The Reimagining Heritage, Archives and Museums: Today/Tomorrow convening took place from 13th to 15th February 2024 at the Homecoming Centre in Cape Town.
On the afternoon of the convening’s second day, delegates and speakers had the pleasure of an awe-inspiring performance delivered by Gregory Maqoma – South African contemporary dancer, choreographer, teacher, writer and creative director. The electrifying staging, entitled Genesis 1, was an interpretation of the human body as a museum of spirit.
The performance set the tone for the Heritage and Spirit discussion, which was the last for day two and included Gogo Khanyakude (iSangoma and Indigenous Knowledge Educator), Azah Mphago (Multi-instrumentalist, Composer and Producer), Motsane G. Seabela (Curator: Anthropology at DITSONG: National Museum of Cultural History), Jay Pather (Professor at the University of Cape Town, Director at the Institute for Creative Arts; Performance Theorist, Choreographer and Curator). Mwenya Kabwe (Theatremaker, Performer, Educator) served as moderator.
This discussion focused on indigenous knowledge systems and African spiritualities, looking at how heritage can be better understood and appreciated in these contemporary times and in current to future generations.
“This session will address some of the different ways that heritage is constituted, in the context of African spiritualities and indigenous knowledge systems. It will consider what some of the questions are to be asking of museums and other heritage spaces that collect, preserve, and display in a particular way. It will consider what ideas and terminologies continue to be restrictive, and what practices already exist that can help us rethink a relationship between heritage spaces and African spiritualities,” said Kabwe, in the introduction.
Watch the full video below to see how these important factors were debated, as well as the core concerns addressed and visions highlighted.
