A considered observation of post-apartheid South Africa leaves me with a feeling of excitement due to what I consider to be the existence of possibilities for one to make something out of one's experience as a spirit that is undergoing an earthly experience. The recent ''major'' events that have occurred within the spheres of arts, politics, economics, education, health, minerals and energy, engineering, science and technology etc. construct a fairly interesting landscape, in the broad sense of the word, of our country. Professionally, I am a theatre maker and I am inevitably challenged to make sense of my country, region, continent and the world at large. I must confess that the speed at which events or various daily socio-economic and/or political situations unfold; the variety and density of words uttered by myself and fellow (South) Africans across the social and political spectra; and the humanly actions that are played-out on the stage that is our country, region, continent and globe tend to overwhelm me. I am not at all complaining about this, nor am I being negative in my perception of how our post-apartheid, post-colonial, post-modern and world(s) of post-posts seems to be taking shape. As an artist, I am compelled to be reflective, inquisitive, alert and open-minded in my navigation of the world(s) that I inhabit. Of course, the question then becomes: what is my proposal regarding how one should/could be like in engaging with one's world(s) and their post-post character(s). This question must be asked and answered so that one moves away from the self-indulgence resulting from the lazy exercise of merely posing questions and then choosing to leave other parties to answer the question(s).
In engaging with the above-posed question, I can only speak about my current artistic preoccupations and/or undertakings. Yes indeed, I am one of the incubators participating in the Joule City Arts Incubator Programme, which comprises of Visuals Arts, Performa Arts and African Knowledge Systems Incubators. The participants of each incubator are diverse in the true sense of the word based on their professional practice, background, interest, culture, politics etc. Essentially, Joule City Arts Incubator with reference to an arts practice model and paradigm is somewhat a re-visitation of Incubation, which is quite a classical paradigm and/or practice employed in the territory of scientific, philosophical and artistic enquiry and production. South African performance arts, particularly from 1948-1994 employed the paradigm of Incubation to a minor extent, in the form of Performing Arts Councils. Incubation, as it is realised through the Joule City Arts Incubator Programme literally provides a focused space for its incubators i.e. participating artists; to engage in collaborative processes of art creation. It is by no means a utopia given the inherent challenges and potholes of collaboration. It's interdisciplinary character inspires and forces one to be open-minded, reflective, inquisitive and alert across the board. Given the complexities that underlie the post-post world(s) that I and all of us do inhabit, I do admit that I am in a privileged position to be sharing the thought expressed in this blog post. It is my current experiences at the Joule City Performa Arts Incubator, coupled with my privileged status of being a postgraduate student of the theatre at the University of Cape Town and so many other experiences shaping my informing aspect; that enable me to propose that critical collaboration, fluidity, conscious multiplicity, activism beyond picketing and dialogue other than safe conferencing are necessary characteristics in being a 21st century animal.
Hopefully, the pragmatics of my proposal are somehow articulated.
By the way, the 20th of June 2013 marks the official opening of Joule City (1st Floor Spracklen Building 107 Longmarket Street Cape Town). The event is themed as Black Swan and commences at 17h30018h00.
Too much rhetoric needs to be diluted by good music and wine!!!!!!!!
Salute!
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