Celebrating In Step
A 10-year journey of purpose for the Cape Cultural Collective
THE Cape Cultural Collective celebrates its 10th anniversary this year as a strong force for creative endeavour and social change. Its journey started rather casually in the second half of 2007, when a few musicians and poets, with vague notions of developing a progressive cultural space, met on the occasional Monday evening for some impromptu performances at a noisy Irish pub in the city.
The musicians were former anti-apartheid activists, and the young poets were from a project initiated by the Institute for Justice and Reconciliation (IJR).
In 2008, we migrated to the District Six Museum, and this is where CCC began to take shape, hosting a series of exciting monthly cultural programmes with music, poetry, dance and drama. Early successes included a growing relationship with the museum, the birth of the CCC resident band JAHM, and the bringing together of a group who came to be known as the “CCC poets”.
An unusual feature of the CCC phenomenon is that it began and developed without any funding. Partnerships and networks became the bedrock of the organisation. The process was driven by a core team who shared common ideals. We developed a focus for the CCC as a non-racial, non-sexist intergenerational cultural movement promoting social activism and reflecting on history and memory. We set out to:
Promote and develop cultural performance and learning spaces.
Develop a creative space to share ideas and grapple with identity.
Develop an environment that is critical and supportive of debate. Support community projects. Promote social and cultural activism, and different art and creative forms.
We fired into higher gear in 2009 when the Eastern Acoustics sound company came on board as a partner, offering to generously provide professional services at no cost. The monthly theme-based programmes became more and more popular.
In 2010, the CCC co-ordinated four hugely successful community concerts to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the UWC. About 600 performers entertained some 2 500 people.
In 2011, our programmes steamed ahead, and we produced a poetry anthology in September of that year, involving nine of our poets. The contributors write both as individuals and as part of a collective with shared values, presenting a range of discourses on aspects of our social life. We printed and sold 300 copies of the anthology, called At Truth’s Edge.
In 2012, we moved to Ibuyambo Music and Art Centre, but sadly the venue burnt down in May of that year. In June 2012, CCC initiated a choir project that entails choristers singing various traditional songs in three languages. The Rosa Choir was born. The choir started 2014 with a bang as it took to various stages for big performances. It also collaborated with InChoir, a visiting choir from England, and Die Soetstemme from Franschhoek. The attraction of children to the choir gave rise to the Junior Rosa Choir.
The 10th anniversary celebrations started last week, with a launch at the District Six Homecoming Centre that was attended by more than 100 people, and where the CCC launched its website and unveiled a 10th anniversary logo. Plans for 2017, include:
Cultural programmes in March, April, May, June, August and November, and a major fund-raiser in July.
A showcase event at Artscape relating the CCC journey through music, poetry and dance, towards the end of the year.
A public event in a park with arts, culture and food in October.
The consolidation of the Rosa adult and junior choirs.
An Arts and Culture summit at a time and place to be determined.
The launch of the Manenberg Cultural Collective, a partner of the CCC. A tenth anniversary exhibition. The roll-out of a skills development programme.
The expansion of cultural tourism initiatives.
We call on artists, community groups and volunteers to join the CCC journey as participants and contributors. For more information, contact Elizabeth Schutter on elizabeth.schutter@gmail.com or visit http://capeculturalcollective.org.za/
Mansoor Jaffer is the chairperson of the Cape Cultural Collective