Tag: culture

Heritage Day in communication and tourism

Heritage in South Africa: embracing differences in culture and visit some of our heritage sites for Tourism month

 

Heritage and tourism and communication

Heritage is something quite personal and changes from person to person. 

It is something that we as South Africans particularly find important to recognise because of the diversity of our people, identified in the formative years of our Democracy by Nelson Mandela and his new government.

In his address marking Heritage Day 1996, the late former State President Nelson Mandela said: “When our first democratically elected government decided to make Heritage Day one of our national days, we did so because we knew that our rich and varied cultural heritage has a profound power to help build our new nation.”

 Heritage Day is a day to remember and celebrate all the various South African cultures and their unique heritage. When people talk about South African heritage, they might be referring to anything from famous stretches of coastline in Kwazulu-Natal, to shweshwe fabric or veldskoen, to Bunny Chow, Bobotie, boerewors and beyond. Prior to 1995 Heritage Day was in fact called Shaka Day in commemoration of the Zulu King, while in 2005 a campaign sought to brand the day as National Braai Day with the Archbishop Desmond Tutu accepting his role of patron of South Africa’s braai day in 2007.

Honouring the diversity of our country’s people and recognising our differences and richness in all respective cultures is at the heart of South Africa’s beautiful uniqueness.

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Woodstock artists and galleries: local talent on an international stage.

Woodstock bubbles over with culture. There are vibrant stories everywhere, from the historic buildings to the memories of local residents. If you’ve never stopped to engage with the wonder that is Woodstock, 2018 is a great time to start!

We at WID want to take you on a journey of our favourite area this year, starting with a look at two of the inspiring galleries right here on our doorstep.

  1. Greatmore Studios

This studio has a philanthropic ethos, providing space for both artists and the wider community to come together in creative activity. It is governed and managed by a board of trustees on behalf of the Greatmore Studios Trust.

As you might have guessed, it’s located on Greatmore Street! The street that feels like home with its spirit of togetherness. The studio is a hub of activity consisting of twelve studios, a digital arts facility and a social courtyard.

The Trust also own a house in Observatory to accommodate out of town visitors participating in their various programs and a minibus to transport participants to outreach projects.

The Greatmore Studios Trust was established in 1998 and registered as an NPO in 2007. The objectives of this body include:

  • Providing training and a studio environment for artists to allow them to build a professional practice and establish a career or employment.
  • Organising workshops for the exchange of practice and ideas amongst participants from different communities and cultures.
  • Making the arts accessible to new audiences and involving different people in the process of art making, including the exhibition of their work.
  • Supporting global workshops and residency programmes which enable South Africans to travel abroad and visiting artists to share their skills here.

  1. Stevenson

Located on the ground floor of the Buchanan building, this gallery is perfect for filling your lunch hour with some art. Take a break from your screen, step out of the office and pop in here for some inspiration. You won’t be disappointed.

Stevenson opened in 2003 and has spaces in both Cape Town and Johannesburg. The directors of this gallery are titans of the African art world, famous for finding and representing the most exciting talent. They were early to exhibit artists from other African countries, and now have an international exhibition programme which attracts attention from around the globe.

The gallery also publishes books in the form of exhibition catalogues. It is therefore possible to take home a taste of works by Stevenson artists including Steven Cohen, Kemang Wa Lehulere and Moshekwa Langa. Currently the work of more than 30 artists is represented in the gallery, of which two thirds are South African.

Woodstock residents are lucky to live amongst such creativity, and it’s both important and inspiring to make the most of the art around us. Why not take a trip to one of these, or the many other interesting galleries, this month? There’s so much to see right here on our doorstep!