Extra! #8

#8 JULY 2011

The essential Supplement of the French Institute of South Africa

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IFAS-Culture, Research & Dibuka The French Institute of South Africa Food-for-thought provider “à la française”, the French Institute of South Africa (IFAS) was established in the Newtown Cultural Precinct in 1995. Since then, the organization which consists of IFAS-Culture, Research & Dibuka has been a key player on the Johannesburg and Southern African artistic, cultural, academic and literary scenes.

IFAS-Culture is the cultural agency of the French Embassy in South Africa and supports artistic events in various domains, throughout the year and around the country. Highly demanding in offering quality creations while favouring the exchange of ideas between communities, IFAS-Culture strives to introduce French and Francophone artists in South Africa, promote South African artists on the international artistic scene and support artistic residencies leading to original creations. As a promoter and diffuser of French language and Francophone culture, IFAS-Culture works in close collaboration with the Alliance Française

IFAS-Research (Umifre 25, USR 3336 « Sub Saharan Africa), working hand in hand with IFAS-Culture, focuses on Human and Social Science in Southern Africa under the auspices of the CNRS (French National Centre for Scientific Research). It has a thriving and diverse network of French, European and regional research institutions and organisations. It offers an academic base for students, interns and visiting researchers, and produces a bi-annual newsletter (Lesedi) as well as various publications and papers.

Sophie Didier IFAS-Research Director Michel Lafon Linguist Researcher Laurent Chauvet Translator Werner Prinsloo Website Christian Kabongo APORDE Administrator Dostin Lakika Mulopo IFAS-Research Secretary Thibault Hatton Research officer Soline Laplanche-Servigne Post Doctoral Student in Sociology (based at IFAS)

Dibuka is an information centre and multimedia library promoting French language and Francophone culture. Based at the Alliance Française of Johannesburg, it offers subscribers access to a large collection of CDs, DVDs, novels, newspapers and magazines, comic and children’s

IFAS-Culture & Research Temporary offices: Phenyo House,

books. Dibuka also promotes Francophone literature by inviting French

73 Juta Street, Braamfontein

speaking writers at South African literary festivals.

Tel +27 (0)11 403 0458

Jérôme Chevrier Book Policy Officer & Head Librarian

Fax +27 (0)11 403 0465

Marie-Laure Doyard Book Policy Officer for Children’s Literature Céline Fernandez Assistant Librarian

network in South Africa. Since its inception, the organisation has estab-

Dibuka 17 Lower Park Drive,

lished an important network of strong partnerships with various festi-

corner Kerry Road, Parkview

vals, universities, artists, museums and galleries, as well as government

Tel +27 (0)11 646 1115

institutions and businesses. The audiovisual department includes cinema, television, radio and journalism. It aims at initiating and developing exchanges and relationships between the different media and the

www.ifas.org.za

professionals of the audiovisual industry in France and Southern Africa.

This is achieved by providing support to the development of the audio-

extra! #8

visual industry, keeping an eye on its evolution, as well as promoting and developing the presence of French audiovisual industry in Southern

PUBLISHER Laurent Clavel

Africa.

EDITOR Eléonore Godfroy-Briggs

Laurent Clavel IFAS Director & Cultural Attaché

ACTING EDITOR Angélique Saverino

Magalie Maillot Secretary General

(Maternity Cover)

Christine Salgado Financial Director

TRANSLATOR Laurent Chauvet

Ben Blanpain Cultural Officer Marie Didierlaurent Cultural Officer Eléonore Godfroy-Briggs Communication Officer Angélique Saverino Communication Officer (Maternity Cover) Jérôme Cosnard Project manager for the teaching and learning of French Nicolas Doyard Regional Attaché for Media Cooperation Yvette Kambale Financial assistant Agnès Ntumba-Mbombo IFAS-Culture Secretary Peter Thelele Reception Million Ben Khosa Driver

ERRATUM extra! #7 FOCUS | CULTURE Photo © Marion Stalens www.CinemasForAfrica.com an initiative to re-open African cinema theatres

COPY-EDITOR Wordsmiths Publishing DESIGNER Bluprint Design PRINTER Sugodesigns

COVER © Loustal The information contained in extra! was correct at the time of printing and is subject to change.

EDITORIAL While on a State visit in France on the 2nd and 3rd of March 2011, South African President Jacob Zuma officially announced, in a joint declaration with French President Nicolas Sarkozy, that our two countries will be organising a French season in South Africa in 2012, and a South African season in France in 2013. This exciting project could not come at a better time since the relations between France and South Africa have become stronger over the years in the scientific, economic, political and, of course, cultural sectors. The time has come to ponder and decide on the new path our relations should be taking.

For even when exchanges between our two countries have never been so advanced, clichés and prejudices linger on. And thus, if thanks to the French and South African seasons, we manage to bring both publics to successfully discover the reality and world vision of both contemporary France and South Africa, then we will have served our purpose.

Let the seasons be in the image of South Africa, full of energy, full of intense hopes, and always surprising. A bit like IFAS in fact, which is soon to go through two major steps in the coming months: integrating its new permanent offices in Braamfontein, and widening its scope of activities as from January 2012. As to me, I will soon be leaving the Institute, with great sadness, but also great excitement at the idea of joining in Paris the team in charge of the French-South African Seasons. At this stage, I would like to express my deepest gratitude to all those who have been a part of the Institute on a daily basis: first and foremost the personnel of IFAS, and the wonderful network of partners that have been with us all along. Thank you!

Laurent Clavel Director, French Institute of South Africa & Cultural Attaché

LINE-UP 2 HEARD & SEEN 3 HIGHLIGHT: Cannes & APORDE 4 & 5 NEWS 6 & 7 FOCUS | CULTURE: The Wonders of Francophone literature 8 & 9 FOCUS | RESEARCH: Conversations with Senegalese and Malian migrants in Johannesburg 10 & 11 ZOOM | CROSSINGS: an international artistic workshop 2nd edition 12 ZOOM | FRENCH URBAN DANCE: to hit South Africa 13 ZOOM | TALIIPOT: On the trail of the Bushmen 14 ZOOM | MEMORY & CITY: a conference about urban heritage with a twist 15 PROFILE | DENIS HIRSON: South African author & editor 16 & 17 PROFILE | J.M.G. LE CLEZIO: French author, Nobel Prize in Literature 18 & 19 PROFILE | NASHEN MOODLEY: Artistic Director of the Durban International Film Festival 20 PROFILE | DEVELOPMENT: Public participation initiative and deepening Democracy 22 PORTFOLIO: François Sarhan & Drumming 24 & 25 RENDEZ-VOUS

© Angélique Saverino

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HEARD & SEEN

CONNEXIONS

HEARD & SEEN

The XenAfPol Research Programme on the

The Congolese rap band Lexxus Legal was

politics of xenophobic exclusion in Africa, held its in-

joined by the African musical trio Guitafrika, the

ception meeting from 8 to 10 March in Johannesburg.

Ivorian group Woyo Tout Terrain, South African

Researchers were invited from France, South Africa,

choreographer Fana Tshabalala, and the giant

DRC, Nigeria and the UK to discuss collectively the key

puppets from the Giant Match Association to cel-

research questions and themes of XenAfPol. Fieldwork

ebrate in music and rhythm the international day

began in June and the next meeting is to be held in

of Francophonie on 27 March at the Alliance

Bordeaux, France, in April 2012. Photo © IFAS

française of Johannesburg. Photo Lexxus Legal ©

On 24 March, the Yeoville Studio presented

Luc Mayitoukou

three photography projects at the Wide Angle Fo-

François Sarhan presented a series of crea-

rum organised by the Goethe Institut, in partnership

tions, from exhibitions to music and books, via

with Wits University and the Market Photo Work-

performances with world-renowned Portuguese

shop which explores photography as public practice.

percussion band, Drumming Grupo de Percussão

In several of its research projects, the Yeoville Studio

last April. The unexpectedly versatile French artist

uses photography as a catalyst for revealing peo-

brought to the National Arts Festival a double bill,

ple’s spatial practices, representations and identi-

including his collaboration with William Kentridge,

ties. The three projects were driven by a participa-

Telegrams from the Nose, and his own creation

tory approach, whereby Yeoville residents were

Lectures by Professor Glaçon. Photo Lectures by

involved in taking pictures, commenting on them

Professor Glaçon © Hannah Paton

and mapping their environment. Photo © Shanna Miles

Taking place at Newtown Park, Joburg, on 28 May, the Africa Day concert gathered on stage a

BOOKS, WORDS, ETC...

French illustrator Loustal joined the gathering of South African and international artists at the National Arts Festival from 1 to 3 July, to partake in panel discussions and exhibit artworks

Acclaimed French novelist Marie Darrieussecq

from his Carnets de Voyage (Travel Notebooks)

and Senegalese novelist, journalist and screen-

as part of the CO/MIX: Comic Art / Mixed Media

writer Boubacar Boris Diop took part in the

2011 exhibition. One of the most popular French

14th edition of Time of the Writer International

contemporary artists, Loustal has spent a fair

Writers Festival in Durban from 14 to 19 March.

amount of his life in Africa and abroad, illustrat-

Photo Boubacar Boris Diop & Marie Dar-

ing his travels.

rieussecq, 2011 Time of the Writer © Centre for Creative Arts, UKZN During his visit to the Paris Book Fair from 17 to 21 March, South African writer, scriptwriter and journalist Mandla Langa participated in several events, including the launch of the book

L’Afrique du Sud: une traversée littéraire by Joan Metelerkamp, Denise Coussy and Denis Hirson, in the presence of South African poet Robert Berold, and a round-table gathering of talented African writers. Photo Mandla Langa Hailing from Abidjan, French author Marguerite Abouet, renowned for her award-winning

SCREENINGS Awarded at the 2010 Cannes Film Festival, the movie Certified Copy (Copie Conforme) was screened as part of the eclectic selection of films presented at the Cape Winelands Film Festival on 17 March, with the support of the Cape Wine-

lands Film Festival, the Alliance française of Cape Town, the French Institute of South Africa (IFAS) and the Embassy of France in South Africa. Iranian director Abbas Kiarostami’s first feature set outside his homeland offers a multilingual dis-

The Alliance française of Johannesburg and

kaleidoscope of African talents to celebrate African

IFAS Research organised on 21 May an exceptional

heritage and unity. Amongst them were the Sene-

archaeological visit to the Sterkfontein and

galese legend Baaba Maal, exquisite guitarist and

Cooper’s caves (the latter is ordinarily closed to

vocalist Habib Koite of Mali, Olufemi from Nigeria,

the public) with Christine Steiniger (palaeoanthro-

Namibia’s Elemotho, South Africa’s very own hip-

pologist and project director of Cooper’s caves),

hop maestro Tumi and the Volume, pioneer of the

Aurore Val (researcher in archaeology at Wits Uni-

electrifying Durban Sound, Professor, the soulful

versity of Wits and the University of Bordeaux) and

Uju, gospel group The Soil and vibrant newcomer

Festival. She also took part in a question-and-

co-permit holder of Sterkfontein Caves, Dominique

Toya. Photo Habib Koite © Cut to Black Media

answer session after the screening of the docu-

Stattford. Photo © Angélique Saverino

graphic novel series Aya, set in Ivory Coast and portraying an assertive young Ivorian woman, took part in several literary events from 13 to 17 May, including the Franschhoek Literary Festival and events in Cape Town and Johannesburg.

Photo Marguerite Abouet

course on the nature of art and the nature of marriage.

French director Ségolene Hanotaux presented her documentary G-spotting: A Story of Pleasure and Promise at the 13th Encounters

South African International Documentary

mentary on Friday 17 June in Cape Town. Photo Ségolène Hanotaux

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HIGHLIGHT

64th Cannes Film Festival & Skoonheid One of the most anticipated and glamorous film

coproduction treaty was signed between our

festivals, the 2011 Cannes Film Festival created a

two countries last year. Hermanus wrote his

buzz with a selection of thought-provoking films

second film feature Skoonheid in 2009, while

and a Milky Way of special guests and movie

attending the 19th session of the Cannes Film

stars. A number of South African fellows from

Festival’s Cinefondation in Paris. This promising

the film industry attended the festival, including

director was praised for his first film feature Shirley

Peter Rorvik, director of the Centre for Creative

Adams (2009), and curated the first Festival du

Arts in Durban; Nashen Moodley, programme

Film Français in South Africa in 2011.

manager of the Durban International Film festival; Steven Markovitz, producer, Big World Cinema; and Darryl Els of the Bioscope Independent Cinema. All were invited courtesy of the French Embassy in South Africa.

About Skoonheid Francois Van Heerden, a 40-something, white, Afrikaans-speaking family man, has become devoid of

One of the highlights of the 2011 Cannes Film

any care or concern for his own measure of happi-

Festival for South Africa was the selection

ness. So convinced is he of his ill-fated existence,

of Skoonheid (Beauty) by up-and-coming South

that he is wholly unprepared when a chance en-

African director Oliver Hermanus in the cate-

counter unravels his tidy, controlled life.

gory Un Certain Regard. The movie is also the first official Franco-South African co-production feature to be produced since the new official

Released nationally in cinemas on 5 August. www.skoonheid.com

APORDE The 5th Edition of the APORDE seminar – African

global South can build on their booming me-

Programme on Rethinking Development Eco-

tropolises to create regional and national growth

nomics – (a joint initiative of the South African

machines. The seminar aimed at engaging criti-

Department of Trade and Industry, the French

cally with what could be called the “clichés of

Development Agency and the Embassy of

African economics” in dire need of being chal-

France, implemented by IFAS) was held from 5 to

lenged.

19 May in Johannesburg, and was once again hailed as a great success. As this year’s edition saw a record number of 350 applications, the 28 selected participants, coming mostly from African countries, proved particularly competent and talented. They attended two weeks of intensive training lectures by world-renowned professors in development economics (such as HaJoon Chang from the University of Cambridge, Alice Amsden from the Massachusetts Institute for Technology, and Michel Aglietta from the University of Nanterre).

The lectures tackled some of the most pressing socio-economic issues being faced by emerging and developing countries, such as industrialisation policy and land reform, the role of the State

The holding of the seminar in Johannesburg (a first in the history of APORDE) facilitated the organisation of a series of public conferences hosted by local partners from the institutional and academic world as well as civil society. Public events were organised at the main two universities of Johannesburg (The University of the Witwatersrand and the University of Johannesburg), at Numsa (National Union of Metal Workers in South Africa) and with the NGO Action Aid. These were attended by a total of more than 300 delegates.

LEFT: Professor Ben Fine speaking at one of APORDE public conferences hosted by NUMSA on 5 May 2011

and governance in development, and the context of urbanisation in which countries of the

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NEWS

Nyaniso Lindi Throughout 2011 South Africa South African visual artist Nyaniso Lindi spent three months in Paris from January to March 2010 as part of the 2009 ABSA L’Atelier Gerard Sekoto Prize. The work created during his artistic residency in Paris will be showcased as part of a tour this year within the network of Alliances françaises and French Cultural Centres in Southern Africa. The concept of the work is around fictitious reality and focuses on the paradox between what is real and what is fictional. In the various works exhibited, Lindi

Durban International Film Festival 21 – 31 July Durban For its 32nd edition, the festival will present over 250 screenings of current films from around the world, with a strong focus on South African and African cinema. Screenings will take place throughout Durban, including in township areas where cinemas are non-existent.

The festival will also run extensive seminar and workshop programmes. This includes the 2nd edition of Durban FilmMart, a film financing initiative in partnership with the Durban Film Office, which

portrays hybrids using functional objects like lamps and stoves fused with the human forms.

With the support of the French Institute of South Africa in collaboration with ABSA, SANAVA, the Embassy of France in South Africa and the French cultural network of Alliances françaises in Southern Africa. www.ifas.org.za/culture LEFT: Nostalgia 4 from the Nostalgia series by Nyaniso Lindi

will be attended by professionals from the French film industry. The DIFF programme will also include the screenings of French co-production films such as Abdellatif Kechiche’s controversial Black Venus, Late Bloomers by Julie Gavras, and various French co-productions: Skoonheid by Oliver Hermanus, The House Under The Water by Sepideh Farsi, and 2010 Palme d’Or winner Uncle Boonmee (Who Can Recall His Past Lives) by Apichatpong Weerasethakul.

These films are screened with the support of DIFF, the Centre for Creative Arts (UKZN), the Embassy of France in South Africa and Unifrance. www.cca.ukzn.ac.za/durban_international_film_festival.htm LEFT: Durban International Film Festival 2011 Poster

Café/Ciné-Club Launch

traditional food before the screenings. The first film to be screened on Thursday 28 July 2011 is Heartbreaker / L’Arnacœur by Pascal Chaumeil.

28 July 2011 Johannesburg

Café/Ciné-Club is organised by The Bioscope and supported by the French cultural network www.thebioscope.co.za

Café/Ciné-Club is an exciting new series from The Bioscope Independent Cinema bringing the best of contemporary French Cinema to Johannesburg. From July to November, The Bioscope will screen every last Thursday at 7pm some of the latest films by French filmmakers in true café style. French Café Petitcochon will provide

Telegrams from the Nose & Lectures by Professor Glaçon

material comes from preparatory studies for the production of Nez (Nose), by Shostakovitch, which Kentridge is preparing for the Metropolitan Opera (2010).

8 – 10 September Johannesburg

With the support of the Market Theatre, the Goodman Gallery, Institut Français and the French Institute of South Africa.

South Africans saw Telegrams from the Nose, the result of the collaboration between William Kentridge and French composer François Sarhan, for the first time at the National Arts Festival last July. For those who missed it, there will be another chance to watch this multimedia project mixing Sarhan’s original score with Kentridge’s videos as part of a double bill including Lectures by Professor Glaçon at the Market Theatre. Falling somewhere between a musical, a video and an installation, Telegrams from the Nose is a combination of Russian futurism, poems by Daniil Harms and records of Stalinist trials. The graphical

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www.fsarhan.net http://markettheatre.co.za/ LEFT: Telegrams from the Nose. Photo © John Hodgkiss Telegrams from the Nose & Lectures by Professor Glaçon will be part of Refuse the Hour which is a two week programme of live performance events created by artist William Kentridge, composers Philip Miller and François Sarhan, dancer and choreographer Dada Masilo, video editor Catherine Meyburgh and stage director Sue Pam-Grant, including a single cine-concert of the work of the innovative late French filmmaker Georges Méliès.

People to People International Documentary Conference 12 – 14 September Johannesburg This bi-annual conference, which began in 2007, aims at bringing people and organisations together to strengthen the role and the scope of documentary film in Africa. The 2011 line-up will offer master-classes, screening and conversation sessions, panel discussions and debates

Quatuor Béla 13 – 16 September South Africa The Quatuor Béla which is to accompany François Sarhan at the Market Theatre within the framework of Refuse the Hour, will be on tour in South Africa from the 13th to the 16th of September 2011. The quartet was created in Lyon in 2003 and its young members are Julien Dieudegard, Frédéric Aurier, Julian Boutin and Luc Dedreuil. Their intention is to play a contemporary repertoire (Ligeti, Crumb, Scelsi and Dutilleux, among others) and to remain creative: mixed music, improvisation, musical theatre and commissions. They will present an astonishing programme associating compositions by Jean-Sébastien Bach and Walter Hus.

Les Matapeste 10 – 16 October South Africa Created 30 years ago, the French clown company Les Matapeste have for decades been storytelling and creating farcical shows around stories they write themselves, or are inspired by myths, legends and famous tales such as Divine Comedy, Graal, Robinson Crusoe, Tchekhov and Don Quichotte. Their clowning artistry evolves in a poetical universe filled with images, objects and words. To this day, they have created 20 clown’s shows and have

EUNIC Archi Studio 21 – 26 November Johannesburg After having dealt with the question of affordable housing in South African townships, and particularly the “Breaking New Ground” programme of the South-African government during the first year, new essential challenges such as urban sprawl, job access and transport difficulties have led to a logical evolution of the workshop content. The years that followed, the workshop has invested the issue of urban renewal in the city centre of Johannesburg and particularly the Hillbrow area. For its 4th edition, this one week experimental workshop will see South-African and

and networking and social events. Amongst the guests invited, P2P will gather filmmakers, industry specialists from South Africa, Africa and beyond, including Jean-Marie Barbe (a French independent producer, director of the renowned documentary platform of Lussas and founder of the AFRICADOC programme for the development of African documentary cinema) and Kourtrajmé Productions (a collective of young artists and filmmakers).

With the support of the Embassy of France in South Africa. www.people2people.co.za LEFT: Jean-Marie Barbe

Between the ultra-rhythmic minimalism of the Quatuor Five to Five composed by contemporary Belgian-born Hus for a fashion show, and the skilful simplicity of the Art of Fugue by the grand maestro from Weimar, we find the same efficiency in the use of rudimentary musical material, the same modest and noble will to give back to music its functional value, for while Bach wrote mostly for religious services, Hus, as to him, put his work at the service of daily and popular events.

With the support of the French Institute of South Africa and the network of Alliances françaises in South Africa. www.quatuorbela.com LEFT: Quatuor Béla. Photo © Sylvie Friess

toured the world presenting their work, animating workshops and taking part in artistic collaborations. In South Africa, they will present several farcical shows in Durban, Port Elizabeth and Johannesburg.

With the support of Institut Français, the network of Alliances françaises in South Africa and the French Institute of South Africa. www.clownsmatapeste.com LEFT: Jonny Berouette / Les Matapeste

European students working together on a new case study of a building in Hillbrow. One of the main outcomes will be to see how inhabitants can achieve better access to energy.

With the support of EUNIC (European Union National Institutes for Culture) Eunic Archi Studio will be organised in relation with the 17th United Nations Conference on Climate Change which will take place in Durban from 28 November to 9 December 2011. www.ifas.org.za/culture www.cop17durban.com LEFT: Johannesburg skyline

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FOCUS | CULTURE

The Wonders of Francophone Writing

By Phakama Mbonambi

My fascination with Francophone literature endures. At this year’s Fran-

I admit to once having made a huge mistake. In the early 1990s, when I reached varsity, I enrolled in a French class as part of my journalism degree. I did so with a high-school friend from KwaZulu-Natal. We imagined French, a language regarded as intensely romantic, rolling off our tongues upon our graduation. Perhaps a trip to Paris, a city rumoured to be filled with lithe and vivacious women. We were excited. The sky was the limit.

Abouet. Originally from Ivory Coast, she grew up in Paris. Her beauti-

schhoek Literary Festival (FLF), I shared a panel with writer Marguerite fully illustrated graphic novel Aya tells the story of an adolescent girl in Abidjan circa 1978. A few days earlier, I had done a photoshoot in Johannesburg with Véronique Tadjo, a scholar and writer based at Wits University. Two Francophone writers in one week!

Tadjo, whom I first heard speak at the FLF in 2010, is composed and speaks her formidable mind with great elocution and understanding of literature and its role in society. In a recent Wordsetc profile (hence the shoot), Amy B Reid, Associate Professor of French and Director of the Gender Studies Programme at New College of Florida, describes Tadjo as “one of the strongest and most vibrant voices in contemporary literature”, a novelist blessed with an “ability to frame broad political and moral questions in ways that touch her readers intimately”.

As more Francophone writers attend South African literary events, you can’t help but wish that their work could be more widely available in English. At this year’s FLF, Aya was available only in French; it was only

However, a few weeks into the course, our dreams came crashing down

launched in English at the Alliance francaise in Cape Town a day after

when the lecturer told us that in French, objects have gender. For exam-

the festival had ended. By contrast, Tadjo’s work is, thankfully, in Eng-

ple, a armchair was male and a table female. What?! My friend and I

lish. And so is Diome’s lone book. Local bookstores need to carry more

looked at each other in a manner that said: “We are out of here.” We

of their works – they are definitely a worthy addition to the Africana

feared not graduating in time because a French credit was missing.

sectionat local bookstores. Public libraries need to follow suit.

Besides, with whom would we talk here in South Africa, we reasoned, as we sought an alternative course. At the time, French seemed a luxu-

Judging from the Francophone writers who have descended on South

ry we could ill afford.

Africa already, there are many more writers the local population is yet to be exposed to. I, for one, am looking forward to meeting and read-

But today, with the benefit of hindsight and advanced years, I so wish

ing the renowned Congolese author Alain Mabanckou at the Open

we had stayed on. I wish we had been brave enough to grapple with

Book Cape Town festival in September.

the intricacies of this foreign language. Even if the trip to Paris didn’t materialise, we could have indulged in the wealth of Francophone litment. We could have devoured Aimé Césaire, Frantz Fanon and Léopold Sédar Senghor in their own words, without the intrusion of a translator.

When Wordsetc, a literary journal I edit and publish got off the ground, I got to attend many literary festivals in South Africa and had the chance to reconnect with the French world through meeting Francophone writers. Of course, my mistake of the 1990s was not far from my mind when, as part of the audience, I had to rely on a translator to communicate.

Senegalese-born Fatou Diome. This was at Time of the Writer in Durban in 2009. She was talking about her book, The Belly of the Atlantic, a marvellous debut that has been described as “charming and poetic”.

Adding spice to the occasion was her story of survival as an immigrant in France; it was a story that amply demonstrated the triumph of the human spirit. She had the audience eating out of her hands. It was beautiful.

Yes, we have some wonderful writers in South Africa, but it’s also great to hear how writers from elsewhere in the world, especially those of Francophone origin, approach their craft. It enriches one’s understanding of African literature. It opens up new worlds. It makes one seek out their work and want to share it with others. South African literature is thriving at the moment. Books in diverse genres are being published.

New writers are emerging. Exposure to Francophone writing could not have happened at a better time.

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This new South African literary festival will take place from 21 to 25 September this year. The festival hopes to bring to Cape Town the best the world has to offer, to promote South African writing and bring it onto an international footing, as well as make books more accessible. Several Francophone and French authors such as Nobel Prize winner French writer J.M.G. Le Clézio, Ivorian poet, journalist, novelist and artist Veronique Tadjo, Congolese author and journalist Alain Mabanckou, and Paris-based South African author and editor Denis Hirson, will take part in the festival, adding an international dimension. They are invited with the support of the Embassy of France in South Africa and Institut Français.

VERONIQUE TADJO This French-Ivorian writer, academic, artist and author of books for young people was born in Paris and grew up in Abidjan (Ivory Coast) where she attended local schools. She began writing and illustrating books for children in 1988 with her first book Lord of the Dance, an African retelling after being prompted by the desire to contribute to the emergence of literature for children in Africa. Her second book, MamyWata and the Monster won the Unicef Award in 1993 and has been published into eight dual language editions. In the past few years, she has facilitated workshops in writing and illustrating children’s books in Mali, the Benin Republic, Chad, Haiti, Mauritius, French Guyana, Burundi, Rwanda and South Africa. She has also sat on judging panels for several literary international prizes and has been a facilitator in creative writing workshops. In 2005, her novel Reine Pokou, concerto pour un sacrifice was awarded Le Grand Prix Littéraire d´Afrique Noire. She has lived in Paris, Lagos, Mexico City, Nairobi and London. She is currently based in Johannesburg where, since 2007, she is the head of French Studies at the University of the Witwatersrand and was appointed Full Professor.

ALAIN MABANCKOU

erature at the library. We would have read about the Négritude move-

The first Francophone writer I had the pleasure of hearing talk, was

ABOUT OPEN BOOK CAPE TOWN

ABOUT PHAKAMA MBONAMBI Mbonambi is an editor and publisher of Wordsetc, a literary journal dedicated to championing new writing in South Africa.

Wordsetc is a quarterly literary journal that promotes local literature. It is a publication for a South African public that is deeply into books and believes in the power of literature to enrich lives. While primarily providing a platform for emerging writers, it also pays homage to old masters and carries content by international authors. The publication is published by Flamenco Publishing, a Joburg-based publishing company. Word-

setc was launched in December 2007 to rave reviews.

For more information visit: www.wordsetc.co.za

Born in Congo-Brazzaville in 1966, Mabanckou studied law in Brazzaville before receiving a scholarship to go to France at the age of 22. He had already written and compiled manuscripts, mostly collections of poems, which he started publishing three years later. After receiving a post-graduate diploma in law at the Université Paris-Dauphine, he worked for some 10 years for the group Suez-Lyonnaise des Eaux, but dedicated himself more and more to writing after the publication of his first novel, Bleu-Blanc-Rouge (Blue-White-Red) which won him the Grand prix littéraire d’Afrique noire. He continued to publish prose as well as poetry. He is best known for his novels, notably Verre Cassé (Broken Glass) which was praised unanimously by the press, critics and readers alike, and was the subject of several theatrical adaptations. In 2006 Mabanckou published Memoires de porc-épic (Memoirs of a Porcupine) which garnered him the Prix Renaudot, one of the highest distinctions in French literature. Starting in 2002 he taught Francophone Literature at the University of Michigan as an Assistant Professor and three years later, was hired by the University of California Los Angeles where he is now a full-time Professor in the French Department. He lives in Santa Monica, California.

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FOCUS | RESEARCH

In search of money, experience and self-realisation: Conversations with Senegalese and Malian migrants in Johannesburg

By Christine Ludl

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Malik, Mahamet, and Oumar1 sit outside the little internet café at the far end of Rockey Street in Yeoville, a neighbourhood a few kilometres north-east of Johannesburg’s Central Business District. They are drinking tea, a strong, bitter-sweet mixture of green tea, fresh mint and sugar.

Inside, Dramé, the owner, sits behind the counter and makes some phone calls. In a few minutes, they will close the internet café and go to the mosque nearby for one of the five prayers of the day. Malik, Mahamet, Dramé and Oumar hail from Kayes, a region in the north-west of Mali in West Africa, and they all belong, in some way or the other, to the same large family.

They came to South Africa in search for work that would allow them to earn enough money to support their parents, pay for the schooling of their younger brothers and sisters, buy medication when someone falls ill – and to make a living. Relatives, who have already spent some years in South Africa, are supporting them during their first weeks and months in this new land. They host them, lend them money and help them find work. But Malik, Mahamet and Oumar will also have to make efforts to pay back their debts, both symbolically and in money terms, to those who supported them on their journey, as well as to their parents who raised and cared for them when they were little. In Kayes, as in many other West African countries, the younger generation is required to help the older generation, to work hard, to master difficulties, to gain wealth and experience in order to earn the respect of the elders and, later on, to succeed them.

Travelling has, for a long time, been a way to achieve these material and symbolic goods. In pre-colonial times, the region and its inhabitants were an important player in trans-Saharan trade. Later, from the 1950 and 1960s onwards, migrants from Kayes and the Senegal River Valley were among the first sub-Saharan migrants who left for Europe, mainly France. This is part of the reason why Malik, Mahamet and Oumar have left their country.

They have travelled far. Malik, initially, left for Europe to join his brother in Paris. He crossed the Sahara but was arrested in Morocco and spent a few weeks in a camp for “illegal immigrants”. When he was released, he made his way to South Africa via Nairobi and Mozambique. Oumar regularly works in Dubai for a few months at a time. Mahamet came to Johannesburg a month ago. He arrived from Bangkok where he had lived and worked for seven years. Now he wants to see what Johannesburg has to offer.

The young men observe the street. From time to time, they greet friends.

Aminata and Oumou pass by. They had brought the men lunch a few hours ago and now collect the dishes. Aminata believes the country is “complicated”. “One would think we are not even African. Even if we have papers, people think they are not in order.”

Until the early 1990s, Yeoville was a lively immigrant, working and middle-class white neighbourhood. Today, Yeoville attracts migrants from all over Africa and is known for its large Francophone community, coming from the Congos, Cameroon and the Ivory Coast. The area has a reputation for being safer than Hillbrow or the neighbouring Berea, but security is still an issue for the migrants. “Some years ago, it was worse”, Dramé says. “You would see dead bodies in the street”. During the “xenophobic violence” in May 2008, which mainly targeted African migrants and left 62 people dead, 670 injured and several thousand displaced, Yeoville was relatively calm. “But the violence is still there.

It’s not collective anymore but it’s still there”, Dramé states. A few days ago, someone in the neighbourhood was robbed and shot.

and the rest, you save… life is so easy over there”. France, Italy or Spain remain the countries they are all dreaming of. Even if Johannesburg is “the biggest capital city in Africa which can be compared to Europe or America”, Paris, Milan, Madrid or Barcelona are much more prestigious destinations. “My brother is in Paris… all my older brothers are there and I am the only one here in Africa. What can I do? I haven’t had the chance to leave,” Malik says with a mixture of deception, resignation and unrest in his voice. “We need to leave Africa,” Oumar concludes. They know that the “crisis has now also hit Europe” and that their brothers in France or Spain hesitate to buy them a ticket and a visa so that they can join them, but European cities are still synonymous with glamour and fast money. And they don’t have time to waste. They want to succeed quickly. “We want fast and big money,” Oumar states.

Moussa does not agree with the young Malians. He thinks that one needs time to succeed. He is from Dakar in Senegal and came to South Africa in 1997. He started working in Yeoville as a street vendor and, since then, has managed to establish his own business in African artwork. “Creating one’s own business” is the only possibility for migrants to find a job in South Africa as “South Africans don’t employ foreigners”, explains Abdoulaye who is also from Senegal and who has just opened a little shop in the CBD. Amadou came to South Africa in the mid-nineties and now owns an import-export business. He recalls his long struggle to succeed, how he lived in overcrowded rooms in Hillbrow when he arrived, struggled to get papers and slowly but surely managed to resolve these issues. Although most of the Senegalese and Malians in South Africa want to go back once they have earned enough money and “got it all”, Moussa thinks that “going back is more of a dream than a reality”, especially for those who are married in South Africa. Abdoulaye estimates that 6 out 10 Senegalese migrants return to their country.

Like Malik, Oumar and Mahamet, Moustapha comes from Kayes. He sits in the yard of his large house in Bamako and talks about his experience. He has worked in France for more than 10 years where he was trained in a large company and later supervised a small team. He has earned enough money to get married, build houses in Kayes and Bamako, and support his parents and his brothers and sisters. When he finally returned to Mali, he was elected mayor of his village and is now a widely known and well-respected leader in the community.

However, he had not planned to return. It was a “collective decision”, he says. He was a member of one of the numerous migrant associations in France which set up small-scale development projects in their villages. The association needed a representative in Mali and “unfortunately it fell on me to do it”. He admits that he had a hard time when he returned to his village. “We lived in rather comfortable circumstances. Well, we accepted that we would have to leave all this behind us and force ourselves to adapt to different circumstances.” What he missed most when he returned was the freedom he enjoyed while being away. “We weren’t surrounded, we weren’t bossed around like we are here… because when we were in France, we had freedom... just to begin with, when you work and at the end of the month you get your

salary, you have the choice.” Normally, your older brother or uncle who has the parental control will decide on how to distribute your salary among family members, he explains. “Well, if you come to France, we are a little democratic after all, so we tone this down a little bit.”

Amadou confirms that, as you are always required to share what you earn, it is difficult to save money in Senegal. The Senegalese leave their country to “have a better life” but often also to “distance themselves from the family”, to “try to get something for yourself”, to “make your own living”, to “be responsible”.

Nevertheless, Moustapha thinks that he took the right decision to return to Mali as he gained precious experiences in France which now help him to work towards the long-term objective of developing his village and the region.

Meanwhile, Malik is on his way again. He has left South Africa. He went to Bamako where he spent a few days with relatives and is now heading for Morocco. For the second time, he will try his luck in crossing the Mediterranean and getting to Europe.

In order to guarantee the anonymity of my interviewees, I have changed their names. The interviews were conducted in Yeoville, Troyeville, the CBD and Rosebank between November 2008 and May 2010 and in Bamako in April 2004.

1

ABOUT CHRISTINE LUDL She holds a Ph.D. from the FreieUniversität Berlin and Sciences Po Paris. From August 2008 to February 2010 she worked at the African Center for Migration and Society (ACMS), University of the Witwatersrand and the French Institute of South Africa (IFAS) in Johannesburg within the framework of the MITRANS Project, a large research project funded by the French National Agency for Research which dealt with the issue of “Transit Migration” in Africa. Her project looked at representations of mobility and success and the relation to the city of Senegalese and Malian migrants in Johannesburg. In February 2011, Christine joined the Bayreuth International Graduate School for African Studies (BIGSAS) at the University of Bayreuth, Germany as a Postdoctoral Researcher.

Photo © Loren Landau

For Malik, crime and insecurity are the main problems in South Africa.

“There are too many criminals out there… With all these criminals, you can’t go out. You just go to work and then you stay at home.” He still thinks of going to Europe. “Life is cheaper there… If you earn €€600 per month, you can keep€€300 for yourself, send€€100 to your family LEFT: Grocery store in Yeoville, April 2010 © Pauline Guinard RIGHT: Street life in Yeoville, April 2010 © Pauline Guinard

9

ZOOM | CROSSINGS

Crossings 2nd edition International artistic workshop Johannesburg 25 July – 6 August

Initiated in 2010, Crossings was an original idea developed by French

For the second edition of Crossings, 28 South African and international

choreographer Michel Kelemenis, following his residency for artistic

participants will get together in Johannesburg from 25 July – 6 August

creation with Moving into Dance Mophatong in February and March

2011 under the artistic direction of a team of established artists, in-

2009. Inspired by the place – four institutions dedicated to dance gath-

cluding two choreographers, Vincent Mantsoe (South Africa) and

Choreographers: Brian Geza (Zimbabwe),

ered in the Newtown Cultural Precinct (Dance Forum, Dance Factory,

Michel Kelemenis (France), one dancer, Sifiso E. Kweyama (South Afri-

Hélène Iratchet (France), Mdu Mtshali (South Africa) and

Moving into Dance Mophatong and Vuyani Dance Theatre) – and his

ca), two composers, James Webb (South Africa) and Eva Königer (Aus-

Fana Tshabalala (South Africa).

own artistic experience, he thought of Crossings as a training work-

tria), and one lighting designer, Floriaan Ganzevoort (Holland).

shop for international and South African choreographers, dancers, composers and lighting designers, with a view to giving them the time and the space to explore the relationship between dance, music and lighting design.

2011 participants

Composers: Neo Leleka (South Africa) , Andre Mario Smith

As part of Crossings, dance classes and workshops will take place at

(South Africa), Yogin Sullaphen (South Africa) and

the Newtown Dance Corner, housed on the same premises as the stage

Ricardo Tovar (Austria).

of the Dance Factory, the studios of Dance Forum, Vuyani Dance Theatre and Moving into Dance Mophatong. Next door, the Bassline will pro-

With more than 110 applications from all over the world, the first edi-

vide studios for the composers. The two-week programme of classes,

tion was a great success on many different levels: for the team of fa-

workshops and sessions of artistic collaboration, will provide young

cilitators that was put together specifically for the purpose of Cross-

international artists an opportunity to work together. Each choreogra-

ings, for the 28 participants who benefited from the training and for

pher will present in collaboration with a composer, a lighting designer

the audience who enjoyed the open sessions and the final performanc-

and dancers a 12 minutes long artistic creation on the stage of the

es. The choreographers, dancers, composers and lighting designers in-

Dance Factory at the end of the residency.

volved in the workshop discovered and explored the connexion and challenges that lie between various artistic elements within the creative process. This created a revolution among the artists, leaving them with more questions and a world of new opportunities…

Dancers: Ciara Baron (South Africa), Rachel Birsh-Lawson (UK), Giulia Ceolin (Italy), Thulani Chauke (South Africa), Kristina Johnstone (South Africa), Igor Jugrith (Republic of Congo), Benjamin Gouin (France), Oceane McCord (USA/France), Sonia Radebe (South Africa), Carson Reiners (USA), Thembekile Setiabi (South Africa), Muzi Shili (South Africa), Elvis Sibeko (South Africa), Katri Siipola (Finland/Denmark), Tandi Winnie Tshabalala (South Africa) and Nirit Rechavi (Israel).

Lighting Designers: Kabelo Chalatsane, Hannah Lowenthal, Wesley Maherry and Vaughn Sadie (South Africa).

Presented by the Dance Factory, the Dance Forum, Moving into Dance Mophatong and Vuyani Dance Theatre with the support of the

TOP: Class as part of Crossings 2010

National Arts Council, EUNIC SA (the French Institute of South Africa, the British Council, the Austrian Embassy and the Istituto

Photo © John Hogg

Italiano di Cultura), the Institut Francais, Movin’ Up, Tararam and the Israeli Embassy with further backing from LaMunu Hotel.

10

Testimonies “The 2011 edition will be headed by the same training team as last year’s, when 28 young dancers, choreographers, composers and lighting designers of 11 different nationalities completed the workshop.

While the 2010 participants developed concrete affinities between them and which have lasted ever since, the 2011 participants will also be linked to their predecessors and will benefit indirectly from their experience through testimonies. For, while the laboratory is artistic, it is also profoundly human. I would like to thank IFAS for accepting to launch the call for participants and for ensuring that these will come from all corners of the world. Through the exchange dimension and the fact that what counts is not so much the result as the

cultures and experiences. As a choreographer, I valued the rare op-

“My experience at Crossings 2010 was an amazing one, and indeed an

portunity to investigate these issues in dialogue with such an

important one in my journey as an artist. I made some incredible part-

extraordinary range of artists from all over the world. That

nerships through the collaboration with artists from other fields and

tremendously challenging process of discovery has had a huge impact

other countries too. Some of my composer friends have continued to

on both my own work and my subsequent collaborations with the peo-

assist me in getting into computer-generated music, by sending my

ple I met at Crossings and have worked with since. Performing arts do

software links online and explaining what each of these does. I have

not exist in a vacuum. One does not sit in one’s room and think of one’s

subsequently been invited by dancers I met at Crossings to compose

next big thing. Instead we must try things, fail, succeed, try again. Most

music for their dance pieces in other projects. The facilitators were chal-

importantly, we need to do that in conversation, support and collabora-

lenging in their approach and really left me bare in my position as a

tion with other artists. Crossings not only reminded me that experi-

musician. In so doing I was able to explore newer frontiers in

menting is the most important part of creating; it gave us all the awe-

my artistic imagination, something that is of benefit to me

some opportunity to do just that.”

to this day.”

Jennifer Irons, choreographer

Thokozani Mhlambi, composer

process, Crossings meets the need for first-hand knowledge. Indeed,

“In July/August 2010 I had the opportunity to be part of Crossings

we feel it is necessary to multiply platforms where real encounters can

2010 as a dancer. During this time, a group of talented choreographers,

take place so that, beyond basic tolerance, we can collaborate to learn

dancers, light and sound technicians together with music composers

and appreciate differences between people and cultures. The context

had the chance of meeting and linking into a laboratory of work that

leads us to believe that Crossings will experience subsequent editions,

involved all techniques together… But we as dancers… we represent-

thanks in particular to the recent decision between South Africa and

ed the final product… It was challenging and fulfilling the sensation I

France to bring into being Artistic and Cultural Exchange Seasons in

had when I stepped onto that stage to perform for Mamela Nyamza…

2012 and 2013. I am looking forward to these and hope that our trans-

She was an inspiration and I felt that I learnt much with her, with the

continental relationship will lead to many more of these wonderful

group, with the community of dancers, choreographers and the rest of

projects.”

the team. What is good is that the facilitators are there for you, to lis-

Michel Kelemenis, Crossings facilitator

ten, to support, to advise, to guide you and help you to face every day

“Remember, it’s not about your latest work, it’s about your latest experiment. So says Michel Kelemenis, one of the facilitators of Crossings 2010, moments before we present our final show.

That statement captures the ethos, and fundamentally the main lesson I took away from last year’s project. Crossings was an incredible opportunity to explore the fine art of collaborating across disciplines,

of the workshop with positive thinking. I think it’s a great opportunity,

“It was a privilege to be chosen to be part of the Crossings workshop 2010: I have learnt to work hand-in-hand with choreographers, dancers and composers as a lighting designer. The most important thing was the cultural exchange with artists from other countries, to work with them and to share with them our experiences and artistic approach in South Africa. I would like acknowledge the organisers and supporters for offering us such an opportunity, and especially the lighting facilitator for showing me new techniques and always questioning the role and aesthetic of generic lighting in theatre. This experience was so wonderful, I would love to renew it.”

Matthews Phala, lighting designer

not to be missed (so much so that I want to come back again!) since there’s so few platforms like this one in South Africa. Being part of

Crossings has opened doors for further collaborations, positive feedback, inspiring work and lifelong friends….”

Jamila Rodrigues, dancer

TOP LEFT: Jamila Rodrigues; TOP RIGHT: Thokozani Mhlambi with Jennifer Irons; BOTTOM LEFT: Jennifer Irons with Wen Liu; BOTTOM MIDDLE: Matthews Phala with the team of lighting designers; BOTTOM RIGHT: Michel Kelemenis

Photos © John Hogg

11

ZOOM | FRENCH URBAN DANCE

French Urban Contemporary Dance to hit South Africa During September which marks the annual Heritage Month, South Africa will hosts two vibrant arts festivals: Arts Alive in Johannesburg and Jomba!

Contemporary Dance Experience in Durban.

Among the international artists invited to the festivals, two French urban contemporary dance companies will present solos which deal with the question of identity and origins: French B-Boy Junior’s Buan-

attitude revisits his African roots and particularly the culture of Zaïre, his native country; Cie Stylistik’s En-

“it is not necessary to come from another country to

ple want me to believe that I should be like every-

feel rejected. The unknown scares, differences dis-

one else.”

turb. So on which feet shall we dance?” Compagnie

Choreographed and performed by B-Boy Junior,

Buanattitude is his first creation which looks at his roots in Zaire and its history, with the artistic collaboration of Olivier Le François. This complex solo is also an initiatory journey which confronts our con-

LEFT: Buanattitude

with whom he performed, toured the world and

Photo © Karlos

won several titles, including the Championship of France of Breakdance, and the World Championship (Battle of theYear). He recently decided to embark on his solo career.

he is heading, it is vital for him today to know where he comes from. “My difference, I have accepted it

31 August – 2 September 13th Jomba! Contemporary

deux explores through urban dance how one self

world, even if he has known for a long time where

art to question, explore and answer topical issues.

Photo © Clémence Richier

“dual” culture.

Yet, even if he is one of the ten best breakers in the

the hip hop language combined with other forms of

shasa. Junior joined the Wanted Posse crew in 2001,

N’gom from Compagnie Stylistik, the solo Entre

(also known as Buana) is an outlandish breakdancer.

The company concentrates on urban dance and uses

TOP: Entre Deux

performer who explores how he deals with his

nine” position with strength and ease, B-Boy Junior

hip hop dancers, Clarisse Veaux and Abdou N’gom.

ties, faced during Junior’s artistic residency in Kin-

Created in 2010 by Clarisse Veaux and Abdou

without touching the ground with his feet, in a “ninety-

Stylistik was founded in 2006 in Lyon, France, by two

ceptions of a fantasised Africa and its multiple reali-

tre Deux (In between) stages a French-Senegalese

On his arms, on his elbows, in a push-ups position

12

for better and for worse. The worst part is when peo-

can build its identity when one belongs to various cultures. This choreographic work deals with being

Dance Experience, Durban

4 September Arts Alive, Johannesburg

“in-between two cultures”: perceived as a foreigner by both sides. This work touches anybody who has felt in between two ages, two groups or two sys-

Presented at the 13th Jomba! Contemporary

tems. It calls for tolerance and acceptance of one’s

Dance Experience and Arts Alive with the sup

differences, whether be it in our appearance or

port of the Centre for Creative Arts, UKZN, Arts

background. It is in a way the experience of the performer and choreographer, Abdou N’gom, for whom

ZOOM | TALIIPOT

!Aïa On the trail of the Bushmen Following an acclaimed South African tour of their poignant piece MâRavan’ in 2009, Théâtre Taliipot is back to present their new work !Aïa“from cave to sky”.

“I am the people from whom the loss of earth is the loss of everything” (Poem/xam, san)

“!Aïa is waking up your strongest feelings and becoming reborn… To fully awaken, !Aïa requires filling your heart with overwhelming love.” Bradford Keeney, Honorary Senior Researcher Fellow, Rock Art Research Institute, University of Witwatersrand, Joburg.

being. This transversal work between art, culture,

This contemporary show is not so much a specific

Forthcoming projects as part of !Aïa (to be con-

science and traditional wisdom celebrates our ori-

story, as an experience... The performance, which is

firmed)include exhibitions of land art photos, open-

gins, life, the living, the relationship between human

incarnated by three Reunionese and South African

air and small-scale performances, lectures about

beings and nature. For this project, the company has

dancers, actors and musicians Thierry Moucazambo,

origins with scientists from South Africa; !Aïa show

worked with artists, traditional healers and scien-

Themba Mbuli and Isaak Rakotsoane, celebrates the

creation; broadcast of !Aïa performance in theatres

tists such as Professor Sam Challis (Archaeologist,

relationship between Man and Nature, domination

in South Africa and Reunion Island and in the world,

Origins Centre, Wits University), Sven Ouzman (Ar-

and empathy… The live music played on stage is in-

districts, communities and also disadvantaged plac-

chaeologist, rock engraving specialist, Pretoria Uni-

spired by African traditional and contemporary songs,

es; workshops and courses, training courses in

versity), John Parkington (Archaeologist, Cape Town

mixed with compositions by Mozart and Bach.

South Africa; publication and recordings as well as

!Aïa is a San name which means a special state of

University), Pippa Skotnes (Archaeologist, Cape Town University) and Jean-Loïc Lequellec (Research director at the CNRS, France, rock art specialist).

Their research during the creative process took them to the ravines and heights of Reunion island, and in South Africa, to the Drakensberg and the Cradle of Humankind in particular, on the trail of the world’s oldest civilisation… the Bushmen. Engraved rocks and rock paintings inspired this work, which stages corporal and primeval memories beyond all exiles, ruptures and denominations.

Exploring the persecution of and discrimination against the San people, the fathers and the mothers of us all, Théâtre Taliipot expresses their origins, their link to the Earth, and to nature, with which they are in everlasting empathy…

The idea of the project was born in the minds of Philippe Pelen Baldini and Thierry Moucazambo from ThéâtreTaliipot at NIROX, a private foundation

Tour Dates 1 – 18 September 2011 Artscape, Cape Town Performances in Cape Town’s townships (organised by Artscape)

November – December 2011 Ultra Dance Festival, Reunion Island

various interventions in universities, media, companies, schools and districts.

TOP: Isaak Rakotsoane in !Aïa

in the Cradle of Humankind, in September 2009. The artistic team then started working in Reunion Island. They returned to NIROX in November and De-

Co-produced by Artscape Theatre Centre, NIROX, Théâtre Taliipot, with the support of the French

cember 2010 and May 2011, and will polish their

Institute of South Africa, Conseil Général and Conseil Régional of Reunion Island and the French

work during a two-month residency at Artscape in

Department of Culture. This project is under the patronage of Marlene Leroux, Director of Audi

July and August before presenting the work at

ence Development and Education, Artscape. With thanks to: !Khwattu – the San Education and

Artscape for the first time this September.

Culture Centre, and the San community. www.theatretaliipot.com

13

ZOOM | MEMORY & CITY

Memory & City Conference Urban heritage with a twist Johannesburg 14 – 16 September

This international conference on the topic of “Mem-

The conference will also shine the spotlight on the

The Memory and City conference will approach

ory and City” explores the topic of urban heritage

specific memorial issues at play in South Africa,

these various issues in a multidisciplinary way as

with a twist. In Africa, the issue of heritage remains,

where memorial efforts since the democratic transi-

academic fields represented will range from urban

for the most part, attached to rural areas, as African

tion have indeed mainly focused on the evocation of

history, geography, anthropology and heritage stud-

cities are still widely considered alien in the land-

the (mostly urban) battlegrounds of the struggle

ies to urban sociology. The conference will include

scape of a continent essentialised as rural ever since

with great political implications. Emblematic areas

one day of site visits to some of the emblematic

colonisation. Yet these cities are important spaces

and neighbourhoods wiped out during the forced

neighbourhoods of Johannesburg as well as a film

for the construction of memory and heritage. The

removals and resettlement policies led by the apart-

screening and debate held at a venue in Johannes-

topic of urban memory has therefore only recently

heid regime (such as Red Location, Sophiatown and

burg (location to be confirmed).

come under investigation by researchers in Africa

District 6), are today the object of memory enter-

for the role it plays in the creation of neighbourhood

prises, arguably intended to contribute to the con-

identities and its promotion in development strate-

struction of a national identity rooted in memories

gies produced by local and municipal governments,

of violent abuses committed under apartheid.

as well as international donors. While cities are experiencing rapid transformation, often connected to new patterns of migration and mobility, what is the role of memory and nostalgia in the making of local identities and to what extent does this nostalgia serve the purpose of regeneration/gentrification policies – a phenomenon that has been particularly prevalent in Johannesburg? What selections and processes operate, as far as representations of these neighbourhoods are concerned, so that they acquire, in the long run, distinctive traits and stereotypes? These are some of the questions that will be

The Organising Committee is composed of Dr. Sophie Didier (IFAS), Prof. Natasha Erlank (UJ), Naomi Roux (Wits School of Arts), Dr. Mfaniseni Sihlongonyane (Wits School of Architecture and Planning).

The question of the link between these memorial-

Organised by the French Institute of South Africa, in

ised neighbourhoods and the population currently

partnership with the University of the Witwatersrand

living there has, however, not yet been explored in

and the University of Johannesburg, with the finan-

depth. Above all, little space is left for “ordinary”

cial support of the Fonds d’Alembert (Institut Fran-

memories, the everyday or unspectacular memories

çais), which aims at fostering debates on contempo-

that shape the identities of places and territories.

rary issues.

The conference will thus explore what space these ordinary memories have in the making of territorial identities, and how they articulate with grand memorial narratives promoted for the sake of national identity.

raised at the Memory and City conference.

TOP: Toefik Toefy Corner of Summerhill and Shephard. Photo © District 6 Museum LEFT TOP: Commissioner Street, 1913 Photo © Museum Africa LEFT MIDDLE: Market Building, 1913 Photo © Museum Africa LEFT BOTTOM: British Bioscope Photo © District 6 Museum

The Memory and City Conference will bring together researchers from the African continent and beyond // Johannesburg from 14 to 16 September For more information, contact Thibault HATTON comm.research@ifas.org.za

14

PROFILE | DENIS HIRSON

Denis Hirson extra! talks to France-based South African author, Denis Hirson, about his latest publication Afrique du Sud: Une traversée littéraire (South Africa: a literary journey), the exposure of South African literature internationally, and finally his visit to South Africa in September this year within the framework of the Open Book Cape Town.

You edited and co-wrote with Joan Metelerkamp and Denise Coussy the book Afrique du Sud: Une traversée littéraire, an introduction to South African literature, including essays and brief anthologies of poetry and prose.

Could you tell us more about the book, and why the project was initiated in the first place?

South African authors have translated and published books internationally, you have been living in France since 1975. What is the perception of South African literature in France?

There are no longer the big pulsating events here including debates, music and even some semblance of a braai, where South African culture was affirmed in the face of apartheid, and writing was seen as a sign

You have been invited to participate in the Open Book Cape Town, a new South African literary festival, which will take place in September this year. The festival hopes to bring the best that world literature has to offer to Cape Town, to promote South African writing and bring it onto an international footing, as well as making books more accessible. What do you expect of this festival, and what added value will it bring to South African literary scene?

ABOUT DENIS HIRSON Born in 1951, Hirson lived in South Africa until the age of 22. He is a graduate of the University of the Witwatersrand, where he studied Social Anthropology. Since 1975 he has lived in France, where he works as a teacher and a writer. He has published five books, all con-

This is the second of an international series of books

of the resistance of the imagination. But stretching

in French brought out by the Institut Français with

out since that time have been lists of books in French

Philippe Rey Publishers, as well as a CD produced by

by JM Coetzee, André Brink, Nadine Gordimer and

the Institut National Audiovisuel. Each of these

Breyten Breytenbach which still today dominate any

books aims to give an overview of the history of one

bibliography of South African writing in French. Coet-

Mary, addressed by Robert Berold to the woman who

Door to Africa (David Philip); I Remember King

country’s literature. The first of these was on Haiti.

zee’s Disgrace is an example of a book which has at-

was once his nanny: “Debts of guilt are endless. And

Kong (the Boxer); We Walk Straight So You

So why South Africa? The book is a forerunner of the

tracted considerable attention here since then, echo-

debts of love? There are no debts of love.” This poem

Better Get Out the Way; White Scars; and Gar-

festival of French culture which will take place in

ing the perceived importance of the Truth and

speaks of how the after-effects of apartheid are still

dening in the Dark (all with Jacana, 2004-

South Africa in 2012, and the possible 2013 festival

Reconciliation Commission, as did Antjie Krog’s

intimately with us, and how we can transcend them.

2007). His novel The Dancing and the Death

of South African culture in France. The book’s intro-

Country of My Skull and Gillian Slovo’s Red Dust. I

It could be at the heart of one of the events I hope to

on Lemon Street will be published by Jacana in

duction gives a brief but broad panorama of writing

would say that today it is not “South African litera-

see and participate in. I look forward to readings, de-

August 2011. In the same month, Jacana is

in this country from the 19th century until 1994, in-

ture”, but rather the work of individual writers such

bates, dialogues and discussions involving fine writ-

bringing out his Worlds in One Country, South

cluding prose, poetry and theatre. The essay by Den-

as Njabulo Ndebele, Ivan Vladislavic, Karel Schoe-

ers from South Africa and other parts of the world. I

African Writing 19th Century-1994, the transla-

ise Coussy transmits the sense of excitement felt by

man, Zoë Wicomb or Damon Galgut which attracts

hope such events will highlight the resonant, poten-

tion into English of the first part of South Afri-

South African prose writers in 1994, and looks at

attention. Deon Meyer’s detective novels have built

tially potent place of the writer in society, and excite

ca: a literary journey. Check out the Rendez-

what they have produced without having the wall

up a solid readership. In the theatre, there has been

the curiosity of readers. Personally, I hope to be able

Vous section (pages 24 and 25) for more

of apartheid to lean against. Joan Metelerkamp dis-

little in recent years to match the importance of Athol

to speak of ways of thinking about the history of

information.

cusses the field of poetry in the same period, focus-

Fugard, though there have been isolated productions

South African writing (my introduction to the French

ing on lyrical poetry and new voices, many as yet

such as the adaptation of Can Themba’s The Suit, di-

book mentioned above is to be published in August

relatively unknown. There is also a full bibliography

rected by Peter Brook, which brought in the crowds,

by Jacana as A Panorama of South African Writing,

Denis Hirson will be stopping over in various

of recent South African literature in French. Politi-

as have William Kentridge’s plays. The realities of con-

Part One, 19th Century to 1994). I hope, too, to pre-

South Africa cities from 3 to 25 September,

cians and writers speak on the CD.

temporary South Africa have receded. Fine writing

sent my novel The Dancing and the Death on Lemon

with the support of Institut Français, the

and fine plays still make their mark.

Street, also out with Jacana in August, which explores

French Institute of South Africa and Jacana

Here are some powerful lines from a poem, Letter to

cerned with the memory of the apartheid years in South Africa, all crossing the frontier between prose and poetry: The House Next

the lives of people living on a Johannesburg street in the first four months of 1960.

15

PROFILE | J.M.G. LE CLEZIO

Literature as a Quest: The long Journey of J.M.G Le Clézio

by Hadrien Diez

His prose is bare, as uncluttered as a stone; yet it has the haunting beauty of a gem’s glare. From desert to forest, from cities to deep seas, his tales explore the vastness of our world. He has given a voice to immigrants, nomads and peasants – all the weak, unnoticed and forgotten people. As the French novelist and Nobel laureate J.M.G. Le Clézio prepares to attend several literary events in South Africa next September, extra! gives you a glimpse of his rare work; a display of literature at its best.

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Early Calling

only by blood. In L’Africain, one of his latest master-

Much like writing, travelling is only an attempt to

a young Bedouin girl and unwanted immigrant who

pieces, he recalls how he was fascinated at once by

gain on things differently. An expedition. A quest. “If

is losing her soul in contemporary Marseilles. A dark

Violence. Uprooting. Remoteness. It all started

the dark continent’s forests and myths, by the tex-

we are writing, it means that we are not acting, that

tale of despair and extinction, the book is also a les-

harshly for Jean Marie Gustave Le Clézio. Born in the

ture of its soil and the brightness of its light. “From

we find ourselves in difficulty when we are faced

son of hope. Through language, it enlightens the

south of France at the very beginning of WWII, his

that journey and the time I spent in Nigeria, where

with reality, and so we have chosen another way to

fate of the defeated and makes sure we will not be

first years where those of an exile. In order to give

my father was a bush doctor, it was not subject mat-

react, another way to communicate. A certain dis-

allowed to forget a second time.

birth safely, his mother had come back from Africa

ter for future novels that I brought back, but a sort

tance. A time for reflection” he explained. No escap-

where she normally assisted her husband in his

of second personality” he explained. But returning

ism: there is no cowardice in Le Clézio’s literary ap-

medical tasks. Trapped by war, she and her sons

to Europe tears Le Clézio apart. The gap between

proach, but a plain and cold acknowledgement that

would spend seven years in Nice, the hated provin-

the White boy from the savannah and bustling

retreat is needed to gain access to the essential:

cial city, far away from a husband and father whose

Western cities has become too wide. Le Procès Ver-

people, culture and the psyche.

letters were bursting with anguish and despair. “Not

bal, his first novel published at the age of twenty-

once has war ever seemed to me to be an historical

three and which made him famous, testifies to his

moment”, Le Clézio wrote later. “We were hungry,

defiance towards “civilization” and its hierarchies.

we were frightened, we were cold, and that is all.”

Yet, those dark years irredeemably shaped the boy’s

Then why is literature necessary? Because it is made up of language, says Le Clézio. Because it wards language as humanity’s most precious asset. Language is the place where writers may retire, where they gain distance, where they find the power of their call. And literature is of no other need than to keep

Bearing Witness

language alive; for without language, there can be no civilization.

Condemned to watch rather than to act, to describe

Writing as a Quest

things without any hope of changing them, a writer

J.M.G Le Clézio will be in South Africa with the

has nonetheless an essential mission. For the writer

support of the French Institute of South Africa:

Awarding Le Clézio the Nobel Prize in Literature in

testifies, bears witness and forbids oblivion. Take

2008, the Nobel committee wished to favour “the

Desert as an example. Published in 1980, this great

author of new departures, poetic adventure and

novel marked a turning point in Le Clézio’s writing

Johannesburg 24 September

Meeting Africa

sensual ecstasy, explorer of a humanity beyond and

style. Its open form juxtaposes different places,

Encounter between J.M.G. Le Clézio &

below the reigning civilization”. For a travelling

times and types of discourse without transition. A

Nadine Gordimer

Africa is another important key when reading Le

writer permanently aiming to describe humankind

rough cut and paste reviewing the life of Nour, the

Clézio. His strong Mauritian roots, in both his fa-

in its infinite difference, the tribute could not be

last of the “blue men”, a proud caste of desert war-

ther’s and mother’s families, played a great role in

more accurate. Yet travelling, moving from one

riors slowly dying under the sword of the White

shaping his identity. But he is not bound to Africa

place to another, for Le Clézio is not a goal per se.

colonisers, and the destiny of his remote heir, Lalla,

vivid imagination. Moved by the desire to escape the roughness of his condition, the young man started to write at the age of seven – never to stop.

Open Book Cape Town 21 – 23 September

LEFT: J.M.G. Le Clézio Photo © C. Hélie TOP: Selection of J.M.G. Le Clézio’s books

17

PROFILE | NASHEN MOODLEY

NASHEN MOODLEY Recently back from the 64th Cannes Film Festival, Nashen Moodley, programme manager of the Durban International Film Festival (DIFF), talks to extra! about his involvement as the next curator for the 2012 Festival du Film Français in South Africa, the next edition of the DIFF, and about Cannes and the selection of South African movie Skoonheid.

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You have accepted the position of guest curator of the second edition of the Festival du Film Français in South Africa which will take place in August 2012. What is the scope of French contemporary cinema in today’s audio-visual scene? On which grounds will you base your selection process to conceive the programming of the FFF in 2012?

The scope of contemporary French cinema is extremely broad, and spans much of the world and is not limited to French-language films. For instance, France has a deep relationship with African cinema.

For the programme of 2012 Festival du Film Français, the idea would be to present a representation of French cinema covering different facets - both mainstream and art house, while also presenting works by established masters and bright, new talents. Of course, it would also make sense to explore the French cinematic relationship with Africa. Working together with the French Embassy and Unifrance, we hope to have a great selection of films, and a number of French directors and stars with us to present the films to audiences.

ABOUT NASHEN MOODLEY A graduate of the University of Natal, Moodley won the Mail & Guardian/SL Student Journalist of the Year award in 1998. Since then he has written on film and culture for the Mail &

Guardian, The Sunday Independent, GQ, The Daily News, The Mercury, The Star, The Independent on Saturday, and the Cape Argus. He is the film critic for the Sunday Tribune, and contributes to several other newspapers and magazines.

Moodley presently works as the manager and head programmer of the Durban International Film Festival, South Africa’s longest-running film festival, and since 2005 has been a programming consultant for the Dubai Interna-

You attended the Cannes Film Festival for the fourth time this year, where the first French-South African official co-production film feature Skoonheid directed by Oliver Hermanus was shown. What does this cinema festival represent for you? What makes it different from other festivals?

Within your first few minutes in Cannes, you realise that it is very different from any other film festival, and that no festival could ever truly compete with Cannes for the top spot. The Festival de Cannes exists on a different plane. The selection of films is the best of any major festival; everyone in the film busi-

Cannes also represents the clearest intersection be-

Guediguian,The Source by Radu Mihaileanu and

tional Film Festival. In 2008 he was appointed

tween the art and business of filmmaking. Within

Tales Of The Night by Michel Ocelot. We will also

Director: Asia Africa for the Dubai International

this context of a celebration of cinema, it was won-

present the documentaries Brenda Bilili by Renaud

Film Festival and oversees the Muhr Asia Africa

derful to see Skoonheid in the official selection in

Barret and Florent de la Tullaye and Think Global,

competition and the selection of feature films,

Cannes. The film is brilliantly executed and features

Act Rural by Colline Serreau. Black Venus is a dis-

documentaries and shorts from Asia and Africa.

some incredible performances.

turbing and daring film, and one that has a special resonance for South Africa; we felt it had to be in-

Looking forward to the next edition of the Festival du Film Français in South Africa, you will be presenting French cinema at this year’s edition of the DIFF (Durban International Film Festival). Can you give us some insights?

ness is there, so it’s possible to meet an extremely

We will present a number of French films and French

broad range of professionals, and it is beautifully

co-productions at the 32nd Durban International

located as well. On any given day there is an ex-

Film Festival from 21 to 31 July 2011. The confirmed

traordinary amount to do at the festival, from

screenings include Black Venus by Abdellatif Ke-

screenings to meetings to parties, and it is not diffi-

chiche, The House Under The Water by Sepideh

cult to get a bit exhausted by it all, but it is truly a

Farsi,Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives

great experience and one that you will want to re-

by Apichatpong Weerasethakul, Late Bloomers by

peat frequently.

Julie Gavras, Man At Bath by Christophe Honore,

Flowers Of Evil by David Dusa, Rubber by Quentin Dupieux, The Snows Of Kilimanjaro by Robert

cluded at DIFF. Farsi’s The House Under The Water is a delicate tale of nostalgia, memory and guilt and is beautiful film. Uncle Boonmee won the Palme d’Or in 2010 and is a truly mysterious and astonishing piece of cinema, while Late Bloomers is a great comedy and one that will have our audience in stitches. Man At Bath is a provocative and sexually frank film, and we are also delighted to present The

Snows Of Kilimanjaro and The Source both fresh from their recent participation in Cannes. Flowers Of

Evil shows the immense talent of a young filmmaker, Rubber is a crazy masterpiece about a serial-killer

In December 2006, he curated the 1st South African Film Festival in Tehran, and has advised several other festivals including India’s International Film Festival of Kerala, South Korea’s Pusan International Film Festival and Africala in Mexico City. In 2008 he participated as a Berlinale Talent Campus Expert at the International Filmfestspiele Berlin, and in 2010 he worked as an Industry Consultant at the International Film Festival Rotterdam. www.cca.ukzn.ac.za/durban_international_ film_festival.htm

tyre, and it is a pleasure to bring the gorgeous animation of Michel Ocelot to South Africa in the form of Tales Of The Night.

LEFT: Nashen Moodley TOP RIGHT: Selection of French films screened at DIFF

19

PROFILE | DEVELOPMENT

Supporting innovative public participation initiative and deepening Democracy In South Africa ‘public participation’ is an important, even a defining part of democratic life captured in the Constitution. extra! takes a closer look at two projects supported by the Embassy of France aimed at building the capacity of communities to participate in public and civic life The Deepening Democracy Project initiated by the Built Environment Support Group (BESG) within the uMgungundlovu District (KwaZuluNatal) is an extensive capacity-building programme with communitybased organisations (CBOs) focusing on leadership development and training in local government legislation and planning. After having undertaken a baseline study of service delivery and indigent-support programmes in the seven local municipalities of the district, BESG is

Capacity building for participatory local governance in urban development processes by PLANACT

lic. Concurrently, BESG is facilitating the creation of a “cluster” for dialogue and debate between CBOs and on the implemaentation of development and service delivery plans within each local municipality.

BESG hopes that this initiative will act as a demonstration project for the national policy of promoting inclusive government.

tant milestones: it has participated in the urban framework development for the area, and has identified a tourist route. Recently, the sub committee working on environmental affairs was granted money for green projects and is looking at implementing recycling initiatives, an energy-saving scheme, etc.

What is a participatory democracy?

Mike Makwela joined PLANACT in 1999 and is the Participatory Governance Programme Coordinator. He played a key role in setting up the Community Development Committee (CDC) in Orlando East. He talks to extra! about his vision of public participation and the project currently funded by the Embassy of France in South Africa.

carrying out research to assess the extent to which the local municipality makes its development plans and provisions accessible to the pub-

implemented in Orlando East. The CDC has achieved a range of impor-

It is about the continuous involvement of citizens in government matters, in order to make sure that public representatives are accountable to citizens. This goes beyond voting and engaging in the legislated space such as the ward committee. We need to look at other spaces of engagement outside the ward committee: a space where community members can have a quality debate with government, where the voice of the marginalised, of CBOs and of social movements are also heard.

For me, the CDC is an innovative way of achieving this. We are currently studying the possibility of supporting other communities such as

In a few words, what is the project about?

This project intends to equip and strengthen CSOs to be able to engage

Cosmo City through a similar longer-term engagement to enhance public participation in governance.

with local government and provide inputs in planning and development

TOP: BESG – Magongo Cluster meeting

processes such as the IDP process, the budget and management processes.

BOTTOM LEFT: BESG-Impendle CBOS during a training on livelihood

Tell us more about the CDC?

ABOUT THE BUILT ENVIRONMENT SUPPORT GROUP (BESG)

In Orlando East and the Noordgesig community, the CDC is an innovative structure that brought together a range of CBOs as well as political parties, ward committee members and councillors, community devel-

BOTTOM RIGHT: Meeting of the CDC in Soweto

ABOUT PLANACT

opment workers and local business. It took us more than a year to

Established in 1985, Planact is the premier people-centred, com-

overcome conflicts, differences and power struggles in the area, and for

munity development organisation in Gauteng. For more infor-

Since its establishment in 1983, BESG’s work enables poor com-

community members to understand that they should be united. Last

mation visit: www.planact.org.za

munities to access development and advocates pro-poor develop-

summer, all these organisations finally signed a joint declaration en-

mental policy through research and practice. For more informa-

dorsed by the councillors, where they pledged their commitment to

tion visit: www.besg.co.za

work together. Through training and support that Planact provided to

For more information about the CSDF,

the CDC, its members interact with the City and discuss projects to be

contact: Aurélie Voix on csdf@ambafrance-rsa.org

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23

PORTFOLIO | FRANÇOIS SARHAN

TOP: Lectures of Professor Glaçon © Hannah Paton MIDDLE: Paleo’ Lear © Mary-Ann Palmer BOTTOM: Drumming Grupo de Percussão © Hannah Paton

François Sarhan & Drumming Grupo de Percussão 22

Ever ventured into the bush to watch a performance of Paleo Lear: a version of Shakespeare’s King Lear performed by animals with the assistance of puppeteers with percussion as a musical background? Ever attended a Lecture of

Professor Glaçon with a myriad percussion instruments and a “technicoloured” multimedia backdrop in Joburg’s CBD? Or enjoyed the rhythms of the infinity of percussions sounds played masterfully by Portuguese Drumming Grupo de Percussão? Well here is a glimpse for those who missed out last April…

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RENDEZ-VOUS

Nyaniso Lindi Exhibition damien.meyrignac@alliance.org.za South African visual artist, ABSA L’Atelier Gerard Sekoto Award-winner, presents his new exhibition Metamorphosis.

Inspired by his trip to Paris last year, the exhibition features works which portrays hybrids using functional objects like lamps and stoves fused with human forms.

From 9 May: Pretoria From 13 June: Durban From 18 July: Bulawayo, Zimbabwe From 29 August: Cape Town From 3 October: Port Elizabeth From 7 November: Johannesburg From 28 November: Maseru, Lesotho

Durban International Film Festival Audio-visual diff@ukzn.ac.za For its 32nd edition, the festival presents over 250 screenings of current films from around the world including French and French co-productions with strong focus on South African and African cinema.

21 – 31 July: Durban

TOP: Durban International Film Festival 2011 Poster

Crossings Performing Arts marie@ifas.org.za Twenty eight participants from South Africa and abroad get together to explore the creative process as part the 2nd edition of the international artistic workshop. The public is invited to attend cultural events and showcases.

25 July – 6 August: Newtown, Johannesburg

TOP: Class as part of Crossings 2010 Photo © John Hogg

TOP: Nostalgia 4 from the Nostalgia series

B-Boy Junior & Cie Stylistik Dance marie@ifas.org.za Two French urban contemporary dance companies will present solos around the question of identity and origins at the 13th

Jomba! Contemporary Dance Experience and at Arts Alive Festival.

31 August – 2 September: Jomba!, Durban 4 September: Arts Alive, Johannesburg

TOP: Entre Deux by Cie Stylistik Photo © Pascal Vilsans

Théâtre Taliipot Performing Arts

Denis Hirson Literature

ben@ifas.org.za

jerome.chevrier@alliance.org.za

Following an acclaimed South African tour of Mâ Ravan’ in

France-based South African author visits his native land to

2009, Théâtre Taliipot presents !Aïa “from cave to sky”

attend several literary festival and events.

incarnated by dancers, actors and musicians to celebrate the

3 & 4 September: Mail & Guardian Literary Festival 5 September: Alliance française of Pretoria 6 September: Lycée français, Johannesburg 6 September: Johannesburg in partnership with the Alliance française of Johannesburg, the French Institute of South Africa and Boekehuis 8 – 12 September: University of Rhodes, Grahamstown 13 September: Alliance française of Port Elizabeth 21 – 25 September: Open Book Cape Town Literary Festival and the Alliance française of Cape Town (fringe festival)

relationship between Man and Nature, between domination and empathy....

1 – 18 September: Artscape and other venues, Cape Town

TOP: Themba Mbuli in !Aïa

TOP: Denis Hirson

Café/Cine-Club Cinema nicolas@ifas.org.za Café/Ciné-Club is an exciting new series from The Bioscope Independent Cinema bringing the best of contemporary French Cinema to Johannesburg every last Thursday from July to November at 7pm.

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28 July: The Heartbreaker / L’Arnacœur by Pascal Chaumeil 25 August: Gainbourg (Vie héroïque) by Johann Sfar 29 September: Potiche by François Ozon 27 October: Two in the wave by Emmanuel Laurent 24 November: A Christmas Tale by Arnaud Desplechin

GET IN THE LOOP!

Email To receive information on our events, send an email to ifas@ifas.org.za with “subscribe” in the subject of the email for both cultural and research events, “subscribe culture” for cultural events only and “subscribe research” for research events only. Facebook Add “Ifas Culture” and “Ifas Dibuka” as friends.

François Sarhan Performing Arts ben@ifas.org.za If you have missed out, catch the double bill including

Telegrams from the Nose, the result of the collaboration between William Kentridge and French composer Francois Sarhan, and Lectures by Professor Glaçon as part of the Market Theatre’s Refuse the Hour season.

People 2 People International Documentary Conference Audio-visual info@people2people.co.za Founder of the AFRICADOC programme for the development of African documentary cinema, Jean-Marie Barbe, and Kourtrajmé Productions are invited to partake in this annual

Quatuor Béla Music damien.merignac@alliance.org.za The French quartet will present an astonishing programme associating compositions by grand maestro from Weimar, Jean-Sébastien Bach, and contemporary Belgian-born Walter Hus.

12 – 14 September: Johannesburg

13 September: Alliance française of Pretoria 15 September: Alliance française of Cape Town 16 September: Alliance française of Durban

TOP: Jean-Marie Barbe

TOP: Quatuor Béla © Jean-Louis Fernandez

Memory & City Social & Human Sciences

Le Clézio Literature

Les Matapeste Street Theatre

comm.research@ifas.org.za

jerome.chevrier@alliance.org.za

damien.meyrignac@alliance.org.za

This international conference on the topic of Memory and

Nobel Prize Winner J.M.G. Le Clézio will attend South African

The French clown company presents their farcical shows

City intends to explore the topic of urban heritage with a

literary festival Open Book Cape Town as well as Franco-

based around stories which they write themselves or are

twist.

phone and French authors such as Veronique Tadjo and Alain

inspired by big myths and “revisited” authors.

14 – 16 September: Johannesburg

Mabanckou. Johannesburg will host a unique encounter

TOP: Photo © District 6 Museum

between J.M.G. Le Clézio and Nadine Gordimer.

10 & 11 October: Durban 12 & 13 October: Port Elizabeth 14, 15 & 16 October: Johannesburg

8 – 10 September: Market Theatre, Johannesburg

TOP: Telegrams from the Nose Photo © John Hodgkiss

festival around documentaary film in Africa.

21 – 23 September Open Book Cape Town 24 September J.M.G. Le Clézio encounter, Johannesburg

TOP : Jonny Berouette / Les Matapeste

TOP: J.M.G. Le Clézio Photo © C. Hélie

EUNIC Archi Studio Architecture marie@ifas.org.za

21 – 26 November: Johannesburg

TOP: Johannesburg Skyline

For its 4th edition, this one week experimental workshop will see South-African and European students working together on a new case study of a building in Hillbrow.

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