A DESTINATION OF CHOICE– NELSON MANDELA MUSEUM … · Nelson Mandela. Mission A centre of excellence that preserves, disseminates knowledge, interprets and upholds the values and

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"There is nothing like returning to a place that remains unchanged to find the ways in which you yourself have altered." Nelson Mandela

NELSON MANDELA MUSEUM FIRST EDITION APRIL—SEPTEMBER 2017

Contact Us

Tel: 047 501 9500

Fax : 047 532 3345

www.nelsonmandelamuseum.or

g.za

SITES OF IMPORTANCE IN THE LIFE OF NELSON

MANDELA IN MTHATHA

EDITORIAL TEAM

Pumeza Mandela

Solomzi Bovana

Mthunzi Zungu

Fumanekile Wisani

Nelson Mandela’s grave at his homestead in Qunu

Africa Mission Church in Qunu where Nelson Mandela

was christened

Sliding Stone at the Nelson Mandela

Youth and Heritage Centre in Qunu

Tourists on a village tour crossing

Qunu River to Africa Mission Church

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FIRST EDITION NELSON MANDELA MUSEUM APRIL TO SEPTEMBER

A DESTINATION OF CHOICE– NELSON

MANDELA MUSEUM MTHATHA

https://web.facebook.com/NelsonMandelaMuseum/ https://twitter.com/MandelaMuseum

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FOREWORD by the chairperson

T he Museum has just presented its 2016-2017 annual report and this happened at the time at

which the great canvas of a united South Africa free of segregation and racial intolerance is beginning to show fissures, as bonds of social cohesion show signs of weakening and colours of the rainbow nation begin to fade. Current local and global developments which threaten to undermine Nelson Mandela’s vision for a better world for all continue to reinforce the need for the Museum to engage on key issues impacting society today. From the conflict in the Middle East, continued civil wars in Sudan, resurgence of conflicts in the Great lakes region, religious

fundamentalism in east and western African states of Kenya and Nigeria or increasing inequality and youth unemployment in South Africa, are all challenges that require a focused leadership that share the ideals that Nelson Mandela stood for. His commemoration should be a constant reminder and a memorial that rekindles our commitment to global humanity and an inspiration for all the peoples of the world to work tirelessly and selflessly to create a world free of hunger, poverty, inequality, disease, and indeed, a just world free of conflict and suffering. This is the world Nelson Mandela struggled and sacrificed for. As elegantly captured by Mandela during the historic Rivonia Trial in the early 1960’s “During my lifetime I have dedicated myself to the struggle of the African people. I have fought against white domination, and I have fought against black domination. I have cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society in which all persons live together in harmony and with equal opportunities. It is an ideal which I hope to live for and to achieve. But if needs be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die.” The Nelson Mandela Museum is more than just preserving Nelson Mandela’s legacy and exhibiting the gifts he received from the peoples of the world, it is a platform for social dialogue and promotion of the ideals and

values that Nelson Mandela represents. Our programming ethos reflects an organisation whose plans are deeply steeped in education, social dialogue and community development over and above the necessary heritage resources management requirements. “ To build a South Africa and the world of Mandela’s dreams, we require a crop of leadership that embrace, live and propagate the key values of Ubuntu, honesty, integrity, respect and stewardship”. These are the values that the Museum Council has selected to be a platform around which to share Nelson Mandela’s vision for a better world. There is no better starting place to build leadership than educating the youth about building a better world, hence our programmes are biased towards youth leadership development. To realise a South Africa and the world on Mandela’s dreams we need committed leadership in schools, villages, churches, business, government and multilateral organisations. On behalf of the Nelson Mandela Museum, we invite all communities to walk this road with us in making sure that the narrative of Nelson Mandela and the liberation struggle is properly interpreted and championed by all South Africans in a global context. Vuyani Jarana Chairperson: Nelson Mandela Museum.

Sindiso Mfenyana is a struggle

veteran who had a privilege to rub

shoulders with the ANC MK High

Command in 1960 . The political

veteran of the African National

Congress who is currently serving

in the Integrity Committee .

Sindiso Mfenyana is the author of

the book called ‘’Walking with

Giants’’.

In the book he records in a

refreshingly straightforward way

how he and his comrades

experienced

life in South Africa in the 1950.

His politicization in Cradock

through such events as 1952

Defiance Campaign and later at the

university of Fort Hare give the

background for his recruitment into

the ANC underground.

The book is sold for R200.

You can purchase it via South

African History Online.

Go to www.sahistory.org.za ON SALE R200

TABLE OF

CONTENT

1. PAGE 2 CHAIRPERSON FOREWORD

2. PAGE 3 CEO OVERVIEW

3. PAGE 4 ABOUT THE MUSEUM

4. PAGE 6 NMM WINTER SCHOOL

5. PAGE 7 NMM NEW RECRUITS

6. PAGE 8 IN THE FOOTPRINTS

7. PAGE 10 NMM TRAVELLING EXHIBITIONS

8. PAGE 14 NMM DONATE WAITING ROOM TO A RURAL CLINIC

9. PAGE 15 NMM STAFF MEMBERS

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MUSEUM PERSONNEL


Nonceba Sifika Sec.

Facilities & Logistics

Manager

Mtshutshisi Tyalakhulu

General Assistant Pumeza Mandela

Collection &

Conservation Manager

Ongezwa Kula Executive Assistant

Monwabisi Madikizela Exhibition Assistant

Zibekile Mrebelele Collections Officer

Tembakazi Mvitshane Tours Co-Ordinator

David Mqamelo Human Resources Manager

Monde Mgodlana Facilities Officer

Ncediwe Ndima Human Resources Officer

Thembile Mkhohliwe Supply Chain Manager

Unathi Songca Public Relations Officer

Ncebakazi Ncapai Tour Guide

Siviwe Mazwana Admin Officer-Qunu

Zimisele Gamakhulu Tour Guide

Nokuzola Tetani Sen. Manager Public Engagement

Sibulele Makhutha Financial Controller

Nozodwa Matikinca Comm, Liaison, Events Outreach Officer

Fumanekile Wisani Communication Officer

Vision

Inspire positive change in society through the legacy and values of Nelson Mandela. Mission A centre of excellence that preserves, disseminates knowledge, interprets and upholds the values and legacy of Nelson Mandela, to

promote social cohesion and nation building. Values Ubuntu • to help without looking for personal gain. Stewardship • Custodians of Nelson Mandela’s legacy Integrity • to inculcate honesty and respect

Service excellence • to ensure qualitative and satisfactory service delivery. Development and learning • to be the hub of information sharing. Innovation • To be creative in developing new ideas

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Zimele Senior Secondary School will represent the Eastern Cape province in the Northern Cape after it was selected as an overall winner at the Schools Essay competition held at Nelson Mandela Museum. The event was organised by the Heritage Education Schools Outreach Programme (HESOP), which is a joint initiative with the National Heritage Council (NHC) in collaboration with the Department of Basic Education (DBE), South African National Parks (SANParks), National Arts Council (NAC), the National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF) and Palaeontological Scientific Trust (PAST). HESOP is an annual programme that

equips learners with research skills. Schools are provided with research topics where learners compete from district to provincial level. Provincial winners then compete with each other at national level. Schools that participated at Mthatha were Zimele S.S.S, St Johns S.S.S and Mthatha High School. Zimele S.S.S emerged as the winner that will represent the EC province in the Northern Cape at the Mokala National Park. Topics Participating schools were given three research topics to research, namely O.R Tambo Centenary celebrations, National Heritage Resources Act 25, of 1999 and the National Heritage Act 11, of 1999, 100 year of the sinking of SS Mendi & the 40 year commemoration of the brutal killing of Steve Biko. With regard to O.R. Tambo’s historical contribution to the struggle, learners were expected to highlight their observations on whether South Africans, especially civil servants and politicians, are emulating the values that O R Tambo stood for. Explain how, and if not, what is it that needs to be

done to address issues of socio-economic upliftment and advancement, education,

women’s empowerment and the promotion of arts, culture and heritage initiatives. With regard to National Heritage Resource Act 25, of 199? and the National Heritage Act 11, of 1999; Learners were expected to identify forms of intangible cultural heritage/living heritage that are under threat/vulnerable. Suggest ways in which they could be preserved and promoted for the benefit of the current and future generations. Highlight and give description of the forms under threat, its importance, the threats and possible interventions. Highlight the importance of living heritage in forging social cohesion, nation building and national identity. With regard to the SS Mendi and Steve Biko; Learners were expected to identify forms of tangible cultural heritage in their communities and discuss the significance and relevance of these sites in the new South Africa. Learners must suggest ways in which they could be preserved and promoted for the benefit of the current and future generations. Finals will be held from the 2nd—6th of October 2017, at the Mokala National Park, Northern Cape.

Picture: NMM Council Chairperson Vuyani Jarana with COGTA Minister Des Van Rooyen and KSD Mayor Dumani Zozo handing over a Childrens waiting to Chief Nokwanele Balizulu on behalf of Qunu Clinic

In celebrating Mandela International Day for Freedom, Justice and Democracy, Nelson Mandela Museum has followed in the footprints of its Patron ( Nelson Mandela) through a sustainable rural development approach aimed at restoring dignity to rural communities. The Nelson Mandela Museum and its partners donated a children’s waiting room to the Qunu clinic which is undergoing upgrades. Ceilings were also donated to Milton Mbekela S.S.S, Qunu to refurbish the dilapidated classrooms. Furthermore, Africa Rising and British America Tobacco donated thousand seedlings to the

community of Qunu. “The identification of these sectors is informed by its basic human right status which our patron Nelson Mandela was a champion-of. As a museum, we would be failing Madiba’s vision and aspirations of rural community development if we were to do nothing. As Nelson Mandela Museum we could not fold our arms , hence we saw it befitting to donate a children’s waiting room to accommodate clinic visitors / patients who at times had to wait outside due to overcrowding. Secondly, the refurbishment of a ceiling at Milton Mbekela S.S.S will help improve infrastructure and restore dignity to the education system”, said Bonke Tyhulu, CEO of the Nelson Mandela Museum. The occasion was graced by the Nelson Mandela Museum council members, Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs David Douglas van Rooyen, Eastern Cape MEC Pemmy Majodina, Eastern Cape MEC Mlibo Qhoboshiyane, KSD Mayor Dumani Zozo, Local Chiefs and Ndaba Mandela.

The day also saw the department of Water and Sanitation in conjunction with the King Sabata Dalindyebo Municipality handing over blankets to Empilweni home and hand gloves to the Khanyisa Children’s home. The days program ended with the dialogue at the Nelson Mandela Museum Bhunga building premises. The theme of the dialogue was on Critical Reflections on the Legacies of Oliver Reginald Tambo and Nelson Mandela. Speakers for the dialogue were Professor Balintulo who talked on Africa through the eyes of Tambo and Mandela, Dr Buhlungu on locating Tambo and Mandela values within the Liberation Struggle and Dr Tom on the Meaning of Tambo and Mandela. The organised activities were a joint partnership between Nelson Mandela Museum , Department of Arts and Culture, Department of Public Works, Office of the Premier Eastern Cape, Department of Sport Recreation Arts and Culture, Department of Water and Sanitation , KSD Local municipality, British America Tobacco Company and Africa Rising.

NELSON MANDELA MUSEUM DONATES CHILDRENS WAITING ROOM AND CEILING MATERIAL

ZIMELE S.S.S WINS SCHOOLS ESSAY COMPETITION

Picture: Learners from Zimele S.S.S at the Nelson Mandela Museum

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CEO overview

W elcome to Nelson Mandela Museum, one of the historical sites associated with Nelson Mandela.

Located in three sites (Mvezo, Bhunga and Qunu), Nelson Mandela Museum is mandated to preserve the values of Nelson Mandela. This is a mammoth task considering the calibre of the former world statesman. A colossal leader, Madiba, affectionately called by his clan name, became synonymous with nation building, social cohesion, world peace, etc. The first Newsletter comes during the centennial year of Oliver Reginald Kaizana Tambo, born on 27 October 1917 in the sublime village of Nkantolo, Mbizana. A Bsc graduate from the University of Fort Hare, he redefined the meaning of being born poor and the drive to succeed in life. The friendship conceived at the University College of Fort Hare was to blossom further when they both established a law firm in Johannesburg. Poignantly, OR Tambo was the last president of the ANC and handed over the reins of power to his companion, Madiba. However, O.R. as his comrades

called him, never saw the fruits of freedom he toiled for about three decades crisscrossing the international countries, establishing partnerships for his beloved country, South Africa. But OR would have died a happy man as the seeds of his political leadership and education had started to germinate. In 2018 the world will be celebrating the Centennial of former president Nelson Mandela. This is also the year in which mama Nontsikelelo Albertina Sisulu would have celebrated her 100th birthday. A former nurse, Mama Albertina Sisulu, born from Xolobe in Tsomo (Eastern Cape) became a pillar of black politics and Black Nationalism. Madiba’s Centennial year is awaited with euphoria which once engulfed the country after his inauguration in 1994. The Mandela’s presidential period provided hope for a better world. The hope that the Centennial year will bring excitement is based on this period’s achievements. Indeed, shortly after Madiba took over office in 1994, signs of a rainbow nation emerged. The museum has redefined its strategic ethos informed by international museum trends and what Madiba had envisioned the museum to be. From ‘living the legacy’ which was used since its inception to ‘living the values,’ the new programming is designed to enhance community involvement. The use of available infrastructure is also a critical matter aligned with economic activities. The museum’s priority amongst others is to invest in its personnel. For example, the

constant improvement of tour guides’ and education officer’s skills are critical. These are the first contact with the world. The message to the world has to be in line with what the museum was established for. Since its inception in 2000, entrance to the museum was always free. However, changing global economic circumstances, a need to provide more programming and use of technology, as from 1 April 2018 entrance fee will be charged. The money will be used to improve the quality of guiding and produce more educational material. The absence of a parking space is not a secret. This situation hinders free access to the museum as visitors, especially with big busses, are forced to find parking far from the museum. Nonetheless, the museum is working on it. Exciting programmes for the Centennial year lie ahead. Together with its national and international partners, Nelson Mandela Museum will maintain Madiba’s international prestige. One of the programmes for 2018 is to publish a booklet on his values which will also be translated into all official languages. It will be shared with South Africans to better understand the values that drove Madiba. Enjoy reading this newsletter, and keep visiting the museum. Bonke Tyhulu Chief Executive Officer www.dispatchlive.co.za/news/2017/09/20/mugabe-way-off-madibas-moral-compass/

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Picture: Newly Revamped Nelson Mandela Museum Bhunga building site , Mthatha

The Bhunga Building in Mthatha is a landmark building with a history as complex as that of Nelson Mandela himself. Opened in the 1930s, it has seen successive political organisations come and go, from the colonials to the Transkei Parliament that sat there during apartheid, ironically once presided over by Nelson Mandela’s cousin, Chief Kaizer Matanzima. It is only fitting therefore that it now not only houses the physical artefacts of Nelson Mandela’s life, but also serves as a centre of learning, a place where Nelson Mandela’s philosophy is spoken of and passed on to all who visit. Nelson Mandela Museum was officially opened on the 11th of February 2000 after 10 years of

Nelson Mandela’s release from prison. It was President Nelson Mandela’s vision to open a museum that will house and showcase all gifts presented to him by the people of the world for viewing. The notion behind Mandela’s vision presented an opportunity to preserve the values Madiba stood for and to use Nelson Mandela Museum and its sites as a catalyst for rural development. The Nelson Mandela Museum is spread across 3 sites, namely Bhunga building Mthatha , Mvezo and Nelson Mandela Youth and Heritage Centre Qunu (NMYHC). Bhunga building which houses the main administration and focuses on the display of Nelson Madiba’s gifts ,

anecdotes about Nelson Mandela’s journey from early childhood to presidency , library and collections management aspects of the museum. Mvezo is the original birthplace of Nelson Mandela where he was born. Nelson Mandela Youth and Heritage Centre as a programming site of the museum, allows youth from various parts of South Africa and Internationally to come and learn about Nelson Mandela values. The objective of its establishment was to run structured youth programmes based on human rights, freedom and democracy. The Nelson Mandela Museum programs attract youth from all over the world to come and stay at the Nelson Mandela Youth and Heritage Centre, in Qunu. This involves learning and experiencing about the ways in which Nelson Mandela grew up and the sacrifices he made in order for South Africans to be free. The Nelson Mandela Youth and Heritage Centre offers modern conference facilities which consists of two boardrooms and two conference halls located atop a picturesque hill that overlooks the rolling hills Nelson Mandela writes about in his Long Walk to Freedom. The accommodation on site has

dormitories / chalets that can be shared by 4 people. This arrangement can accommodate 60 people. However, the Nelson Mandela Youth and Heritage Centre is temporarily closed due to upgrades. The NMYHC has a popular sliding stone where Rholihlahla once played with other children. Nearby are ruins of the primary school where Rholihlahla was given the name Nelson on his first day at school. Not far from the Nelson Mandela Youth and Heritage Centre are :

Nelson Mandela’s home

The Ruins of the church where he was christened

The Mandela family cemetery where Nelson Mandela’s parents and three children from the first marriage are buried.

Grave of Nelson Mandela at his residential place.

Nelson Mandela Museum offers guided tours free of charge with no entrance fee charged .

Nelson Mandela Museum has taken a further step to promote its programs, exhibitions, and its geographical location through Google Virtual Tour. Google Virtual Tour is an initiative of Google in partnership with Nelson Mandela Museum to promote Nelson Mandela Museum and its sites. The launch of the Virtual Tour took place in June 2017 at the Nelson Mandela Museum’s Bhunga Building in the city of Mthatha.

Google Virtual Tour provides interested tourist a glimpse of exhibitions currently on show at the Nelson Mandela Museum . To view Nelson Mandela Museum exhibitions, log on to www.nelsonmandelamuseum.org.za and click on View Nelson Mandela Museum Interactive .


NELSON MANDELA MUSEUM LAUNCHES GOOGLE VIRTUAL TOUR AND WEBSITE

ABOUT THE MUSEUM

What to see at the Nelson Mandela Museum Bhunga Building:

Meaning of Nelson Mandela exhibition

InConversation: Nelson Mandela and Chief Albert Luthuli

Gifts donated to Nelson Mandela by the people of the world

Library

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NELSON MANDELA MUSEUM INVADE PIETERMARITZBURG THROUGH TIME TRAVEL

From Left to Right: Zimisele Gamakhulu, Bonke Tyhulu, Mthunzi Zungu, Solomzi Bovana , Monwabisi Madikizela and Tau Lenkena

Nelson Mandela Museum and the Old Prison Museum hosted a Time Travel method to mark an apprehension of Nelson Mandela by the apartheid

Police. In advancing this initiative, the Nelson Mandela Museum in Mthatha in partnership with the Old Prison Museum, local schools and museums within Pietermaritzburg gathered at the Old Prison Museum to preserve the historical apprehension of Nelson aka David Motsamai Mandela while on his way to Transvaal after meeting with the ANC president Chief Albert Luthuli. The Time Travel method is a concept embraced by a number of Heritage and Cultural institutions in South Africa and in certain countries of the world in order to use local heritage sites and their anecdotes for educational purposes to achieve community building and social cohesion.

Nelson Mandela Museum embraced Time Travel method as a program with a potential to trace and revive Historical and Cultural heritage in order to enhance reconciliation, nation building and social cohesion through the use of dialogue and re-living the past incidents that shaped today’s society. The event provided active participation of community members, learners, educators and museum practitioners to impart knowledge, influence debate and research among leaners. The event re-lived was the night Nelson Mandela spent in the prison or police station in Pietermaritzburg after his capture in Howick on the 5th of August 1962.

The program further gave recognition to the past atrocities and persecutions suffered by Nelson Mandela and those who were opposed to apartheid. The exercise highlighted Nelson Mandela’s journey to 27 years of incarceration which is alleged to have started at the Old Prison cells where he spent a night before heading to Pretoria. The Old Prison which was closed in 1989 and later handed over to Project Getaway once housed a number of Political detainees like Alan Paton, Chief Albert Luthuli, Mahatma Gandhi. It is also alleged that Nelson Mandela spent the night in the old prison after his arrest in Howick.

From page 12

subhuman, no more advanced than the antelope in the next door”. It is this systematic violence of reducing people to things, which lays the groundwork for genocide; that presents itself in the current ethnographic display of personal effects, cultural objects and at some point body casts, which are in fact evidence of a “Colonial Crime Scene”, that now requires a rigorous “de-colonial” investigation. This “Colonial Crime Scene” caused Nelson Mandela to sharply invoke the law in his 1997 Heritage Day speech when he stated that “our cultural institutions cannot stand apart from our constitution and Bill of Rights. “Within the context of our fight for a democratic South Africa and the entrenchment of human rights, can we afford exhibitions in our museums depicting any of our people as lesser human beings, sometimes in natural history museums usually reserved for the depiction of animals? “Can we tolerate our ancestors being shown as people locked in time?” While the exhibition was a source of gratification and affirmation for the majority of Europeans and white South Africans who believed in the idea of white supremacy, to Mandela the exhibition was a blatant denigration and dehumanisation of African people. It reflected an undemocratic and exclusionary ethos, incompatible with the broader political vision of the newly born democratic state in which the museum itself is located. “What dignity do African people have when they are depicted and classified as ‘specimens’ in museums reserved for the depiction of animals?”

Mandela calls into question the individual and collective responsibility of the management of the museum, the curator, educator and the visitor. He challenges us to question whether the curators of the exhibition were acting as cultural imperialists of the postmodern age, when they were supposed to work with people as “cultural diplomats”? So we must ask, what is the sociological role of the museum in building a socially cohesive society? How does it unshackle itself from its founding ethos as a colonial instrument? Kasibe is a Chevening Scholar and currently a PhD candidate in Sociology, UCT. END The article has been sourced from Press reader and has been publicised by the Cape Times in the edition of the 14th of August 2017

Prize: R300

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047 501 9500 or

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Museum Corner Owen

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Mandela drive

Mthatha

BOARD GAME ON SALE

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COLONIAL HISTORY

ROOTED IN MUSEUMS

By Wandile Kasibe MUSEUMS hide in plain sight, but have a complicated colonial history – as observed by Ciraj Rassool, “South African museums have been reluctant to address these aspects of their history, choosing rather to portray the museum as benevolent… without any fundamental epistemological reassessment of the blood of colonial history.”

Picture: SKYSKANUNDER THE SPOTLIGHT: The Iziko South African Museum and planetarium at sunset. The writer questions the role of museums in dehumanising people. Rassool’s institutional critique against the involvement of the museum in “crimes against humanity” is relevant as South Africa’s oldest museums are now being taken to task for the role they have willingly played in the perpetuation of racial science, instituted to undermine the dignity of the African child. To uncover the “truth”, we must first ask: “What is a museum?” While the notion of a museum as “cabinets of curiosities, closets of rarities, and the wunderkammer” is generally believed to come from the European Renaissance, there has been a growing counter argument that suggests the notion of a museum is perhaps far older, and that “the most famous of the ancient world was the museum of Alexandria. [Sadly] very little is known about this museum and its functions. Yet it clearly was a source of inspiration for the development of modern museums at the beginning of the Renaissance” notes Hugh Genoways. This stands against the claim of the West as the “maker” of universal history and also shows how the museological concept was appropriated from the Egyptian model of inclusive scholarship and then used in

Europe as an extension of colonial domination, a tool of “othering” and a show of force, thus “birthing” the idea of the colonial museum. And it is this colonial museum that is dripping with blood. In South Africa, there is a long history with direct connections between the founding of the South African Museum and the institutionalisation of racism as a practice, for example, in 1906 the museum embarked on a Human Casting Project, to support the grandiose colonial idea that San people were going into extinction and were defined as the “missing link”, thus had to be studied and preserved in museums for future generations. It is this exclusion of indigenous people from humanity, where people were arbitrarily redefined as the “missing link” between monkey and man, that gave rise to the idea of extinction by evolutionists, such as Charles Darwin, who captures the full gravity of racial violence in his celebrated thesis, The Descent of Man and Selection in Relation to Sex. Darwin states: “At some future period, not very distant as measured by centuries, the civilised races of man will almost certainly exterminate and replace throughout the world the savage races. At the same time the anthropomorphous apes, as Professor Schaaffhausen has remarked, will no doubt be exterminated. “The break will then be rendered wider, for it will intervene between man in a more civilised state, as we may hope, than the Caucasian, and some ape as low as a baboon, instead of as at present between the negro or Australian and the gorilla.” Darwin’s evolutionary theories, although scientifically sound, here reveal the measure of the man. Darwin was a product of his time, and tragically, subscribed and contributed to the dominant violence of scientific racism. Darwin visited the Cape in 1836, and posthumously, his ideas of extinction found expression in the 1905 British Association for the Advancement of Science (Baas) conference, where AC Haddon stressed “the importance of racial measurement and classification… [and further] called for an accurate account of the natives of South Africa… for scientific use, and as a historical record… before the advance of civilisation began to obscure and obliterate all true traditions, customs, and habits of the South African peoples.”

Around the same time, European and “Western” “modernity” was positioning itself as the global leader of humankind through publicising racial science in displays in museums, zoos, universities and world fairs. For example in 1904, Ota Benga “The Congolese Pygmy”, was captured and exhibited at the St Louis World’s Fair, later at the American Museum of Natural History as a “live” “specimen”, and then at the Monkey House of the Bronx Zoo in New York in a cage with an orangutan with the sign “Missing Link”. This was the period of global spectacle and need to classify, and between 1907 and 1924 the South African Museum also sought to make its mark. Over 60 human casts were made by James Drury under the directorship of Louis Albert Péringuey. This practice included the acquisition of people’s human remains, their skeletons and skulls for craniometric research in museums. Patricia Davison highlights that Péringuey’s idea “…was aimed at making an accurate physical record of members of the few remaining groups of ‘pure-bred’ Bushmen and Hottentots.” These human casts later led to the installation of the notorious “Bushman” Diorama exhibition and from its installation in the 1960s until its closure in 2001, the Diorama had become the breeding ground for racial polarisation and colonial dogma. It is through Tamara Leora Meents’ observation that we see the darker side of the “Bushman” “Diorama”: “[T]hese [Khoisan] dioramas were represented in the Natural History wing of the SAM [South African Museum] – which also represented the animal kingdom, while simultaneously European culture was depicted within the cultural wing of the SAM. By grouping the Khoisan with elements of the natural world, the Khoisan were depicted as inherently ‘other’, situated not only outside of Western society but also outside humankind.” And Rena Singer brings to our attention the fact that the exhibition of indigenous people in a natural history museum was seen by most European scholars and the Victorian public as a “testimony to the long-held belief that blacks were continues in page 13

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BONKE TYHULU

The best way to deal with Zimbabwe President Robert Gabriel Mugabe’s recent criticism of Nelson Mandela is not to glorify his comments with a follow-up. However, it is also befitting that such comments are responded to. A comparison of Madiba and Mugabe is quite unfair for starters as Madiba opted for a one-term presidency while Mugabe has become a permanent president of Zimbabwe. When Madiba took presidency in 1994, the country was on the verge of financial collapse. With an option to ask for international financial support, he opted not to, avoiding a permanent debt. When Mugabe took over as president, his country was one of the shining examples of Africa’s development. Madiba’s legacy continues to be interpreted and relived by the world, including in Zimbabwe. Meanwhile in Zimbabwe, many nationals cannot wait for the day that their president finally steps down and the president is always treated medically in South East Asia as opposed to Madiba who was treated at home by his people. Both leaders tasted the sweet waters of the Tyhume River and strode through the valleys of Nkonkobe as they studied at the University of Fort Hare. They both came across some of Africa’s best academics in professors DDT Jabavu and ZK Matthews. Mugabe should be grateful that the white SA government even allowed him to study here. It is South Africa that made him. The president of Zimbabwe owes much to the people of South Africa who nurtured him through the University of Fort Hare. Yet Mugabe is like an ungrateful child who continues to demand and demand. It is also correct that more liberation fighters were arrested after he became president in Zimbabwe than before he took office. When Zimbabwe’s first lady faced the possibility of arrest for assaulting a young South African woman, our authorities granted her immunity she did not deserve.

From Madiba, the world learnt the true meaning of reconciliation and nation building. He lived by the value of justice and fairness. For that reason, when a rugby boss took him to court, he abided by the constitution of the country he led which stated all would be equal before the law. Another of Madiba’s values was self-sacrifice so others could benefit. And after only one term in a office, Madiba left, aware he could not be a permanent president, aware of the crop of young and able leaders in his organisation. He had learnt from greats such as OR Tambo and Walter Sisulu and had rubbed shoulders with Pan-Africanists such as Robert Sobukwe and Kenneth Kaunda. The presidency and legacy of Madiba cannot be confined into one of economic prosperity. It was during his term that many accessed healthcare at no cost to them. It was in his term that many students were admitted to university they would otherwise not have been had access to. It was during Madiba’s term that many people owned property for the first time. Through the Reconstruction and Development Programme, housing was provided while social grants were increased. Madiba lived his life led by his values, many of which he learnt from his comrades and friends in the struggle. One such value was respect. Respecting his comrades and his potential opponents became a pillar of his presidency. He completely respected the people of South Africa. Hence, when he straddled the world, he made sure the African continent was well represented. It was out of respect for his fellow South Africans that whenever the West wanted him to choose South Africa’s allies, he told the West their enemies were not South Africa’s. However, Mugabe misrepresents the people of Zimbabwe in world events where he is increasingly caught slumbering. Mugabe remains a funny character.

Whenever he gets an opportunity, he attacks the US. Yet strangely Zimbabwe’s currency is no longer in use. Zimbabwe, where anything American is supposedly despised, has resolved to use the US dollar. The country of Madiba, however, still uses its own currency. In the next few years, there will be many more Zimbabweans in South Africa. This is precisely due to South Africa’s economy inherited from Nelson Mandela. Instead of distributing land to his friends and comrades, Madiba opted to spread the redistribution of resources, among other things, returning those parcels of land forcefully taken from their owners. Indeed, there is no comparison between Madiba and Mugabe. Madiba was a world statesman. Mugabe has become a permanent president, determined to lead his country until he dies. After he failed to lead Zimbabwe to prosperity, his people wanted to remove him through the ballot, but elections were rigged. For Madiba, being president was never for personal enrichment. He did not treat South Africa as his personal fiefdom. The reason there is an international Mandela Day is because of Madiba’s international stature based on his principles of upholding the constitution. He protected the Freedom Charter which says, “South Africa belongs to all who live in it, black and white”. However, in terms of contract, Zimbabwe belongs to those who support the president. Bonke Tyhulu is the CEO of the Nelson Mandela Museum The article appeared in the daily dispatch newspaper of the

MUGABE WAY OFF MADIBA’S MORAL COMPASS

6

NELSON MANDELA MUSEUM FIRST EDITION APRIL—SEPTEMBER2017

The Department of Sport, Recreation, Arts and Culture (DSRAC) in the Eastern Cape hosted International Museum Day to raise awareness about the importance of Museums in cultural exchange, enrichment of culture, development of mutual understanding, and the preservation of history. The 18th of May serves as a day where planned events and activities are

earmarked to celebrate International Museum Day all over the world. Participation in International Museum Day is growing among museums. This year’s International Museum day saw DSRAC through its district museums and Heritage Sub- Directorate in collaboration with Engcobo Local Municipality, department of Education and various departments and parastatals hosting a District Build up International Museum Day Celebration at All Saints in Engcobo Local Municipality. The Department of Sport, Recreation, Arts and Culture further hosted the International Museum day in Sterkspruit where learners coming from the Joe Gqabi District Area were awarded certificates of participation in Oral Research program. The event saw a number of schools and community members embracing the occasion in order to know and understand the role and importance of museums. The organisers of the International Museum Day emphasized the importance of museums as centers of learning and recreation where community members can visit, schools for educational purposes and academics for their research on rich artefacts found in museums.

International Museum Day

Picture: Joe Gqabi District Learners gathered at Sterkspruit Hall to celebrate Interna-

tional Museum Day

Picture: Winter school Camp participants at the Nelson Mandela Museum Bhunga building site in Mthatha.

On the 28th of June to 03rd of July 2017 , the Nelson Mandela Museum converged learners for the Winter school camp. The learners were from different schools within the province of the Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal. The rationale for the gathering was to inspire , teach, and instil the values of Nelson Mandela to the learners. This was in honour of Nelson Mandela’s

love for education and children. The museum saw it befitting to look for learners coming from deep rural landscape of KwaZulu-Natal and Eastern Cape. The number of learners who participated in the Winter school camp were 30. In advancing Nelson Mandela’s values , the museum invited its pioneers all over South Africa to help learners fully understand the legacies and values of both O.R.Tambo and Nelson Mandela. The motive behind the establishment of a Winter School Camp programme was a result of an ideology shared by Nelson Mandela; where he dreamed of a Museum that will become a place to inspire youth in order to embrace and defend the freedom we enjoy. It is Nelson Mandela Museum’s objective to achieve Madiba’s dream through educational programs that seek to encourage youth to embrace Nelson Mandela’s values, of Integrity, Democracy, Human Rights etc. Winter School Camp participants were

introduced to Nelson Mandela and Oliver Tambo’s footprints within the Eastern Cape Province through guided tours. The visited sites of these giants of the struggle were Nelson Mandela Youth and Heritage Centre in Qunu, Nelson Mandela Museum Bhunga Building (showcasing gifts and exhibitions of Nelson Mandela), Mvezo (Nelson Mandela’s birthplace) , Mqhekezweni (where he grew up under Regent Jongintaba), Clarkebury (where Nelson Mandela studied), Nkantolo in Bizana (O.R.Tambo birth place), Ludeke Mission (where Nelson and Winnie Madikizela got married), Holly Cross Church in Flagstaff (where O.R. Tambo once studied). The visited sites became useful places for participants to know where these icons came from. Since its inception in 2007, the Nelson Mandela Museum Youth Camps have attracted more than 3000 learners provincially, nationally & internationally.

NELSON MANDELA MUSEUM WINTER SCHOOL CAMP ‘PROMOTE SOCIAL COHESION

AND NATION BUILDING”

11


By: Sthandiwe Mkhize The travel world has seen a phenomenal trend recently in travellers opting for Airbnbs rather than mainstream accommodation offerings. The online marketplace and hospitality service enables people to lease or rent short-term accommodation. Homestays, however, when travellers choose to stay at a local home, are not realising the rate of growth experienced by Airbnb, possibly because of negative perceptions about townships. Airbnb’s success has also been driven by technological advances, while homestay providers place less emphasis on marketing. I am making townships the focal point because of a growing rate of urbanisation and growing population concentrations around big cities such as Durban, Johannesburg and Cape Town. My conviction is that homestays offer a great economic opportunity for South African townships that is not adequately explored.

Credit should, however, be given to the South African government, which has aggressively shifted focus to market township tourism. Durban has taken a conscious drive towards it, affording townships opportunities to create streams of income and wealth through tours, such as the Inanda Heritage Route, Umlazi Tourism tours, and Clermont Umlando routes. There has been a significant shift to both international and domestic tourists visiting townships, but we need to increase overnight stays in townships. This, I believe remains a great opportunity for South African homeowners. Township homeowners should begin to take charge of these opportunities. In a given weekend, visitors take township tours and spend time at local shisanyamas (barbecue restaurants). Some travel to visit relatives and watch football at local stadiums. Why are these visitors not staying over in townships afterwards? I believe this is an opportunity that needs exploration and conversion to created jobs

and generate income for locals. The local marketing authorities, tour operators, tour guides, local businesses, and other stakeholders can make this opportunity real and sustainable and communities will embrace it.

Picture: Sthandiwe Mkhize, Group CEO , Thinking Pair Incubation Designs. Source: http://www.tourismupdate.co.za/article/121888/Township-tourism-presents-an-opportunity-for-homestays.

Township tourism presents an opportunity for homestays

around the world to Mrs. Parks and Mr. Mandela illustrating values and goals shared by two leaders born from different continents. Furthermore, it is an analytical portrayal of the two leaders by the children of the world on how they will like to see a non racial and a non sexist society where everyone enjoys equal rights, security peace and harmony. This exhibition is currently on show at Drostdy Museum in Uitenhage, Eastern Cape. To enquire about the Nelson Mandela Museum travelling exhibitions Contact Mr. Monwabisi Madikizela at 047 501 9500 .

Port Alfred Railway Station – pic sourced Port Alfred Railway Station, dating back to the early 1880s; Old Powder Magazine, Fort Glamorgan, East London, was used during the Seventh Xhosa War, also known as the War of the Axe, in 1846; Old Public Library, Argyle Street, East London, forms an integral part of the historical and architectural core of East London; Grey Hospital, King William’s Town, erected between 1856 and 1859 at the instance of Sir George Grey and intended mainly for black people; Anglo-Boer War concentration camp site, Uitenhage. This was one of the last of about 50 concentration camps established by the British during the Anglo-Boer War; and l Commemoration Church, High Street, Grahamstown, with its neo-Gothic style architecture which was erected to mark the silver jubilee of the arrival of the British settlers of 1820. Heritage sites and routes make us proud,

but it’s not only about pride, it’s also about the economy. Research shows that more and more travellers are seeking the authentic experience offered by cultural and heritage tourism. Tourists are looking for authentic places and the stories that go with them. I hope you will take time now and in the future to visit our province and country’s heritage sites to share our intertwined history, from one another and find common ground on our heritage. Happy Heritage Day. Phumulo Masualle is Premier of the Eastern Cape. Follow him on @EC_ Premier and on Facebook at Masincokole Sourced from: https://www.talkofthetown.co.za/2017/09/23/sites-routes-jewels-crown/

http://www.tourismupdate.co.za/author/2256/3/Sthandiwe-Mkhize

http://www.tourismupdate.co.za/article/121888/Township-tourism-presents-an-opportunity-for-homestays



http://www.tourismupdate.co.za/author/2256/3/Sthandiwe-Mkhize

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N elson Mandela Museum provides museums and libraries with an opportunity to loan its travelling

exhibitions to interested institutions. Interested parties are given an opportunity to keep these exhibitions for a duration of three to six months. Below is the information on travelling exhibitions currently on show at various provinces of South Africa. INCONVERSATION: NELSON MANDELA AND CHIEF ALBERT LUTHULI EXHIBITION The highly acclaimed Nelson Mandela Museum travelling exhibition called InConversation: Nelson Mandela and Chief Albert Luthuli is among the curated exhibitions owned by the Nelson Mandela Museum that are taken to various local, district and provincial cities of South Africa. This exhibition celebrates and acknowledges the extraordinary contributions and influence of the two internationally renowned struggle stalwarts, Nelson Mandela and Chief Albert Luthuli in the struggle for the liberation of the people of South Africa. InConversation: Nelson Mandela and Chief Albert Luthuli exhibition features values of these two great heroes, expressed in text and photographs, capturing actual conversations between them as well as those of associated comrades.

Picture: Engaging with InConversation: Mandela and Luthuli travelling exhibition The highly acclaimed is currently on show in Colesburg at Naportie Museum, Burgersdorp Museum Eastern Cape, Cultural museum in Polokwane, Nomoya Masilela Museum in Bethal ,

Mpumalanga and in Kraipan Museum Northwest. END “FOR MADIBA WITH LOVE” EXHIBITION

Picture: “For Madiba with Love” exhibition panels This is a photographic exhibition produced by David Turnley an acclaimed photographer who captured South Africa’s struggle between 1985 and 1994. The award winning Pulitzer Prize photographer further captured Nelson Mandela’s release and his family. Nelson Mandela Foundation in relationship with David Turnley has donated this intriguing exhibition to the Nelson Mandela Museum for viewing by its visitors. This acclaimed photographic exhibition features visuals between 1985 - 1994. The exhibition captures various moments of the struggle in South Africa and a variety of perspective: portraits of Nelson Mandela and his family, Political violence and police reactions; times of a necklace; the delight on a poverty-stricken girl’s face at her father’s antics; the contrast of a privileged, white schoolboy and the two black women passing by him. The much talked about photographic exhibition called “For Madiba with Love” by David Turnley is currently on show at Adelaide Museum , Eastern Cape. END PARENTING A NATION TRAVELLING EXHHIBITION Walter and Albertina Sisulu: Parenting a Nation explores the private and political lives of the Sisulu family during the apartheid struggle. The exhibition currently on show at Barkly East Museum, in Eastern Cape, gives viewers an in-depth understanding of their role in

the emancipation of South Africa, as well as of their deep love and abiding affection for one another. Items on display include Nelson Mandela’s desk calendar, which not only notes his blood pressure but also Walter Sisulu’s prison release date in 1989, as well as family photos. Mandela’s summing up of the couple is also highlighted: “One cannot talk about Walter without Albertina – they were an indomitable team,” he said. Theirs was “a unity of such deep friendship and mutual respect, a personal and political partnership that transcended and survived all hardships and persecution”. Walter and Albertina met at the General Hospital in 1941, where the latter was a nurse. Their extraordinary love story traversed 59 years. They married in 1944, with Mandela as best man, and went on to have five children. Even though they had a big family of their own to raise, Walter and Albertina dedicated their lives to the liberation of South Africa. Albertina Sisulu once said “Although politics has given me a rough life, there is absolutely nothing I regret about what I have done and what has happened to me and my family, throughout all these years. Instead, I have been strengthened and feel more of a woman than I would otherwise have felt if my life were different.” END “DEAR MR. MANDELA ….DEAR MRS. PARKS” CHILDREN’S LETTERS: GLOBAL EXHIBITION The Nelson Mandela Museum is proud to keep the spirit of ‘The Mother of Civil Rights’, in Mrs. Rosa Parks and the legacy of the ‘Father of Civil Rights’ , in Mr. Nelson Mandela alive. This exhibition is a collaborative effort between Nelson Mandela Museum, United States Embassy and Michigan State University. “Dear Mr. Mandela …Dear Mrs. Parks “Children’s Letters: Global Lessons Exhibition is a travelling exhibition launched in 2008 by the Nelson Mandela Museum. The exhibition showcases samples of letters written by hundreds of children

NELSON MANDELA MUSEUM BRINGS MUSEUM TO THE PEOPLE THROUGH ITS TRAVEL-LING EXHIBITIONS


The Nelson Mandela Museum Council appointed Mr Bonke Tyhulu as its new CEO. Mr Tyhulu is taking over from the then Acting CEO Ms. Malekgolaone Malapane.

Picture: Newly appointed CEO Bonke Tyhulu

The newly appointed CEO’s mandate is to make sure that Nelson Mandela Museum through its employees and stakeholders exercise excellent stewardship over Nelson Mandela’s Legacy. In strengthening its Executive Administration, Nelson Mandela Museum appointed Mr Mandisi Msongelwa as its Chief Financial Officer , Ms. Nelisiwe Thwala as a Heritage and Conservation Manager.

Picture: Newly appointed Chief Financial Officer Mr. Mandisi Msongelwa

The newly appointed CFO has to ensure an adherence to PFMA and GAAP/GRAP standards . Establish financial objectives in collaboration with the CEO and museum council , ensure sound financial management, including budgeting, accounting, auditing, purchasing, human resources, salaries and benefits,

insurance, taxes and contracts. Picture: Newly appointed Heritage and Conservation Senior Manager Ms. Nelisiwe Thwala.

The senior Manager for Heritage and Conservation will be responsible for the overall management of the Heritage and Conservation department.

Other New appointments Picture: Researcher Mr. Mthunzi Zungu

Picture: Education and Outreach Officer

Mr. Solomzi Bovana Picture: Tour Guide Mr. Phikolomzi Habe

Picture: IT Technician Lwandokazi Jara

Picture; Finance Admin officer Feziswa Ngomthi

NMM Newly Appointed Employees

Nelson Mandela Museum

at Durban Tourism Indaba Nelson Mandela Museum in Mthatha forms part of tourism industry players that reposition itself with intent to promote its offering to tourists , Tour Operators be it local, national and international. To leverage itself, the museum attends the annually held tourism indaba’s and expos in Durban and Cape Town. These expos offer Nelson Mandela Museum a platform to interact and

mingle with small and big tourism players from all over the world. This also helps Nelson Mandela Museum to profile and market the Nelson Mandela Museum brand nationally and internationally. Nelson Mandela Museum’s participation in these expos has triggered interest from tour -operators to include Nelson Mandela Museum in their tour packages.

Did you know

that Gadla Henry

Mphakanyiswa ,

the father of

Nelson died in

1927 and Nelson

had to stay with

regent Jongintaba

Dalindyebo

8


Nelson Mandela Museum Roving Camera

MEC Pemmy Majodina, KSD Mayor Dumani Zozo, Minister of COGTA Des Van Rooyen, Qunu Chief Ms. Nokwanele Balizulu and MEC Mlibo Qoboshiyane

Ms. Brigalia Bam at the Nelson Mandela Learners in front of the Mandela Legacy Canvas at the Museum Mrs O.R.Tambo contestants at the museum

Learners at the museum International tourists viewing exhibitions at the museum Daily Dispatch Crew at the Museum

MEC Pemmy Majodina at the Museum An Eastern Cape Craft hub curio shop at the museum

COGTA Minister Des Van Rooyen Donated Presidents Pen photo frame of Nelson Mandela

Nelson Mandela Museum Coffee Table

book called “A Guide to Long Walk to

Freedom Exhibition.

Prize: R 35O

Call Nelson Mandela Museum Finance

Dep to place an order @ : 047 501 9500

or purchase directly at the Nelson

Mandela Museum Corner Owen street &

Nelson Mandela drive Mthatha

BOOK ON SALE

9

The Nelson Mandela Museum bade farewell to its long serving CFO

and Education and Outreach Officer for their positive contribution to

the museum.

The outgoing CFO Mr. Mfuneko Mdludlu started working for the

Museum in 2007 until 2017.

The outgoing Education and Outreach officer Ms. Bongiwe Qotoyi

started at the Museum in 2009 and left the museum in 2017 .

The museum wishes them well in their future endeavours


NELSON MANDELA MUSEUM BID FAREWELL TO ITS

LONG SERVING STAFF MEMBERS

SITES, ROUTES JEWELS IN THE CROWN By Phumulo Masualle Designated heritage routes, as diverse as the Makala, Sandile, the Maqoma, Phalo and the Nelson Mandela routes; historic sites such as the Commemoration Church, High Street, Grahamstown and the City Hall, Oxford Street, East London, symbolise our collective history, culture and landscape. Reviewing the list of Eastern Cape heritage locations provides an impressive history lesson, a sense that community and the cycle of seasons and life are more important than the incessant ticking away of seconds, minutes, and hours. We can all learn why liberty is important by preserving and protecting our history and culture. Our heritage sites and routes support an integrated, socially cohesive society by building bridges to promote intercultural understanding; or that foster citizenship, civic memory, civic pride, and respect for core democratic values grounded in our history. True, cultural diversity is what makes South Africa great. Our diversity has given us delicious food, upbeat music,

vibrant clothing and so much more! But most importantly our heritage and culture teachers us resilience through determined and unyielding spirit. Every city, town, village and community has its own culture and heritage. That is why Eastern Cape tourism has unveiled many heritage sites, trails and routes across our province to tell the stories of places, people and leaders who have contributed to the historical legacy of our province. Here are a few which define who we are and where we come from: Four heritage routes, the Makana, Sandile, the Maqoma and Phalo routes, tell the history of our province, from author Olive Schreiner’s house, King Sandile’s grave, the Battle of Centane, the Steve Biko Garden of Remembrance to the Bhisho Massacre Monument. The Nelson Mandela Route, which starts in King William’s Town, moves through Bhisho, and takes a scenic drive on the N2 to Mthatha, which hosts the Nelson Mandela Museum. The Nelson Mandela Museum houses a collection of heritage sectors spread across three locations: Qunu, Mvezo and Mthatha. A display reflecting the life and

times of Mandela can be found here. The Art Museums of Port Elizabeth reflect the rich diversity of cultural groups in the Eastern Cape, offering South African art, particularly that of the province, British art, international printmaking and Oriental art. If you are a colonial history enthusiast, the following sites will quench your thirst: Fort Murray, Zwelitsha district, built in 1834 by Sir Benjamin D’Urban when he annexed all the land between the Keiskamma and the Kei Rivers as part of the Cape Colony and called it the Province of Queen Adelaide; Old Gaol, Van der Walt Street, Burgersdorp. This gaol was completed in 1861 and played an important role during the Anglo-Boer War and the Rebellion of 1914; Anglo-Boer War Blockhouse, Aliwal North, which was a strategic point for the British during the Anglo-Boer War against the Boer commandos; Methodist Church, York Road, Bathurst, built in 1832 by settlers who belonged to the Methodist Church; Continues at page11

My Zone: Poems Written

by the Nelson Mandela

Museum Youth Camp

Participants.

Prize : R70

Call Nelson Mandela

Museum Finance Dep to

place an order @ : 047 501

9500 or purchase directly at

the Nelson Mandela

Museum Corner Owen

street & Nelson Mandela

drive Mthatha

BOOK ON SALE

Documents

A DESTINATION OF CHOICE– NELSON MANDELA MUSEUM … · Nelson Mandela. Mission A centre of excellence that preserves, disseminates knowledge, interprets and upholds the values and