Interview with Planeta.com's Ron Mader

A bit of shameless self-promotion: an interview I did with the founder of Planeta.com and eco-tourism guru, Ron Mader (currently based in Oaxaca, Mexico). Topics of discussion: the meaning of "indigenous" in a South African context, what the ITBW Awards were like to judge, and more. Six minutes of ... well, me talking, mostly.





Apologies that the lighting made me look like I'm speaking from a Hollywood version of heaven...

Interview with Planeta.com's Ron Mader

A Country Imagined - list of episodes and synopses

[ update: 21 February 2011 - A Country Imagined wins SAFTA award - the South African Oscars. Details here.

update: 18 September 2010 - the boxed DVD set is now available. Details here.

update: 12 July 2010 - I've gotten word that a boxed DVD set is in the works and may be available as soon as August 2010. As more details become available, I'll post them here.
Also, I understand that SABC is planning to rebroadcast the entire series and are looking for a timeslot to run it in. Apparently the conflicts with the World Cup kept viewership down, and given all the positive feedback they've gotten over the series they want to run it when there isn't such overwhelming competition for audience. Again, as more details become available, I'll post them here. The series was rebroadcast in December 2010/January 2011.]

---

Given the numbers of visitors to Afrika T who are searching for information on the SABC 2 TV documentary series I wrote for, A Country Imagined, and getting just the twinky little announcement post I made before the first episode aired, I feel compelled to post more on the series and the episodes themselves. As yet, there is no web site from SABC on the series, so this may be the best source in the interim.

A Country Imagined: Series synopsis:

From the industrial mining landscapes that have inspired the novels of Nadine Gordimer and the drawings of William Kentridge – to the hills of the Kwa-Zulu Natal Midlands – the setting for Cry the Beloved Country and the harmonies of Ladysmith Black Mambazo – the South African landscape is extravagant and diverse.
A Country Imagined takes us on a journey through South Africa and explores the landscapes that have inspired artists, writers, musicians and dancers for centuries.

Presented by one of South Africa’s most loved and famous musicians – Johnny Clegg – who is also an anthropologist – A Country Imagined takes us through South Africa’s most beautiful spaces – and through this, we explore the rich history of art and the “imaginings” of our society.

The programmes introduce us to South African artists and their work as well as the landscapes they work with. Some, like Nadine Gordimer, Olive Schreiner, Hugh Masekela, Gerard Sekoto, William Kentridge and David Goldblatt are known around the world. Others, will soon be. Some – like the bead workers and potters of remote rural villages have produced works without signatures. A Country Imagined brings them all together through a fascinating exploration of art and artists set against a backdrop of scenery and a vexed and dramatic history.

Shot on HD, with remarkable aerial, historical and time-lapse photography, A Country Imagined is a thirteen x one hour series, set to be aired from Sunday, 25 April 2010 on SABC2 at 21h00. 

Episode synopses (I believe these are in order of their airing, but am not certain):

THE REEF (aired 25 April 2010)

Beginning at the site of world’s greatest cataclysm, which created the natural landscape and geology of the Reef, Johnny Clegg follows that elusive thread of gold, and the manmade landscape it has created in its wake, to discover the diverse ways in which artists have imagined and responded to it. On his journey Johnny meets artists Marcus Neustetter, Willem Boshoff, Sam Nhlengethwa, David Goldblatt, Hugh Masekela and Jo Ractliffe. He also ventures down the world’s deepest gold mine; samples age-old distilled beverages, and revisits memories of his childhood growing up on the reef.


EASTERN CAPE

A land of frontiers – physical, political and social – for centuries, Johnny Clegg makes his way through the densely layered histories of the Eastern Cape that are embedded in its landscapes, and its arts. This fascinating passage takes him from the Great Fish River to the towering Amathole Mountains; from the birthplaces of Nelson Mandela and Enoch Sontonga to the site of a devastating prophecy. Along the way he meets artists, dancers and musicians who bring to bear their own commentaries and creative responses to these histories and awe-inspiring landscapes.


NORTHERN CAPE

Johnny Clegg ventures through deep, forgotten histories as well as current stories in the Northern Cape as they unfold along the great Gariep river, surrounded by a semi-desert landscape. From ancient caves and ancient artworks to sinister tales of watersnake spirits, Johnny also uncovers bold, vital contemporary expressions in this severe landscape that create a parallel fluid lifeline through a harsh, dry land.


KAROO – A LONELINESS THAT IS FULFILLING

The long, desolate stretch of the N1 highway is Johnny Clegg’s starting point in his journey through the Karoo. Along this journey he tries to understand that particular quality of silence and loneliness that defines this area: a loneliness that is fulfilling. Encountering some of the Karoo’s most surprising and inspiring art and artists along the way, these stories are as moving as they are eccentric in a place that from the outside appears blank, but which, through stopping to really look, reveals itself to be a place of rich, hidden treasures.


FREE STATE – A SPIRITUAL PLAIN:

Anticipating a terrain steeped in its politically conservative reputation, Johnny Clegg discovers instead a very different reality and engagement with this land. Travelling through the intoxicating golden light of the Free State, past its vast, graceful farmlands and lyrical sandstone koppies, to extraordinary ancient rock art and other sites of deep spiritual connection, Johnny follows this radiant trail of space and spirit to experience the lesser known nature of this region.


CAPE TOWN:

Johnny Clegg navigates his way over and around the majestic beacon of the city of Cape Town, Table Mountain, to gauge the different lived perspectives of those that look onto it – and what the mountain represents to them. Johnny tracks various tales of the mountain: from untameable beast and bold giant, to the idyllic poetry inspired by the grapes it nurtures at its foot. He follows the city through its fields of fresh water springs to its harsh and dusty flatlands. He considers areas that stand as grim markers of devastation and loss, alongside people that still find the spirit to celebrate in spite of it. Johnny meets a host of amazing artists along his way through the city, including Sue Williamson, Hasan and Husain Essop and Andrew Putter, graffiti artist, Falko, poets James Matthews and Bernie Amansure, and novelist, Sindiwe Magona.


KLEIN KAROO/GARDEN ROUTE – ANCIENT PATHWAYS

Johnny Clegg follows the ancient pathways that meander from the densely forested coastline of the Garden Route, over the mountains into the Little Karoo. These pathways lead him to follow tales of fabled elephants and monumental trees to accounts of mermaids and watermeide that hide in rocky pools; and ultimately to the artists that draw upon these long existing migrations and imaginings to conjure their own artistic expressions along the way.

JOZI – A TERRIBLE BEAUTY

Unlike the classically beautiful natural landscapes of many other parts of the country, Johnny Clegg explores the particular, peculiar beauty of the City of Gold – of eGoli – of Johannesburg. A constructed city of the imagination, that builds and rebuilds above as much as it burrows and tunnels below; that builds forests where only veld should naturally grow, and that garners shiny minerals when only yellow dust is evident, the art that Jozi has born is imbued with a comparable energy: bold, gutsy, urban and forthright. Meet artists David Koloane, Senzeni Marasela, William Kentridge, Kudzanai Chiurai, Anton Kannemeyer and Stephen Hobbs as they take Johnny on an urban voyage of discovery.


KWAZULU-NATAL – LIVING THE PAST THROUGH THE PRESENT

Johnny Clegg ventures into the heart of Zululand – his creative and spiritual home – and up to the coast of KwaZulu-Natal, to discover the multiple ways in which long tradition plays itself out in contemporary living. This epic and privileged journey through Johnny’s heartland reveals the complex histories and incredible creative legacies that have so richly shaped this region.

THE MAGICAL NORTH

Beyond the Tropic of Capricorn, north along the Soutpansberg Mountains towards Zimbabawe, exists a region of the country that is almost opaque and impenetrable to an outsider, palpably shrouded in mystery, magic and steeped in belief. It is also the site of one of the richest and most extraordinary artistic communities in the country – specifically renowned for an elaborate woodcarving tradition that goes back centuries – as well as for one of the country’s most admired beading traditions. Through the artists that live and create here, Johnny is offered access through some of these veils, bringing further depth and meaning to that which is already so apparently powerful.

THE PLACE OF STORYTELLERS

The north-western parts of the country have long been home to some of South Africa’s most revered and often flamboyant storytellers, and Johnny Clegg is following their thread. From those who have magically spun yarns with words to transport us into other realms of experience and adventure, to artists whose rich visions allow us keys into other worlds of seeing, Johnny makes his way – partly onboard a hot air balloon – through this wonderfully imaginative bushveld terrain, from Mafikeng to Groot Marico, and Mabopane to the Magaliesberg, meeting some amazing storyteller artists, including Tommy Motswai, Titus Matiyane, Norman Catherine, Ma Grace Masuku, Egbert van Bart and John Moolman.

MPUMALANGA – COMING HOME

Known mostly as bushveld and ‘Big Five’ country, interspersed with dramatic and spectacular lush hills, valleys, rivers and waterfalls, Johnny heads into Mpumalanga to find what else exists beyond boyhood dreams of adventure and taming the wilderness. Bordering on sister countries, Swaziland and Mozambique, and along the provincial borders of Limpopo, Gauteng, the Free State and KwaZulu-Natal, this region has been the long-time space of numerous migrations of people from many, many places. Johnny follows the histories and arts of some of them, through this place that for many, at some stage, has represented home.

DRAKENSBERG – TAMING THE DRAGON

This final episode of the series finds Johnny Clegg high up in caves in the towering and majestic landscape of the Drakensberg mountains of KwaZulu-Natal. Against this awe-inspiring backdrop, Johnny contemplates the extraordinary art of the San, and down below, discovers other pockets of humanity –inspired artists who still work and create, spiritedly and passionately, to create playful gestures that “tame the dragon”.

If there are any questions about the production, artists, locations, artwork or whatever, I'm happy to field those and do my best to get them answered - just leave a comment.

A Country Imagined - list of episodes and synopses

A Country Imagined - Art and Landscape in South Africa

I've been writing for a TV documentary series on art and landscape in South Africa titled "A Country Imagined." It's a BBC-style epic series of one hour episodes with amazing aerial footage as well as interactions with amazing South African artists. A-List South African musician, Johnny Clegg, is the narrator and 'everyman' who criss-crosses the country engaging with the landscape and representations of it.

From the producers:

From the industrial mining landscapes that have inspired the novels of Nadine Gordimer and the drawings of William Kentridge – to the hills of the Kwa-Zulu Natal Midlands – the setting for Cry the Beloved Country and the harmonies of Ladysmith Black Mambazo – the South African landscape is extravagant and diverse.
A Country Imagined takes us on a journey through South Africa and explores the landscapes that have inspired artists, writers, musicians and dancers for centuries.

Presented by one of South Africa’s most loved and famous musicians – Johnny Clegg – who is also an anthropologist – A Country Imagined takes us through South Africa’s most beautiful spaces – and through this, we explore the rich history of art and the “imaginings” of our society.

The programmes introduce us to South African artists and their work as well as the landscapes they work with. Some, like Nadine Gordimer, Olive Schreiner, Hugh Masekela, Gerard Sekoto, William Kentridge and David Goldblatt are known around the world. Others, will soon be. Some – like the bead workers and potters of remote rural villages have produced works without signatures. A Country Imagined brings them all together through a fascinating exploration of art and artists set against a backdrop of scenery and a vexed and dramatic history.

The series starts airing in South Africa on SABC2 on Sunday 21 April and runs for 13 weeks. Set your DVRs or just be there to watch. A great way to learn about the cultural richness of the landscapes that are so familiar to so many yet far deeper in meaning that most can imagine.

It was an amazing project to contribute to!

[update: A Country Imagined wins SAFTA Award - South African Oscar equivalent. Details here.]

[update: I've now posted a full list of episodes and synopses here.] 

[update: 18 September 2010 - the boxed DVD set is now available. Details here.

update: 12 July 2010 - I've gotten word that a boxed DVD set is in the works and may be available as soon as August 2010. As more details become available, I'll post them here.
Also, I understand that SABC is planning to rebroadcast the entire series and are looking for a timeslot to run it in. Apparently the conflicts with the World Cup kept viewership down, and given all the positive feedback they've gotten over the series they want to run it when there isn't such overwhelming competition for audience. Again, as more details become available, I'll post them here. Series was re-broadcast in December 2010 / January 2011.]

A Country Imagined - Art and Landscape in South Africa

Indigenous culture near Cape Town

This question, recently received:

Are there any traditional indigenous villages in the Western Cape that we could visit and perhaps spend a night in?

I feel awkward even asking this question! Our family (with kids ages 9 and 11) is spending a month in southern Africa this June/July. We'll spend about a week in the Cape Town area in addition to driving up to the Cederberg Wilderness Area for a 3-night trek. We'll also spend 10 days in Zimbabwe on safari and in Victoria Falls.

We're psyched, but I'm concerned that we won't get the experience that my wife and I had in East and West Africa of hanging out in small indigenous villages. By "indigenous" I guess I mean black, though I am uncomfortable saying that. I don't mean to say that Afrikaners aren't "African" or we don't care about their culture; I'm sure we'll experience and enjoy it. But it seems a shame to travel to sub-Saharan Africa and not experience the longest-standing traditions there. Especially for our kids, who haven't been to Africa before.

We will take a tour of some NGOs in Cape Town townships and will probably spend a night or two in one of the townships there. And from Vic Falls our safari guides will take us to visit a village and school in Zimbabwe. But rural villages tend to have more traditional lifestyles than urban ones, and guided visits make genuine interaction difficult.

So... where else in the Western Cape can we see traditional indigenous African life?

My response:

I'm not sure exactly what you're looking for, but in South Africa in particular the realities of "traditional villages" tend to be a hybrid of contemporary and traditional life, with some residents moving back and forth between modern urban centres (e.g., Johannesburg) and their ancestral homes. Cell phones, radio and television are commonly available directly or indirectly and the internet isn't uncommon either via schools, government facilities or libraries. As a result, popular culture and traditional culture have mixed for a long time and the boundaries between them can be difficult to perceive, much less to understand. I can recommend Bulungula in the Eastern Cape as a place where you have the opportunity to navigate these boundaries in a very traditional but unstaged environment. It sounds like your plans are well developed already, but if you can adjust things to spend 4 or 5 days at Bulungula, I believe you'll find what you're looking for.

Also, in the Western Cape, the traditional patterns of settlement were not village-based. The Khoe were pastoralists and semi-nomadic and the San were hunter-gatherers and also semi-nomadic. Their ways of life have been up-ended, co-opted, destroyed, transformed by 400+ years of European influence including colonialism and slavery, urbanisation, civil strife and other forces. Most of the communities outside of urban centres will resemble rural farming or fishing towns/villages on a Western pattern.

Global warming has made the farming of wheat and other crops less viable up the West Coast and the depletion of fishing stock (along with the corporatisation of fishing fleets) has made traditional fishing village life a vanishing reality, so "traditional" communities are in a state of flux for those reasons as well.

The Western Cape is also relatively affluent and has excellent tourism infrastructure, so most little towns and villages have packaged some sort of tourism experience for visitors, making access to "ordinary life" a bit more complicated. Ordinary life also tends to be...ordinary. We also have the complexity of "coloured" culture which is distinctive in the region and full of contradictions, nuances and unique experiences from the cuisine to music to religion and much more.

Some suggestions for less packaged authentic local experiences in the Western Cape:

Home-based accommodation found along the South-North route (www.south-north.co.za) - Papendorp in particular is a good option.

Stay at the Beacon of Zebulun guesthouse in Atlantis (www.beaconofzebulun.co.za) and ask proprietor Sabrina Adams to introduce you to the local flavour of life in Atlantis

You could just wander into towns like Eland's Bay or Citrusdal or Piketberg or Zoar or Elim and start chatting up the locals. YMMV.

!Khwa ttu is an excellent option for learning about San culture, but it is not a village.

There are other options closer to the city of Cape Town, and if you would like the authentic local urban/suburban neighbourhood experience I'm happy to make other suggestions.

There are also tours, museums and other "staged" venues for learning about and experiencing authentic local culture that I can suggest - just let me know whether that would also be of interest

And, for books on the topic, I can recommend the following:

• Frontiers: The Epic of South Africa's Creation and the Tragedy of the Xhosa People (Noel Mostert)
• Cape Town: Making of City (Nigel Worden et al)
• Forced to Grow (Sindiwe Magona) - autobiography

Indigenous culture near Cape Town

'Africa Reboots': Bono on Africa, again

Aging rock star and U2 front man, Bono, has made saving Africa his mission from way back in the days of Band Aid in 1984. I admire his persistence, but as a rich, famous rock star jetting around and rubbing elbows with the wealthy and powerful I have little trust in his ability to diagnose much of anything and he often comes across as a hectoring Do-Gooder who, after making his sage pronouncements about whatever his issue du jour might be - famine, war, trade - flies back home in his private jet to a life of unimaginable luxury. These days, when I see a Bono op-ed my first reaction is to roll my eyes.

His recent piece in the New York Times, Africa Reboots, is a bit more of the same, but also a bit of something more: he's caught wind of an interesting dynamic that I've seen as well: both business and civil society putting governance at the top of their agendas. Political leaders aren't focussing on the needs of their populations for the basics of health, education, safety, transportation, information. Elections aren't sufficient - the powerful learned decades ago how to use them to present a facade of democracy.

An interesting choice for Bono to highlight:

...infrastructure remains the big (if unsexy) issue. “Roads, we need roads,” one entrepreneur said by way of a solution to most of the obstacles in her path. Today, she added, “we women, we are the roads.” I had never thought of it that way but because women do most of the farming, they’re the ones who carry produce to market, collect the water and bring the sick to the clinics. 

Bono, fancying himself a "luminous personality" I suppose, offers us a Great Man view of change in Africa and highlights a handful of famous and rich individuals whom he sees as driving this collaboration: Mo Ibrahim, John Githongo, Youssou N'Dour, Luisa Diogo. Interesting people, all, and yes they have the resources to make things happen. But as with poorly governed nations, an exceptional leader at the top won't make much of a difference to an inept or corrupt or impoverished system beneath them. The Great Man Theory of history is too close to the Big Man Syndrome in Africa for my comfort, although I suppose it's unrealistic to expect Bono to present a nuanced policy analysis or programme of action.

It is good to see him doing a bit less hectoring and a bit more of what he can be best at when it comes to championing African issues: raising the profile of the debate, steering clear of stereotypes, encouraging others to take an interest, get involved, engage. Even better, he's on to something meaningful.

I'll try not to roll my eyes next time before reading what he has to say.

[Photos: Bono from Ricardo Stuckert/PR Agência Brasil, cropped by Zanaq via Wikimedia, Creative Commons Attribution Brazil license 2.5]

'Africa Reboots': Bono on Africa, again

The Shirky Principle

I've argued elsewhere that Do-Gooders in Africa are prone to amplify the Badness of the very things their Goodness is meant to counter: missionaries on the baseness of the natives, NGOs on the squalor and helplessness of the locals, and so on. This isn't a novel opinion, and I can trace it back to Emerson (thanks to Paul Theroux) but I'm sure it goes back much farther than that, and I wouldn't be surprised if one of the pre-Socratic philosophers or Rumi or Confucius had a wise insight along these lines.

Writer and blogger Kevin Kelly (The Technium) ran a recent post titled "The Shirky Principle", which quotes Clay Shirky as its lead:

Institutions will try to preserve the problem to which they are the solution.

Yes. Well said. Having seen NGO directors running around raising funds to pay themselves 10 000 euros a  month in salary so they can fly business class from Europe to come save the poor Africans from one horrible fate or another, I can attest to the strong incentive they have to ensure they never actually succeed. Yes, cynical, and I'd like to believe otherwise, but this is the default view I have come to hold - then I'm willing to alter it when evidence points to other motives for a particular person, project or organisation.

Kelly goes on to unpack The Shirky Principle in terms of media, innovation and the like. Apparently Shirky pulled the line from his upcoming book, Cognitive Surplus. Looking forward to reading it.

(h/t Andrew Sullivan)

The Shirky Principle

Rebellious Tourism Manifesto? Really?

Responsible Tourism guru, Professor Harold Goodwin, announced on his blog that "A Manifesto for Rebellious Tourists has been launched".

His post urges travellers to "join the revolution". Frankly, the manifesto is lame. From the leading RT thinker and the leading commercial RT travel enabler, this is the rebellion they call for? Eat street food, not Big Macs? Oy.

I won't rehearse the debate. Catch up and contribute your own thoughts on the Arty Forum post: http://www.artyforum.info/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=530 

Frankly, I'm a bit deflated.

Rebellious Tourism Manifesto? Really?

Fish River Canyon to Cape Town: Where to stop for a break?

This question posted recently:

I need to travel from Namibia (Fish River Canyon) to Cape Town in May and I was wondering if anyone can recommend a good place to stop on the way down to break the journey.  

My reply:

My favourite stopping place is north of Springbok at a town called Steinkopf. At the N7 intersection with the main road into town there is a Nama woman named Johanna who runs a roadside restaurant called "The Kookskerm" out of a traditional matjieshut (a domed hut covered in reed mats traditionally, but hers is covered in a combination of hessian and shade cloth - very contemporary). She and her daughter cook traditional fare for the locals and the long haul truck drivers - roosterbrood, moerkoffie, kerrie, pap 'n' sous, etc. - all with a warm smile and a seat in the sun (or shade, if you prefer).

The Springbok Hotel in the town of Springbok is your next best bet, with a very old school interior covered with photos and local lore, and operated by one of the biggest characters in the Northern Cape (and that's saying a lot). Good, reliable home-style cooking, unpretentious and aimed at the local crowd.

Further south is Vanrhynsdorp, where I'd recommend you visit the succulent nursery at the edge of town (go into town and follow the sign posts for 1 km or so), and have coffee, sandwiches, soup, cake or whatever the special of the day is in their coffee shop. Not only are the succulents fascinating to look at, but the coffee is darn good. Another friendly, family-run place.

If you make it any further south, you might as well head for Clanwilliam, where there are more conventional and charming restaurants, cafes, and the like.

Depending on your time and inclination, you might turn off the N7 at Clanwilliam and head for the coastal road and the town of Lambert's Bay (which has a great restaurant right in the harbour), then take the coastal road (R27) in to Cape Town.

Worth a squizz at www.south-north.co.za for other ideas (lots of community-based tourism experiences) and maps, too.

Allow yourself a good 12 hours to get from the Fish River Canyon to Cape Town. It ought to take more like 9, but the fog in and around the Cederberg can slow you to a crawl, you never know about the queue at the border, and if you want to actually have a meal when you break the journey, best to leave yourself a cushion. The good news is that, south of Citrusdal, the road gets wider and is fairly easy to drive in the dark, so you don't need to worry about getting into Cape Town too early in the day.

The Northern Cape is a fascinating and overlooked stretch of South Africa. Nigel Penn (The Forgotten Frontier) has a great book on the region, as does William Dicey (Borderline), both recommended.

[Further discussion on the thread here.]

Fish River Canyon to Cape Town: Where to stop for a break?

On Africa's small share of global tourism

Dutch safari guide and lodge manager turned blogger, Johan Knols, recycled an old canard about African tourism in his recent post "Africa's Share in Global Tourism: Wielding machetes simply scare visitors" [sic].

Knols:

Mention ‘Africa’ to Tom, Dick and Harry and ask them to characterize it in one word. How likely will it be to hear descriptions like ‘starvation’, ‘famine’, ‘Aids’, ‘war’, ‘political unrest’, ‘poverty’, ‘corruption’ and ‘disease’. What would you say if you had to answer that question? Would you pay money to book a trip to a continent like that?

He relies on data from the UNWTO for the tourism numbers, but only offers his own unsubstantiated opinion for the causal link between negative perceptions and the 5% "share" figure that he claims is low.

The facts run counter to his opinion, however, as a 2007 BBC story points out (and other more technical policy research also supports):

The reality is that it is infrastructure - not safety - that is holding much of the continent's tourist potential back. 

A bit of discussion followed on the Fodor's Africa forum. It's unfortunate that "negative perceptions" keeps being trotted out as the challenge (including by several of the commentators on the Knols post), when what's needed is infrastructure (and human) development. This distracts well-intentioned supporters from their focus on something that has been proven to make a real difference.

Yes, tourism boards and countries across Africa could do much more and much better about their international reputations, but I'd like to see some quality data showing a causal link of the sort shown with infrastructure.

On Africa's small share of global tourism