Kerianne Doran Blog Post 1
The Pedi tribe visited the District Six Museum with the rest of our class on Thursday, January 7th, to learn about the history and culture of that area of Cape Town. That area of the city was once a hub of vibrant cultural and artistic diversity but the apartheid government removed its inhabitants to make room for enacting their policies and legal segregation. The District Six Museum was established in a church to create a space where former inhabitants of this area could share their stories and experiences and locals and visitors alike can learn about life during apartheid South Africa. This museum incorporates many forms of art, all of which are relevant to the Pedi tribe’ area of research: community value placed on the arts.
Noor, a former resident of District Six, sat down with us to tell us about his experiences growing up and raising a family in this area. All of us were amazed with his gift of storytelling, an important aspect of South African artistic culture. His storytelling and the museum as a whole are Noor’s deeply personal form of art. He expresses his memories and experiences with anyone willing to listen. Noor also expresses himself in the written form. The importance of having both of these kinds of art has been something we discuss as a class throughout our experiences in Cape Town. Listening to Noor speak made us think about how many of our families’ histories are spoken instead of written down. Spoken word is not necessarily as long lasting as written word, yet it still has so much cultural value in so many places. Locals and visitors could easily purchase Noor’s book and read that on their own yet they choose to go to the museum to hear his stories’ along with those of the other former residents. What does this say about the value of audial arts in South African culture and across the world? It says that while written word can be preserved longer, spoken word is a key part of every culture in sharing traditions and experiences.
While walking through District Six Museum, visitors can look at photographs and read blurbs about the history, culture, and people of this area. Perhaps the most striking art forms in this museum are the area map recreated on the floor of the museum and the original street signs of district six. These represent the importance of preserving history in order to commemorate their significance to a certain culture. They also speak volumes about the importance of land in the South African culture. The residents of District Six had their land taken away from them yet many have returned to work at the museum. Although they are slowly receiving opportunities to reacquire their land and still living in other locations, their home will always be in District Six. One of Noor’s most touching stories in his book is about a group of birds that were family pets. When the family moved, they took the birds with them. These birds, however, returned to their plot of land in District Six as soon as they got to their new “home.” Just as land was important to the government in controlling its people, it was important to citizens in maintaining their histories, traditions, languages, and every part of their culture. District Six Museum represents home for it’s citizens, not just because of its physical location in the district but because of how it commemorates the life they once lived.
District Six Museum in its entirety might become an important part of the research we conduct while visiting South Africa. We determined in our research during the fall that the communities and citizens of South Africa place more value on the arts than the government, in particular when looking at funding versus support. This museum is an example of how much value the District Six community places on not only their history but also the ability to have artistic freedom. Originally, this museum was only supposed to be a two-week exhibit, but has stayed open far longer than that. This demonstrates that within and outside of South Africa, museums have great importance in artistic and historical expression. The Pedi Tribe hopes to continue their research and further their findings throughout their time in Cape Town and Johannesburg.
