmosphere achieved.  From the newly painted mural, hand-made trees, mosaiced floor and beautifully beaded tablecloths.  All this handy- work was sealed by gifts of tiny white-beaded ribbons, which each and every guest received as Isipho marked their support of the 16 days of activism against woman and child abuse initiative.  Visionary words and appreciation spoken by the older to the younger participants and vice versa affirmed Khululiwe’s message when she said;  “Isipho’s aim is to open the young minds to possibilities.”Responding to the Ukube Ngangazi play that the kids conceptualized, wrote and performed, 63- year-old Mama Mathenjwa, who was the MC, added that; “amidst hopeless situations caused by HIV/AIDS related challenges both at school and home, as the elderly of Isipho, we want to leave the youth with something of tangible value to hold on to.”  Also present to witness Isipho’s flourishing harvest were the local municipal representative Mr. Sibusiso Zulu, local Zitike Primary schoolteacher Mr. Mduduzi Mthimkhulu and the parents.   Our thanks cannot be voiced enough for their support as well as the astounding contribution of Mrs. Ntombemhlophe Ngwenya, who remains the pillar of support for Khululiwe.   

 Ulwazi CreACTive Centre The 29^th of November saw parents and guardians of the Ulwazi group gathered for their end-of-year celebration.  As is their typical norm, a variety of performances by the group were showed off to this vital audience. Commemorating itself as the hub of the Caversham’s Masabelaneni- let us share initiative, Ulwazi’s celebration drew from its vision of self-belief through self-expression.  A documentary dating from the centre’s inception until present, as well as an inspirational movie was shown.  Laying the ground for insightful conversations between the Caversham team, parents and the youth to be shared.  The success of this event was evidenced in the very positive response from all who came.

 Youth Day, tuesday 16 of June, was a remarkable feast for the eye, ear, heart and soul at Jabula Combined School, Lidgetton, showcasing creative talents in the form of music, dance, poetry, a beauty pageant and a magnificent stage play titled Nozizwe. With the assistance of the Caversham team, Hlengiwe Dlamini, Caversham intern and Lidgetton resident, took this opportunity to implement her passion for entertainment activities as part of Ulwazi programmes. Participation in this event was not restricted to the Ulwazi group, but encompassed the young and old of the community. We congratulate Hlengiwe and all who contributed towards the success of this important commemoration and celebration. Of the process towards and during the event, Hlengiwe has this to say: “It was an energizing, fulfilling experience which required a lot of effort to be put in and worked out amazingly well in the end. I was pleased with the way it turned out because when preparing an event that involves the community you can not anticipate how they will react and respond. The parents and people in the community really enjoyed and valued the event, and were proud to see the youth and their children performing. All in all, it was a wonderful inspiring experience to be involved in.”

When Jabu Mteku and Jill Sachs were invited to attend a prestigious ECD Service Excellence Awards  function held at the Golden Horse Casino Hotel on the 18^th of February, little did they know that they were at the top of the list of those to receive recognition for their special diligent roles.    Their contributions towards establishing the ECD programmes from the mid 1990’s up  until 2006 were recognised in the form of gifts, trophies and certificates of excellence.  As Deputy Chief Education Specialists at that time, Jabu was awarded a certificate for her contribution, and Jill was honored for being Pioneer in phasing in ECD.    Their work involved many long journeys to the most rural KwaZulu districts.   We take pride in their wholehearted efforts that went into the laying the foundations for the phasing in of the reception year, so critical in harnessing young minds of greatness.Now, as a result of their pioneering work, the department boasts 5 500 grade R classes, with more than a 100 000 pupils accessing these facilities within the KwaZulu Natal communities. Jill’s deep-rooted dedication continues into her retirement from the department, seeing her designing the fully accredited Caversham eYe programmes, a flourishing initiative.  Last year Jill, with the assistance of Jabu, ran a course for the Lidgetton pre-school and Foundation phase teaching fraternity, where she looked at growing facilitation skills and focused on the Arts as a tool for teaching numeracy/ literacy skills, as well as  being carriers of psycho-social and cultural residues in the earliest developmental stages of the young ones.    We congratulate Jill and Jabu on receiving the recognition due to them! Witty Nyide

Last week  (January 26th) once again  saw the beginning of a lively and re-engaging time at Caversham, both in studio and beyond.At the top of the ongoing activities is the Creative Cultural Dialogue international residency.  This is a 3-week-long interactive forum that has brought a group consisting of writers Mxolisi Nyezwa (Port Elizabeth, SA) and F. Geoffrey Johnson (Atlanta, GA, USA), together with visual artists Tony Bingham (Atlanta, USA, GA) and Sabelo Khumalo (Newcastle, SA). 

Each day of this inspirational journey is being evidenced in the work that has come out over the past days of interaction.  Harmonizing the intensity of the process was the gift of silence which fellows underwent on Wednesday.  Muted conversations with Caversham as both a spiritual as well as a creative space resonated, compelling each to pause.  Reflecting on what it means for creative beings to be in this space at this particular moment, Mxolisi said;

“The past days at Caversham have been brilliant! We had a lively, fruitful and a life changing time.  The sessions with Malcolm and the other artists were super.  I so much enjoyed myself.  The discussions in between the two worlds – Africa and America – brought great insight.  All these for me reaffirmed in a way the commonalities and contradictions between and within the two opposing and sometimes complementary worlds.” 

As part of the experience beyond Caversham, the energetic climate in the studio stretched into the workshops at Ulwazi, where, despite the varied age groups of the kids, the fellows wholeheartedly dug deep to give the kids the experience of a lifetime. We voice our gratitude for these indispensable contributions!   Tony, on time spent at Ulwazi CreACTive Centre:  

“It’s always been my hope to see the visions captured when children of African communities have a pinhole camera.  Today that dream was realized.  With the poets and writers and as a group we created and enacted stories which were then captured by the children during our all morning workshop.  We hope that in leaving behind our material of gel, torch, paper and chemicals that the students will continue to create the paper negatives.  All of which can be scanned into Photoshop, reversed and then printed.  These are images for the world!”

I was both privileged an honored to be part of the Caversham writers workshop and greatly appreciate guidance provided by Kobus during the process of creativity  Although undergoing the process of Reflection for the second time, the experience was both new and unique.  It enabled me to unlock my inner selves and communication with the self.The group of writers that were present at the workshop provided me with an appropriate platform to explore and appreciate the self.  Nozipho Zulu

Caversham for me has been indeed a home not far away from home.  A  week is over hey.  Time spent here was remarkable for me.  If this was a book I’ll re-read the chapters all the time.  Re, an important word that I’ll take back home and I will empower others with the rich knowledge that I have.  Having said that, I won’t beg you to invite me again because I will come back anyway.Sne Mkhize

The workshop has made a huge difference to me.  I’ve discovered so many things about myself; my ability to writ and express myself in writing.  I am now spending time and reserving time for writing which is something I have never done before.  I would only write my diary when something has happened to me.  I’ve never actually thought of writing a poem.  This workshop has helped me realize that with more effort and enthusiasm anything is possible.  Thank you Kobus!  Hlengiwe Dlamini

Finding space to put one’s foot became a mission as crowds gathered for the launch of the Bonnie Ntshalintshali Museum at Ardmore on Saturday  20^thSeptember, coupled with a celebration of Gabisile Nkosi’s Beyond legacy.  As part of Caversham and Ardmore’s joint partnership, Caversham was provided with the opportunity to profile its CreACTive™ Centre Initiatives which were so much part of Gabi’s life and legacy.  The show runs until the 4^th of October.

On entering the gallery space, a multitude of exquisite Bonnie-inspired ceramic pieces carry one through to the centralized, gigantic representation of a zigzag-fold book that captures the CreACTive spirit.  As one navigates the pages within the long narrow room in which it is installed, the richness and generosity of spirit of each CreACTive catalyst’s vision is poignantly evidenced through symbols and text.  This provides a point of departure to read the layered messages imbedded in the body-maps hung on the right-hand side of the room.  Each image in the miniature prints on the left-hand wall carries the stories that Gabi unleashed in Ulwazi CreACTive Centre kids starting in 2002, when she shared her meticulous lino-cutting skill.  On purchase of a print, the audiance will be enabled membership of Caversham  CreACTive™ Centres Beyond Initiative.

This combined visual feast encapsulates the enormous extent to which both Bonnie and Gabi situated themselves as prominent and inspirational artists within their areas of specialty.        

During the opening event, insightful words from Feē Halsted-Berning, Malcolm Christian and Jabu Mtheku drew from the meaningful contribution and roles of both these artists as influential protagonists beyond the visual arts communities, in South Africa and abroad.  Resonating the words of previous speakers, the South African High Commissioner to the UK, Her Excellency Dr Lindiwe Mabuza, sealed and affirmed the relevance of community empowerment through creativity,  acknowledging her honor and privilege in becoming a patron of the Caversham’s CreACTive™ Centre Initiatives as a contribution to the Beyond fund.  The fund is a means to sustain and carry forward the CreACTive™ legacy.  

One of the focal points for this joint event was the auction of works from some of the late artists’ portfolios as well as work highlighting their influence. All the earnings from the auction have been contributed to the Beyond fund. Underpinning the CreACTive™ Centre network is empowerment through contribution. This initiative encourages individuals of passion and vision to grow leadership and mentoring skills within their own communities.  This is the driving force behind the joint CreACTive™ initiative between Caversham and Ardmore named Ukwaba. ‘Ukwaba’ is the Zulu ritual defining the exchange of gifts between two families after a wedding.

The overwhelming success of this event is indebted to the wholehearted effort in preparation from the CreACTive Catalysts: Nokuthula Madinane (Kwa Dabeka), Khululiwe Mabanga (Mtubatuba), Lindiwe Shabangu (Rorke’s Drift), Nokukhanya Sibiya (Kwa Mbonambi), Nomandla Nodola (Harding), Mapule Motau (Lidgetton) and the wise guiding force of the Caversham team.  

Witty Nyide

 The 27^th of August was both exciting and overwhelming, as I was  introduced to the Interprint 2008 participants, followed by the massive printmaking facilities that the London College of Communication houses, as well their products of excellence. Interprint continued with workshops run by fine master printmakers including Malcolm and Vuli. On Friday, they co-facilitated a miniature book workshop, which was a continuity of a woodcut process.  Other workshops covered book art, screen print, collographic techniques, lithography and etching.   Each day ended with evening lectures aimed at sharing background whilst eliciting dialogue and networking. The weekend was a dynamic and exciting experience involving the longest walks.   My gratitude to those who offered to host and ‘tour guide’. Witty Nyide

Caversham is well-represented at Interprint 2008 taking place at London College of Communication, University of the Arts London. Malcolm, Witty Nyide and Vuli Nyoni are all attending and we look forward to an in-depth report back when they return next week.