ART FOR HUMANITY 2010 FEBRUARY NEWSLETTER

Art For Humanity Newsletter February 2010

Profiles of the latest Speakers at the ASJ Conference

New Speakers at the ASJ Conference

Deputy Minister of Health, Mayoress of Gaborone, and the Chinese Consul evaluating the PIMA Analyser

Break The Silence visits Gaborone

Past School Banner Workshops

Breadline South Africa funds School Banner Workshop 2010

Profiles of Dialogue among Civilizations latest participants

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Editor’s Note Dear Readers; It is still early in 2010 and our major project ‘Dialogue among Civilisations’ is getting ready for launch on 21st March. Opening at the same time at the Durban Art Gallery will be the ‘Art and Social Justice’ Conference resulting from the ‘Dialogue’ project. At the opening of the exhibition and during the conference we will launch the ‘Dialogue’ publication and I can assure all that with the talent and energy through which the artists and poets contributed to the project, matched by our dedicated interns and volunteers, that the publication will truly be something of quality and inspiration to look forward to.

As the world has been witness to and been affected by the devastating earthquake in Haiti, so have we at AFH with the loss of the poet Garry Saint Germain, I quote from his statement 'the distance between regions and continents is also reduced by the profusion of communications channels. The closer we get the more we must know.' The value of the artist and the poet lies in their quest for freedom of expression through their creativity. As the cornerstone of Human Rights, humanity has lost another champion.

We have received funding to continue with our art and human rights banners and workshops in local schools. In this instance we thank Breadline Africa for their support. As AFH will have to move premises for 4 months while DUT puts a new roof on our beloved city campus, April to September will offer us an ideal opportunity to embark on this schools programme.

Jan Jordaan- Editor AFH Partners:

Dialogue among Civilization News     

Justice Albie Sachs to present Opening address at ASJ Conference Profiles on Speakers at ASJ Conference 21st -24th March 2010 Dialogue Among Civilisation Catalogue Profiles on Artists and Poets Portfolio preview

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Justice Albie Sachs to present Opening address at ASJ Conference

Justice Albie Sachs, former Chief Justice of the South African Constitutional Court will present an opening address at the Art and Social Justice Conference hosted by the Durban University of Technology and Art for Humanity.

Dates: 21 – 24 March 2010 Venue: Durban University of Technology (DUT), Ritson Rd Hotel School, Conference Centre, Durban, South Africa Art for Humanity will be holding its first international conference in March this Justice Albie Sachs year. The conference will be hosted by the Durban University of Technology in Durban. The conference will be held in conjunction with the ‘Dialogue among Civilizations’ exhibition opening on the evening of the 21st March 2010 at the Durban Art Gallery.

The Conference will address a range of critically important issues and themes relating to the arts in promoting human rights and social justice in society. Justice Albie Sachs’ participation endorses the conference significance and value. His career in human rights activism started at the age of seventeen, when as a second year law student at the University of Cape Town, he took part in the Defiance of Unjust Laws Campaign. Thereafter he worked as an attorney. The bulk of his work involved defending people charged under racist statutes and repressive security laws during the apartheid regime.

During the 1980s working closely with Oliver Tambo, leader of the ANC in exile, he helped draft the organisation’s code of conduct, as well as its statutes. Albie Sachs went into exile in England and then Mozambique, in Maputo, Mozambique in 1988; he lost his arm and his sight in one eye when a bomb was placed in his car by South African security agents. After the bombing, he devoted himself to the preparations for a new democratic constitution for South Africa. He returned to South Africa and served as a member of the Constitutional Committee and the National Executive of the African National Congress.

In 1991 he won the Alan Paton Award for his book Soft Vengeance of a Freedom Fighter. The book chronicles his response to the 1988 car bombing. He is also the author of Justice in South Africa (1974), The Jail Diary of Albie Sachs (1966), Sexism and the Law (1979), The Free Diary of Albie Sachs (2004), and, most recently, "The Strange Alchemy of Life and Law" (2009). He also helped select the art collection at Constitution Hill, the seat of the Constitutional Court.

On 8 July 2008 Sachs was awarded an honorary Doctor of Laws (LLD) degree by the University of Ulster in recognition of his contribution to human rights and justice globally. In 2006, his alma mater the University of Cape Town awarded him an honorary Doctorate in Law. He has also been engaged in the sphere of art and architecture, and played an active role in the development of the Constitutional Court building and its art collection on the site of the Old Fort Prison in Johannesburg.

Plenary speakers will include leading thinkers and practitioners in the arts, as well as health, justice, and education. Paper, workshop and colloquium presenters will be drawn from researchers and practitioners in all fields of artistic engagement. The objective of the conference is to serve as a platform for art practitioners and organisations to share experiences drawn from a variety of international contexts to discuss mutual concerns and find solutions to commonly experienced challenges.

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The conference aims to arrive at a concrete set of resolutions which can be developed into a policy document about the role of the arts in effecting social change, cultural development and equity.

In line with the hosting institution’s commitment to applied research, the conference papers will explore theoretical avenues to the credible evaluation of public art and art projects directed at advocacy. This dual approach, which will be evident throughout the conference, is intended to bridge a crucial gap which frequently divides scholars and practitioners in the arts.

This conference and the ‘Dialogue among Civilisations’ exhibition has both been granted UNESCO Patronage. UNESCO Director General Mr. Koichiro Matsuura corroborates his endorsements to the projects by stating: "This major event...involving the collaboration between artists and poets...is consistent with UNESCO’s principle objective as regards the promotion of intercultural dialogue and cultural diversity. It will no doubt contribute to emphasising the unique role of the arts as a means of dialogue, communication and understanding...giving its aim of promoting ethical values through artistic expression and creativity..."

The ‘Dialogue among Civilizations’ project is a unique print portfolio that juxtaposes responses from visual artists and poets on issues of social justice. The project involves collaboration between artists and poets from Africa, Europe, America, Asia and Australasia on the theme of identity, land, object and belief. The art and poetry resulting from the project will be employed in a public advocacy campaign against racism and xenophobia, highlighting the plight of refugees. The exhibition arising from this project will open on the 21st March 2010 at the Durban Art Gallery.

For more information please visit: http://asjconference.dut.ac.za/ Contact persons: Mr Jan Jordaan 031 373 6896 / janj@dut.ac.za Mr Anthony Starkey 031 373 6642 anthonys@dut.ac.za Mr Shakeel Ori 031 373 2228 / oris@dut.ac.za Mrs Nomonde Pam Masoka 031 373 2880 / nomondem@dut.ac.za

Art and Social Justice Conference news: Speakers Profiles: Please visit http://asjconference.dut.ac.za/ for more information on how to apply for this inimitable event.

Taylor Van Horne Taylor van Horne is one of the founding directors of the Sacatar Foundation, an American non-profit corporation, and its sister organisation in Brazil, the Instituto Sacatar.

Founded in 2000 and in operation since 2001. Sacatar has hosted over 160 artists from 42 countries, providing air fare, studio, room and board to artists in every creative discipline. Sacatar encourages and facilitates artists’ involvement in the local community during their eight-week long residency sessions.

Sacatar’s institutional partners include UNESCO, the National Endowment for the Arts of the United States, CultureFrance, Africa Centre (through the Spier Contemporary Exhibition) in South Africa and others.

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Almas Jiwani Almas Jiwani, is a recent recipient of the Governor General's award for humanitarian work. Due to hard work, determination, and extensive volunteering along the way, Almas emerged as a successful entrepreneur and a notable community leader.

Currently, Almas is the President and CEO of Frontier Canada Inc., a corporate communications company. She is also the President of Canadian Committee for United Nations Fund For Women (UNIFEM CANADA).

She has also served several boards and portfolios of His Highness The Prince Aga Khan Council for Canada and The Aga Khan University.

Angeline Kamba Angeline Kamba is currently Chair the Board of Trustees of the Harare International Festival of the Arts (Hifa). She holds an Masters in Library Science from Columbia University, New York; a Postgraduate Certificate in Education, University of London and a BA degree, University of South Africa. Her most significant international assignment was her appointment to the UN/UNESCO World Commission on Culture and Development (WCCD). Among her published papers are: Harnessing Community Creativity for Development in Proceedings of The Third International Conference on Design Education, Pretoria, SA, 1997; Creativity and Communication: essential ingredients for development; in Report of the International Conference on Culture and Development Oslo ,1997; Our Creative Diversity: its relevance to Africa; in DIALOGO, UNESCO, Sept., 1997; A Celebration of Cultural Diversity; in Images of the World: Globalisation and Cultural Diversity (a collection of papers presented at Images of the World Festival and Dialogue, Copenhagen 2000).

Bernard Stringer Vice President of Freedom to Create. Bernard Stringer has over 15 years private and public sector experience in leading teams and driving strategic thinking. Prior to joining Orient Global he ran his own business and branding strategy consultancy The Red Thread Group.

Freedom to Create (www.freedomtocreate.com) is working to mend broken societies around the world. We believe prosperous societies are founded upon creativity, which expresses itself through new ideas, innovative products and services, and art and culture. Our activities include the annual Freedom to Create Prize recognises artists who promote creative freedom and social justice issues in the world.

In addition, Freedom to Create also makes grants which support projects that harness the creative arts to improve lives on the frontlines of poverty, conflict and suffering. Freedom to Create is supported by Orient Global (www.orientglobal.com), a Singapore-based private investment group with more than 20 years’ experience investing in emerging markets.

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Mike Van Graan Mike van Graan graduated from the University of Cape Town (UCT) having majored in English and with a BA Honours degree in Drama. He is currently registered for a Masters degree where he is exploring the – relative absence of the - theme of HIV/AIDS in mainstream professional theatre since 1994.

He has served in leadership positions in numerous cultural NGOs such as the Community Arts Project, Congress of South African Writers and the National Arts Coalition.

He is also the Executive Director of the African Arts Institute, an NGO that harnesses South African resources, expertise, infrastructure and markets in support of the development and sustainability of creative practice on the continent. He currently serves as the Secretary General of Arterial Network, an Africa-wide network of artists, activists and organisations engaged in the African creative sector.

Dialogue Among Civilisation Catalogue: The Dialogue among Civilisation publication will be launched alongside the projects auspicious conference and exhibition on 21st March 2010, which is also National Human Rights Day. The publication is to be comprised of the portfolio of DAC artists and poets’ artwork and poetry. The project has 35 countries that will include the work of at least one artist and poet that will appear in the publication. The publication will also feature the contributing statements of an array of endorsers to the project, including icons such as peace activist Ela Gandhi, Father Michael Lapsley of the Institute for Healing of Memories and The Power of Culture organisation. Endorsers are encouraged to submit a short piece on their outlook of the project.

A separate chapter entitled ‘Global Voices’ is to be dedicated to Front Page visual of the “Dialogue Among Civilisation” Catalogue artists and poets who also wish to contribute to the publication on a voluntary basis. The term ‘Global Voices’ was created by AFH director Jan Jordaan who believes it will mobilise the voices of the global community of humanists and like-minded artists. This section of the publication is open to all respective artists who are passionate of this worthy initiative. The additional chapter is also set to include scholarly articles by academic experts within the relevant themes of racism, xenophobia, and the plight of refugees. Selected papers of guest speakers from the conference will also be invited to feature in this segment.

AFH aspires to attract research engines and respected institutions that can offer invaluable insight to these social ills that threaten our humanity. The DAC publication will be the fourth of its kind published by AFH, adding to the Women for Children, Break the Silence and UDHR IPP portfolio publications. The publication will be distributed primarily through the projects exhibitions, but will also be available to selected schools and educational and cultural institutions free of charge. AFH also plans to grant artists, poets and contributors a complimentary publication.

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Dialogue among Civilizations Artist and Poets Mariana Stuhr, Artist Poland Born in 1982, Cracow, Poland. Mariana Stuhr graduated from Academy of Fine Arts in Cracow in 2007. She is currently completing Phd studies at the Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw. She also teaches printmaking and works as a graphic designer.

Since the early years of her studies Marianna devoted her time and effort to etching techniques and drawing whilst undertaking the difficult topic of observation of the human body, its failures, imperfections and growing older.

Marianna Stuhr took part in many solo and group exhibitions, projects and artist collaborations in Poland and abroad. She has received prestigious awards and scholarships, recently (Fall 2009) she was awarded with The Kosciuszko Foundation scholarship in The USA. http://www.galeriafarbiarnia.pl/index.php?artist=163&site=8&lang=pl Chris Zapata, Poet Ecuador Chris Zapata was born in Cuenca Ecuador 1968, and is a poet, and art and literary critic. He has directed many literary groups in Cuenca and Quito. In 1997 he was named General Coordinator of the Cuenca Biennial. His writing on art and literature has been published in numerous Ecuadorian and Latin American magazines.

Bogdan Hoffman, Artist Germany Bogdan Hoffman was born 1957 in Dzierzoniow, Poland,and studied art at a technical college in Bremen. He was awarded a sponsorship prize for art in Bremen in 1989, and thereafter received numerous awards and also participated at the Art Cologne exhibition sponsored by Art gallery in Hamburg.

He currently lives and works in Bremen and has participated in various solo and group exhibitions in various countries in Europe.

He explains that his artistic themes grapple with the problems of countryside and country maps.The maps have fascinated him since early childhood. His themes are regional as well as international. It is very important to him to link the two subjects.

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Sithandazile Dube, Poet Bulawayo Sithandazile Dube was born in 1975 and is a teacher of Commercial subjects at Secondary Level, a performance poet, actress and gender activists.

She has been matron of arts and culture clubs at schools where she taught namely Chemkhute, Khomayanga, Inyanda, and Cowdray Park Secondary Schools in Bulawayo. She holds a Diploma in Education with Belvedere Teacher College where she majored in Geography and Business Studies. Sithandazile has mentored and coached poetry, rap music and storytelling at a number of schools in Bulawayo under a British Council Project titled Power In The Voice which sought to give young people voices so that they could articulate about issues affecting their lives through the arts.

Sithandazile is a resident artist at the National Gallery In Bulawayo. She is performing Director of Art Connexion Pvt Ltd an arts consultancy company housed at the gallery.

Themba Shibase, Artist Durban,South Africa Born in 1980 in Port Shepstone, lower south coast region of KZN, Themba Shibase is a Durban based artist practicing mainly in 2dimensional media. Currently he lectures in the Department of Fine Art at Durban University of Technology where he also obtained his Bachelor of Technology Degree in Fine Art. Shibase has featured in a number of prolific group exhibitions nationally.

These include New Painting: A group exhibition of recent South African art, curated by Storm van Rensburg in 2006. Recently he has been nominated to be one of four finalists for the 2008 MTN New Contemporary Art Award. His work is also featured in the Spier Contemporary Art Award exhibition which showcased the most recent cutting edge contemporary South African art. Shibase’s work primarily grapples with the question of identity in its various guises. His artistic vision is largely inspired by his appreciation of urban multicultural complexities.

Luness Mpunwa Mhlope, Poet Namibia Born in 1964, Matabeleland, Zimbabwe, Luness studied Fine Arts –at BAT-Visual Art School and specialised in painting and drawing. In 1996 she was appointed as an Art Librarian and served in that position for many years; this allowed her to work with a variety of curators, art scholars, poets and exhibitors.

In 1999 she was appointed by the National Gallery of Zimbabwe to work at the State University of New Jersey- USA. This opportunity allowed her to work with African-American students in the field of art and poetry. She is currently the Curator of the National Art Gallery of Namibia –Windhoek. Mpunwa is one of the survivors of the gun barrel of 1970s the war of Rhodesia. Much of her work depicts the liberation struggle of then Rhodesia –Zimbabwe and possesses African rhythms and connotations.

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Dialogue Among Civilisation Portfolio Review

Candida Pestana, Artist, Portugal

One Day and two seconds medium:Silkscreen Dimension: 460 x 604

Space and time exist objectively. Although we may feel how time in its inexorable passage is carrying us away, we can neither halt nor prolong it. We cannot recover a single moment of existence. The flow of time is beyond our control.

One day and two seconds is a representation of stopping time and trying to control it on paper. One may easily find, in the work presented, a need to arrive at almost sarcastic conclusions about everyday aspects of our lives referring to time as a relevant aspect of our daily routine. This way, during my work, I try to make use of trivial situations, manipulating them in such a way that they become true metaphors of the reality that I am trying to describe. Thus I archive the paradox between two realities, time and the space.

Guy Ernest Guto, Poet Benin

Shuntaro Tanigawa, Poet Japan

“The inhabitants of the World”

“Morning Relay”

I am writing to you from a distant country, I am writing to you from a distant country on the other side of the world. From a country that could be mine and yours as well, with the blessing of the wind.

Despite the appearances, we are all like fingers on the hands and toes on the feets; we are the green branches of the same palm tree, the green leaves of the world’s tree And often, the branches and leaves fall when the tree tremble And perhaps the wind would free them, sweep them away as it wants, and disperse them as it can (…)

And if the twig can not make the broom on its own, and the grain of sand the beach, you will understand that from my home to his, if the street is deserted without neither flower nor dove, I am not able to do the rest of the path alone without your smile.

While a young man in Kamchatka Dreams of a giraffe A young girl in Mexico Waits for the bus in the morning haze While a little girl in New York Rolls over in her bed with a smile A little boy in Rome Winks at the morning sun that colors the column capital On this Earth Always, somewhere, morning is starting We are relaying morning From longitude to longitude Taking turns protecting Earth, as it were Prick up your ears awhile before you go to sleep And, somewhere, far away, you’ll hear an alarm clock ringing It’s proof that someone has firmly caught The morning you’ve passed on

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Tatsuo Ebina, Artist Japan Our work has been created with characters from different alphabets that are used somewhere in the world. It is likely that characters that are foreign to you appear as simply patterns in black, however each and every character has meaning and a long history attached to it. It takes so many years of blood, sweat and tears to reach each character's current form and so many different characters have disappeared through the ages.

When we approached the work, we realised the characters are the hope to communicate to others, the will to connect the past to the future, and of civilization.

This project is a great opportunity to enjoy and appreciate the strength of art, and for many people, a good chance to learn of other people's cultures. We hope that peaceful dialogues can be achieved among civilizations through soccer and art to name but a few, in South Africa and indeed all over the world.

The Ear by Tatsuo Ebina Medium: Digital Print Dimension: 60 x 42

Women for Children News  

AFH receives funding from Breadline South Africa Preview of art and poetry to be featured in School Banner Workshop 2010 Breadline South Africa funds School Banner Workshop 2010

“At first I was a bit reluctant but when the banners came and I read the message on them I realised that it is a beautiful initiative”, Principal Shangase, Mzuvele High School

Art for Humanity (AFH) is proud to announce that Breadline South Africa has generously funded the School Banner Workshop 2010; the money will be used to produce more Women for Children banners to be mounted in schools, and also to run a series of workshops at the specified schools that are aimed at advocating children and women’s rights.

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The Schools Banner project was initiated by AFH in April 2008 where five schools around KwaZulu Natal were selected to receive two banners each featuring art and poetry from the Women for Children project. The workshop and installation has been a great success, The organisation has targeted another group of four schools to participate in the project this year, namely Sithandiwe Junior Primary, Umlazi BB section, Summerfield Primary, Chatsworth, Isibonelo High School, KwaMashu and Ogwini Technical School, Umlazi P section are going to select two sets of art and poetry from the collection that they wish to see featured in the banner that is going to be mounted in their school. The schools have been given an option of not only choosing the art and poetry from the Women for Children project but they will also participate in a series of workshops which will be aimed at assisting learners to relate with the installed banners. During the workshop, learners are reminded and informed of their rights as children, the workshops aspire to catalyse advocacy and awareness on the themes of ethical values, Human Rights, Children’s Rights and welfare as well as moral ownership and identity though the medium of art and poetry. Although crime, unemployment, poverty, substance abuse and a high drop-out rate pose as obstacles affecting youth development in the country, the values of education and the various freedoms pertaining to the Constitution were emphasized in the workshop. Learners are encouraged to create their own art and poetry which they use as a medium to voice their concern over their rights and also to relate to how they feel about their rights.

AFH views the concept of taking advocacy of children’s rights to them in their learning environment so as to educate the learners about children and women abuse, also to arm girl children with an armor that will help them protect themselves when coming across situations that imitate those of abuse and also an opportunity to instill amongst boy children a moral responsibility towards protecting the women in their lives by taking part in the fight towards eradicating abuse and its effects in the South African community at large.

Even though the campaign is currently being applied in KZN the long term aim is to one day expand it as far as the whole country and abroad to strengthen the voice against abuse by getting more schools and sponsors involved in the project

Artwork and Poetry featured in this year’s school banners:

A Banner to be installed at Ogwini Comprehensive School featuring a poem by Mavis Smallberg entitled “Dancing With Angels”, and artwork by the late Gabisile Nkosi entitled “Sisterhood ”

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Este Macleod Title: Boy Etching Paper 662 x 475 mm Print 514 x 355 mm

Louise Almon Title: Laughter Remembered Screen print Paper 425 x 590 mm Print 425 x 590 mm

Zandra Bezuidenhout

Myesha Jenkins

A Child Dreaming

Laughter remembered

I am a child of many dreams: I’d love to be a soaring eagle or a lofty yellowwood tree.

Wonders might happen if I am treated with respect, as children’s rights are rooted in a moral alphabet.

I pray that you will from today respect my life in every way, that I may grow and flourish fearlessly until one day I do become the person I was meant to be.

My sweet girl it is the vulnerability of your innocence that I vow to protect.

For I value the peace that I find in your laughter seek courage in the fierceness of your tight hug am inspired by the directness of your truth.

In you I see myself as you learn and grow full of opinions and impossible questions running into the wildness of your own imagination.

Playing is the only work you should know passionate about living you sing with the birds sleeping dreams of future worlds.

You make me human again.

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Break the Silence News 

PIMA and BTS workshop updates

Break The Silence and PIMA visit Gaborone In an effort to confront the biggest challenge facing Africa today, Art for Humanity, in partnership with The National Museum of Botswana, the Thapong Arts Centre Gaborone and Inverness Medical Innovations is continuing its’ work of advocating HIV/AIDS awareness. An exhibition of the ‘Break the Silence’ HIV/Aids Print st Portfolio was held at the National Museum of Botswana on the 1 December 2009 which is a day set aside to commemorate World Aids Day. The Pima project which was a combination of the Break The Silence print portfolio and the Pima Print Portfolio which is a new portfolio created around the development of a new CD4 analyser by the PIMA inspired artwork by Thabong artists medical diagnostics company Inverness Medical. The changes in Health management which the analyser is likely to bring to those who are HIV positive in sub-Saharan Africa will be so significant that AFH felt that it was important to mark this technology development with the exhibition of both portfolios being held at the International Aids Society Conference in Cape Town in July 2009, the Alliance Francaise in Cape Town August 2009, the Polokwane Municipal Art Gallery in September 2009, and lastly the National Museum Art Gallery in Gaborone in December and January 2009/10. Workshops were held in the Polokwane location of the exhibition and in Gaborone, and were based around the likely effects of the new technology on the sub-Saharan AIDS situation and on HIV/AIDS Awareness generally, with the Break the Silence portfolio and the Pima Print Portfolio providing the inspiration. Inverness Medical also brought the Pima analyser itself to the exhibition locations so that participating artists and visitors to the opening of the exhibition could see the new technology and learn how simply it worked in comparison to the standard laboratory based technology currently in use. (Further information on the Pima analyser can be had at www.pimatest.com).

The Break the Silence portfolio is well known and more information on it is available on the Art for Humanity web site www.afh.org.za. The Pima Portfolio consisted of 12 limited edition images created by four artists, Lawrence Lemaoana, Nontobeko Ntombela, Yvette Dunn, and Nicole Erasmus. The National Museum Art Gallery in Gaborone is run by the Botswana Department of Arts and Culture, and before the exhibition opened in December, two workshops were held at the Thabong Arts Centre. The first workshop consisted of artists living and working in Botswana and the other was based on children of 11 to 16 years of age, the work created was placed into the Nna le Seabe exhibition alongside the two print portfolios. The adult workshop lasted for one week, whilst the children's workshop lasted for one day; the children were taught and advised by Tshego Tomeletso an art teacher in secondary education in Botswana and as a former Durban University of Technology student was familiar with the work of Art for Humanity. The children's workshop aimed at a general understanding through art imagery of the HIV issue, Inverness Medical set up a three book token prize as an incentive for those young people who managed to grasp the meaning of the new Pima analyser technology, and AFH associate board member Alex Flett coined the term "Catch them young, teach them well" School children at the ‘Break The Silence’ exhibition

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The exhibition, which included both the results of the adult and the children's workshop, was officially opened by the Deputy Health Minister of Botswana, and attended by the Mayoress of Gaborone, and the Chinese Consul. It was also filmed by Botswana Television. As one of the speakers at the opening, Alex Flett spoke at length about the importance of instilling a sense of advocacy and human rights in children through art and that this tied in with the recent statement from the World Health Organisation which declared that if transmission can be slowed or halted, then HIV although not cured could disappear as a major threat to human health within a generation.

Botswana Deputy Minister of Health addressing the crowd at the opening of the exhibition Although originally intended to be on show for one month, Nna le Seabe was held over by the National Museum Art Gallery for an extra four weeks. This has given both members of the Botswana government, and schools within a “coach ride” of the Gallery, an opportunity to see the exhibition, and this action shows how important art is as a tool of Awareness, a mechanism for building Advocacy in both old and young, and as a platform to show the importance of developments in the management of HIV through technology such as the Pima analyser, and bring such new knowledge and ideas to a sub-Saharan African public, and so, giving those blighted by HIV and its associated human rights problems a sense of hope.

Image of the children’s workshop with Tshego Tomeletso

A PIMA artist showcases the “Giant Condom ” idea by Alex Flett, during the adult workshop

Image of dignitaries and media present at the opening of the exhibition

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School children using art as a mechanism of advocacy against HIV/AIDS

General News    

AFH will always remember Garry Saint Germain MDGFive.com a cause with a purpose AFH bids farewell to International intern Uproar at removal of Andries Botha elephant sculptures Art For Humanity will always remember Garry Saint Germain Garry Saint Germain, Poet Haiti Poet Statement:

Artwork by Marie Helene Cauvin

Tri-age Nature is a defended fruit with rebel Heros.

Swiped with cradle and thrown into streets to rebuild Babel beyond the prophecy, which the sun has conquered from the geography of exile.

To dream together beyond our masks, and entrust the firmament with our most intimate secrets, in the spell of desires of our nomadic memory.

In the guise of mishap for a generation without borders.

This theme ‘Dialogue Among Civilization’ is particularly necessary today for the distance between regions and continents is also reduced by the profusion of communications channels. The closer we get the more we must know. Because of the ignorance of others there may arise conflicts.

Especially since the contacts between civilizations were not made in a harmonious context, hence the many genocides that occurred following a meeting of different civilizations. The dialogue on several levels makes it possible to share creations, to confront the mythologies, to compare practices. This highlights the similarities and facilitates compliance with each other as producers, creators of values, thus contributing to the evolution of humanity.

My poem tries to understand that beyond the differences we are all indebted for the future of humanity and as such we must respond to the mission that we have between the world and the universe. It also calls for open borders to facilitate trade and the establishment of collective initiatives.

It is with a great sense of loss that Art For Humanity reports the tragic death of Haiti poet, Garry Saint Germain who passed away during the earthquake that struck Haiti on 12th January 2010.Garry Saint-Germain was born in 1956 in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, and had built a remarkable career. He graduated from the Fine Arts Academy, in Urban and Fashion Design as well as Business Management. In addition, he also has credits in Visual Communication, Graphic Design, Organisational Communication, Computer graphics and Numerical Design.

He participated in many circles like the famous Post-Sriptum which was the bastion of the automatic writing in Montreal in 1978, After he burnt many manuscript collections and used ashes for drawing; he devoted his time for his design work and to pursue his artistic studies. He restarted writing in Garry Saint Germain 1991.He was passionate about his city’s’ history and urban culture; he was in charge of municipal policies for the city of Port-au-Prince, from March 2007 to May 2008. He was also General Coordinator of carnival 2008, to which he instilled a new artistic direction; he also held the post

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as Chairperson of Arts and Craftwork’s Day (JAMA), an annual cultural event for artisans’ revalorisation.

Garry Saint Germain was involved in Art For Humanity’s latest project ‘Dialogue Among Civilisation’, he was collaborating with Marie Helene Cauvin, an artist, before his untimely death, he created a poem entitled ‘Tri-Age’, which was set to converse with the artwork created by Cauvin, and is set to be exhibited at the ‘Dialogue Among Civilisation’ exhibition on the 21st March 2010. At the time of his death he was the President of Capital, of the Philharmonic Orchestra Sainte Trinité of Port-au-Prince, and Chairperson of RapForum, a Non Profit Organisation launched in 2005 to look after young artists. He was also the impresario manager of the Hip Hop group, Mystik 703.

Garry also received many awards and prizes during his lifetime, due to his commitment to social development in his country. AFH treasures the opportunity of having worked with Garry, he made a powerful impact within his capacity as a poet. His passion and commitment to helping others through his art and poetry touched many lives, may he rest in peace.

An introduction to MDGFive.com Dear Colleagues and Artist Friends: “MDGFive.com” is a new project developed by artists Lisa Russell (Emmyaward winning filmmaker) and Maya Azucena (Grammy-award winning singer). Our goal is to utilise our collective networks, in both the creative and humanitarian worlds, on an artistic project that helps bring attention and resources to women around the world. We believe in the power of imagery, sound and the spoken word to inspire cultural exchange, unite international communities, and to promote social progress worldwide.

What is “MDGFive.com”?

“MDGFive.com” is a new website focused on the United Nation’s Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) that are intended to alleviate poverty around the world by 2015. Of the eight goals, MDG #5 – focused on motherhood and maternal health – is the only one lagging in progress. The fact that every minute a woman dies from complications due to pregnancy or childbirth, indicates that more attention needs to be paid to this issue. A variety of players and advocacy efforts are absolutely necessary.

What is the goal?

“MDGFive.com” intends to help elevate the importance of motherhood and maternal health in the development arena by increasing community engagement in advocacy efforts. We want to reach out and work with socially conscious artists, community organisers and individuals (you), who want to help but don’t have the tools or resources to do so. “MDGFive.com” will become an interactive website that utilises music, film, photography and poetry to help users create their own advocacy messages.

License-free clips provided by artists (musicians, DJs, visual artists, poets, media makers, etc.) from around the globe will be made available and download-able, allowing for a “mash-up” by interested users, to create personalised PSAs. The “MDGFive.com” site will be programmed so that these PSAs can be easily forwarded to networks, policy makers and development institutions, as well as utilized within their personal communities. We believe that individuals, who are more involved in the creative process of advocacy, will have a stronger investment and therefore commitment to the cause. We intend to use the PSAs in collaboration with other organizations’ efforts and initiatives that are advocating for policy and fundraising. Our goal is to put pressure on decision-makers to start taking the health and well-being of women seriously.

How can you help?

We have already received commitments from a variety of artists including; hip hop artists in Tanzania; poets in South Africa; and filmmakers in Uganda, to name a few, who each will contribute 30-60 second

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license-free clips that connect to our themes: women, motherhood, family, community, spirituality, etc.

They can be literal or abstract, lyrical or instrumental, black and white or colour, we want a diverse representation of creativity that will touch and reach out to a wide audience. We want to give you – an artist who cares about the state of the world – a platform to utilize your art as one element to help improve the lives of women.

What do you get in return?

While bringing attention to women and motherhood around the world is our goal, we simultaneously hope to introduce the incredible work and influence of artists, doing amazing work at the community level, to a global audience. You will have your thumbnail, link to your website and a bio listed on the site that will pop up whenever a user listens/views or downloads your clip. Simultaneously, for any live event in which we are participating (conferences, festivals, etc), we will agree to distribute information on our project which lists your participation as well as promotional materials you provide to us. In an effort to encourage greater collaboration between the creative and humanitarian worlds, we will encourage our sponsors (mostly UN/NGO agencies) to create further proactive collaborations with you. And as the project grows, we will continue to create new ideas and opportunities that will link you with various other players.

We will be announcing our project, our content providers and our advisory members in May/June. In the meantime, if you have any further questions, feel free to contact either of us. Our contact information and websites are listed below.

Many thanks and we look forward to working with you.

Lisa Russell (lisa@governessfilms.com) http://www.governessfilms.com

Maya Azucena (maya@mayaazucena.com) http://www.mayaazucena.com

AFH bids farewell to international intern Art for Humanity bids farewell to Candida Pestana, an international intern from Lisbon, Portugal who joined us early last year. Pestana joined our office in June 2008 as an art curator for the Dialogue Among Civilisation project, for a period of 9 months with a grant from the Portuguese government (Inov-Art). She was born in 1983 in Porto, Portugal and graduated in Painting at the Faculty of Fine Arts of the University of Porto in 2007. She has studied in Barcelona, London, New York and Budapest. Since then, parallel with her artistic work, she started to curate some exhibitions in Barcelona, Porto and Lisbon. After her graduation she began to work in a gallery in Barcelona as assistant curator for Esther Montoriol. After that she was invited to be part of a new project at Parabola gallery in Porto for one year.

AFH Art Curator Candida Pestana

As an artist Candida Pestana as exhibited in Portugal, Spain, Hungary and South Africa. Her work is all about the relationship between “Man” and his environment, all types of interference between such different “spaces”. In other words, it is an approach on communication between the inner world of the human being and the outer world. AFH wishes to pass on its gratitude to her for the role she has played in the organisation and wish her all the best in her future ventures. She wants to continue her journey around the world and possibly do a Masters in the future.

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Written by Jan Jordaan, Director of AFH We live in a society, not unlike our continent, where ‘excellence’, ‘freedom of expression’, ‘respect for individual rights’, ‘pride and dignity’, ‘reflection’ and ‘cultural heritage’ are all ethical values subjected to political expediency. The same political expediency expressed towards human rights, not incidental when realising that these values are embedded in the preamble to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

When these ethical values are seen as being central to the arts, as anyone would experience when visiting the great art museums throughout the world, then the present political reaction to the elephant sculptures in question becomes even more predictable within the Durban and African context. It is not unsurprising that in societies where issues of health, education, justice and poverty are endemic it is the same societies that place little value on the arts and the associated ethical values, without which the arts would be mere instruments for advertising and propaganda. Politicians by default are only interested in their own political constituencies, thus being exclusive and parochial in their vision and interests. The arts on the other hand, being fundamentally a humanist activity is inclusive, embracing all of humanity across cultures, gender, age, nationality etc. It does not need much imagination to see the arts as being potentially subversive and threatening to any particular political interests.

It is further noteworthy that those societies embracing the arts, are also societies embracing sustainable social transformation. This is clearly illustrated in their ongoing developments in fashion, music, language, technologies and research, economic practices, governance, etc. in those societies, enabling them to creatively/innovatively and effectively respond to the ongoing challenges of health, environment, issues of justice, education, health and so on. When taking into account that our children grow up in environments devoid of the art that embraces and inspires the above ethical values, it is not surprising that we live in a society and on a continent where these values also are not embraced by the adults. Illustrated by the endemic instances of crime, corruption, civil conflicts and abuse in all its forms.

In light of the above, the action taken by the politicians against the sculptures as in http://www.sundaytribune.co.za/?fSectionId=239&fArticleId=vn20100214091519392C888189 is much more than just a petty political act, it represents an ongoing political disregard for the future well being of all our fellow citizens.

The AFH Editorial Team welcomes all suggestions, comments and feedback! Please contact us with any ideas of items you would like us to feature.

Acknowledgements Jan Jordaan: Editor Angelica Christina Mannie: Contributing writer, Layout and Design, Sub Editor Candida Pestana: Contributor Alex Flett: Contributor Ayesha Mall: Proof Reader

Contact us Art for Humanity c/o Fine Art Durban University of Technology City Campus Box 953 South Africa Durban 4000

Tel: +27 (31) 373 6610 Fax: +27 (31) 373 6611 Website: www.afh.org.za Email: afh@dut.ac.za

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