Buurtzorg

A lot of older people in Stellenbosch become more lonely over time and need help, but they choose to stay where they are because they don’t feel ready for a retirement village or old age home. In recognition of this, and inspired by a concept already put into practice in The Netherlands by a large network of people, Stellenbosch Buurtzorg has been established.

Several wonderful volunteers have already signed up to Stellenbosch Buurtzorg and are now helping people with shopping, driving them to appointments, playing games, reading aloud or simply visiting and chatting.

If you would like to join them, please contact Carin Coetzer on 083 627 9987 or at
stellenboschbuurtzorg@gmail.com.

Youth Outreach

Rather than giving money to children and homeless people on the streets, South Africans are often urged to financially support organisations that will help these people to become self-sufficient.

One such organisation is Youth Outreach, a care centre in Stellenbosch that provides security and education for vulnerable children and young people in a boys’ and a girls’ home, and equips them with life skills. It also provides drop-in services for vulnerable youngsters still living at home but needing nutritional and
therapeutic support.

GoKids, a play school in Jamestown, is a drop-in centre where children between the ages of four and six are given a nutritious meal every morning and the opportunity to play and learn while having fun. Many of the activities devised for them will prepare them for life at school. They are also provided with clean clothes and learn about basic personal hygiene, like washing hands. When they are old enough, GoKids helps their parents with school applications and provides the new learners with clothes, shoes and stationery.

In the afternoons, children from a local primary school come to the centre to receive a nutritious meal and help with homework, reading and other academic activities. Friday afternoons, however, are given over to fun!

Youth Outreach’s biggest need is financial assistance. If you can help, call 021 886 6216 or send an email to yo.stellenbosch@gmail.com.

It activates on universal human values that people want control over their own lives, strive to maintain or improve their quality of life, and seek social interaction and ‘warm’ relationships with others. The first level of aid is volunteers who have a caring heart and time to spare – and there are a lot of them in Stellenbosch. All we need is a network that connects older people seeking care and those willing to give it.

Stellenbosch Feeding in Action

The primary focus of Stellenbosch Feeding in Action is to boost food security locally and in doing so to improve the quality of life of those in need. Providing food, gas and appliances for preparing balanced meals, it currently serves about 12 500 meals per week to more than 5 000 individuals at 60 feeding points in the wider Stellenbosch area.

The organisation focuses primarily on feeding children in need, less fortunate senior citizens, and the sick and homeless. It also supplies community groups and crèches with food to bolster their limited budgets.

Communities really in need are the focus of its efforts and it has, for example, established a new feeding point at La Colline, which also serves Lapland flats, and one at Idas Valley. Supporting communities by providing them with nutritious meals makes a big difference to people’s lives and brings them new hope. Any support, financial or in the form of dried food supplies, is welcome. Send an email to feedingaction@gmail.com. V

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The sudden and severe weather left many homes damaged, streets flooded, and communities in need of support. We salute Stellenbosch Municipality for the effective and speedy reaction to the devastation of yesterday’s storm and multiple fires in our town.

The Stellenbosch Municipality has established a drop-off point at the Stellenbosch Fire Station. If you want to lend a helping hand, considering donating clothes, blankets, bedding, toiletries, and non-perishable food items. These donations will be distributed to affected communities throughout the municipal area.

For monetary donations, please utilise the Stellenbosch Municipality Charitable Account:

Bank: FNB

Account number: 62869253733 SWIFT code:

FIRNZAJJ

Reference: Disaster

Together, and with every act of kindness, Stellenbosch will remain strong!

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Choose from the following 2021 vintages: Mason Road Serendipity Rosé, Mason Road Chenin Blanc, and Mason Road Syrah.

The beneficiary: Project Flamingo

Project Flamingo changes the lives of cancer patients dependant on the public health care system where massive delays in treatment are often a harsh reality. Every donated rand makes a difference, and every cent goes to more timely and holistic cancer care.

Project Flamingo volunteers, which include surgeons and anaesthetists, make their services and expertise available over weekends or afterhours at Groote Schuur and Tygerberg hospitals in Cape Town, as well as Livingstone hospital in Gqeberha and Cecilia Makiwane Hospital in East London, to patients in need of life-saving breast cancer surgery.

The hard cost of each surgery is approximately R6,000 in nursing and consumable fees. Driven by a group of passionate volunteers, Project Flamingo initiatives do not only include these life-saving Catch-Up Surgeries, but also caring pamper packs to newly diagnosed cancer patients, food parcels to chemo patients in need, student education, cancer advocacy work and support to the diagnostic breast clinics at the various hospitals where they are active.

Contribute to Project Flamingo

Buy Brookdale’s Mason Road wines on the Getwine website at the promotional price of R99 per bottle, sold in cases of six (R594 per case), with free delivery countrywide (orders of 12 bottles or more), and Brookdale and Getwine will donate R10 per bottle sold of the 2021 Mason Road Serendipity Rosé, Mason Road Chenin Blanc, and Mason Road Syrah to Project Flamingo.

Good to know: Minimum order is six bottles (no mixed cases). Valid for orders 1-31 October 2022 only.

The winemaker

Set against the dramatic backdrop of the Klein Drakenstein mountains in Paarl, Brookdale enjoys a unique terroir. It’s here that the talented young winemaker Kiara Scott made news as South Africa’s youngest female head winemaker when she took the reins in 2019, at the age of 26 years old.

She was born on the Cape Flats and graduated from Elsenburg Agricultural Training Institute in Viticulture and Oenology in Stellenbosch and was selected for the prestigious Cape Winemakers’ Guild Protégé Programme. Under Kiara’s stewardship the wines of Brookdale have received global acclaim, securing Brookdale’s reputation as a producer of a wine of character and elegance. Kiara is passionate about her wines, but also about making the world a better place and supporting breast cancer patients through this Brookdale/Getwine initiative in aid of Project Flamingo.

ALSO READ: Positive and pink

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Coalition of tree-preneurs still going strong

Wildlands is still going strong and have gone out of their way over the past few months to beautify Stellenbosch.

“Wildlands, in partnership with the Stellenbosch Trail Fund (STF), Trees-SA, Stellenbosch Municipality and Stellenbosch University have planted close to 700 trees, nurtured by our tree-preneurs, in Dwars River as well as 400 Arum Lilies along the Eerste Rivier in the last two months,” says Lydia van Rooyen, project manager of Wildlands on Stellenbosch.

“The teams continue to work hard and aim to restore ecological river systems by removing alien invasive plants and replacing them with indigenous riverine vegetation.”

“Last week, the Stellenbosch team continued with their restoration efforts by planting an additional 26 big indigenous trees, most of which have been donated by residents who live along the river and who wanted to commemorate family members, or to celebrate a birth or a life of a loved one.”

“They will continue planting between 250 – 500 liter bags in celebration of the upcoming Arbour Week which is celebrated annually on the 1st week of September.”

Learners from Paul Roos Gimnasium, on behalf of their PRG Societas association, also planted five large indigenous trees on the banks of the Eerste River close to the school to commemorate former learners.

Matt Kruger: 100 km in 24 hours for children

Elbé van Heerden

“If I could have a crazy dream and make it into a reality in a mere two months, how much more can we turn a child’s dream into a reality if we fostered it over years?”

Matthew Kruger had a crazy idea one morning, two months ago, while lying in bed. He wanted to do something to make a difference. One that would really impact children in the community.

As such he attempted to complete 100 km’s of open road in only 24 hours. He did, after only two months of training, finish this feat in only 21 hours!

“I have been doing marketing for various non-profit organisations for years, but I have always been in the background. This time I wanted to give something back.”

An avid sportsman and runner, Matt can be seen running over obstacles all around Stellenbosch as part of his urban running movement. “I created UOR (Urban Obstacle Running) a few years ago and it has since become so much bigger. I realised, after doing some research, that there was no clear rulebook that existed for urban running. So I started writing one.” (Look out for the cleverly placed I <3 Urban Obstacle Running stickers throughout town).

His book on Urban Obstacle Running is a new take on this modern sport that has been around for only a few years. But with no rules and regulations he created a grading system, started naming and penning down rules and adding structure. His passion for the sport has spilt over into the community and he now has a bunch of kids that train with him.

Celebrating some of Stellenbosch’s leading women entrepreneurs

Did you know that, according to The World Bank, Africa is the only region in the world where more women than men choose to become entrepreneurs?

Yet, in South Africa, where women constitute more than half of the population, they are far less likely to run businesses of their own. In fact, only nine out of every 100 women in South Africa are actively involved in entrepreneurship. This is because women-led business tend to receive less attention than their male counterparts. So this month, Stellenbosch Network sat down with four of the community’s top female business leaders to shine a light on what encouraged them to become an entrepreneur and how being a woman has helped shape their journey.

For Lynne Rippenaar-Moses, the founder and managing director of PR and communications agency, Wrap It Up PR & Communications, the presence of women entrepreneurs at home, mixed with a desire to use her skills to make a difference in society, inspired her to become an entrepreneur herself.

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Masked Masterpieces

Aptly named Masked Masterpieces: masks will be superimposed on famous South African artworks, the originals are all in public spaces in an around Stellenbosch and displayed outdoors in supersized format providing a powerful visual reflection of the challenges of our time.

The artists’ stories are displayed on plaques alongside the artworks, as well as information about the artwork, where the original can be viewed and how to make a donation by way of a Snapscan code or bank transfer. These donations will be administered by SU and will assist in funding bursary students who have been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Ensuring sustainability

“At the start of the lockdown in South Africa, our Rector (Prof Wim de Villiers) made it clear that the University has two overriding priorities: to ensure that students can successfully complete their academic year, and to ensure the sustainability of our institution. This initiative, run by the Development and Alumni Relations Division (DAR) in collaboration with our partners in the private sector, is therefore in direct response to his statement,” says Pieter Swart, Director: Major Gifts and Transformational Giving at SU’s Development & Alumni Relations Division.

Maties who are set to benefit from this initiative will be selected from the “missing middle” category of students. “We are introducing innovative ways to ensure that none of our students is left behind in the wake of COVID-19. With the economic effects of this pandemic, we expect that even more of our students will move into the ‘missing middle’ category — unable to access state funding and yet incapable of affording  the costs of university studies because of the impact of COVID-19 on their household income,” he adds.

Town, transformed

Sites where the artworks can be viewed include the gabled wall of the Distell building on the R44; the wall next to the GUS gallery in Dorp Street; the Dorpsteeg in Bird Street; the Stellenbosch Taxi Rank in Bird Street and the gabled wall on the corner of Drostdy and Plein Streets.

“Masked Masterpieces demonstrates in practice the innovative mindset that underpins a truly novel initiative that simultaneously manages to educate, to promote the arts and to raise funding for deserving students who are challenged by the impact of COVID-19,” says Dr Riaan Els, CEO of The Fuchs Foundation.

Ghetto Art Gallery: Coronavirus awareness project

Very much in the vein of supporting our youth while raising awareness and community spirit, the Corona Virus Awareness Project by Ghetto Art Gallery, organised by local artist Bongo “Khwelo86” Flepu, is another fantastic initiative by the art-minded in Stellenbosch. The mural can be seen at iKaya primary school in Kayamandi.

Bongo’s long term plan is to collaborate with the taxi industry & local church organizations to extend the scope of this project. Bongo hopes to eventually have a mural at all permitted places of gathering to use art as a tool to create awareness & prevent the spread of the coronavirus.

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DINING

The ultimate afternoon tea delivered to your home

Lanzerac is serving up some incredible opportunities to treat the special and deserving women we call mothers, sisters, wives, partners, daughters and friends.

The Afternoon Tea package will be put together by the Lanzerac chefs, and includes a variety of delicious appetisers, finger sandwiches and sweet treats, complemented by a selection of luxury TWG teas. The experience is priced at R800 for four guests, and R150 per person thereafter. Delivery will be to the Stellenbosch area, with an additional fee for outside areas.

Women’s Day afternoon tea at The Bakery at Jordan.

Take the day this coming Sunday (9 August) to experience the beautiful Stellenbosch Kloof Valley views, enjoy a walk around the dam on Jordan Wine Estate, breathe in the fresh Winelands air and indulge in a high tea at The Bakery.

The baking team has created an incredible afternoon/high tea experience. Guests will be treated to a selection of sweet and savoury pastries and desserts, served with artisanal teas, and the estate’s famous Black Magic coffee.

Experience modern luxury at Tintswalo Atlantic 

Be adventurous and take your beloved to Tintswalo Atlantic’s brand new restaurant, the Tintswalo Kitchen, where diners can sit back in a relaxed seaside environment with a choice of cosy fireside dining or outdoor seating on the deck above the crashing waves.

Tintswalo is embracing the digital age with a new contactless app that introduces a creative way to interact with guests and eliminate the use of paper documents. Use of the app drives a ‘touchless’ travel experience that further reduces the risk of Covid-19 virus transmission that may be associated with physical interaction between guests and staff.

ENTERTAINMENT

Her Blues Trio at Drostdy Theatre

Luna Paige will be singing the blues to the ladies (and their partners) in a special ‘Her Blues’ show at the Drostdy Theatre. Blues lovers can look forward to songs by Ma Rainey, Bessie Smith, Ruth Brown, Etta James, Ella Fitzgerald, Nina Simone, Janis Joplin, Tracy Chapman, Melody Gardot, Amy Winehouse and more.

This stripped-down version of their blues show, ‘Her Blues’, is putting the show back into its cabaret shoes with a three-piece ensemble consisting of Luna Paige on vocals, Simon Orange on keys & organs and Ben Badenhorst on guitars.

Luna Paige, together with Simon Orange, will be entertaining the audience with anecdotes about women in the music industry, their stories, accomplishments and struggles, and how they paved the way for successful female stars who today grace some of the biggest stages in the world. The show is directed by Richard H Nosworthy

Pieter-Dirk Uys presents: Unmasking Evita

On Women’s Day, South Africa’s Evita will expose herself with and without a mask. Pieter-Dirk himself will be unmasked on that occasion as he dons various masks to create the icons and aikonas who treated Mrs Bezuidenhout with the respect she deserved. Because, just because she doesn’t exist, doesn’t mean she’s not real.

The question remains: To be masked or not to be masked?

A famous story from the past is ‘The Man in the Iron Mask’. A familiar reality today is a world in a cloth mask. Uys has been impersonating Evita for years and as a result is used to wearing her face as his mask. But all masks come off on 9 August! Unmasking Evita will live-stream from Penny Lane Studios in Cape Town across the world via Quicket.

OUTDOORS

Stop and smell the flowers at Babylonstoren’s Garden

What woman will not love spending the day at Babylonstoren? There are over three kilometres of paths through the garden, which provide hours of walking pleasure.

The 3.5-hectare garden, modelled on the famous Company’s Garden in Cape Town, is probably the farm’s main attraction, providing the central backdrop to everything that happens there.

The Garden of Diversity pays tribute to the gardening traditions of the Cape; for centuries the halfway station between Europe and Asia, where ships would replenish with water, vegetables and fruit. Babylonstoren is a working farm with lots of feathery friends, so guests are requested to please leave pets at home. Guide dogs are welcome. The garden is open daily from 9h00 to 17h00. 

Start training for the Spar Women’s Challenge

With the normal Spar Women’s Challenge series for 2020 having been cancelled because of the Covid-19 pandemic, the retail giant has organised a Virtual Challenge to take its place. Women around South Africa are being invited to spread hope (and maybe even a little sunshine) by entering the virtual challenge.

The organisers are hoping to set a world record for the number of entrants in a women’s virtual challenge. For an entry fee of only R50, each entrant will receive a challenge T-shirt, a buff and challenge magazine. But that’s not all – for every entry, Spar will donate a food parcel to a survivor of gender based violence .

“Spar have done so much for women’s sport and they’ve been contributing some great initiatives to sport over the years,” says Proteas netball captain Bongi Msomi Msomi.

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Mandela Day at A New Hope Dog Rescue

Join A New Hope Dog Rescue Center on Saturday 18 July, to celebrate Mandela day by spending 67 minutes with their four-legged family. Make rope toys, help out in the kennels, join in on the art classes (decorations for the shelter), enjoy playtime with the pups and more.

Amidst the current Covid-19 pandemic there are only limited spaces available. The centre will be allowing 25 visitors in at a time during three dedicated time slots.

67 minutes to help a student in need 

The University of Stellenbosch is asking residents and students to use their 67 minutes to deliver toiletries/comfort packs and non-perishable food items from 18 July to 3 August 2018 to the following drop-off points:

• Centre for Student Counselling and Development (CSCD), 37 Victoria Street or the Office of the Social Worker, 49 Victoria Street;
• Transformation Office, Admin A – use the IT Hub Entrance;
• Office of Interpreting Service (Language Centre), Room 1028, Admin A – use the IT Hub Entrance;
• Tygerberg Campus, TSS – Adri Brits’s Office

Break a record in kindness

The people of the Western Cape are invited to make history with Ladles of Love this Mandela Day, by spending their 67 minutes and joining forces to break the world record of the most sandwiches made in an hour – the target is 125,000 sandwiches in an hour.  The virtual event will take place on Saturday July 18.

“According to founder Danny Diliberto, the Guinness World Record for most sandwiches made in an hour stands at around 57 000, while the South African record made last year is roughly 107 000 and Ladles of Love is aiming for 125 00 sandwiches in one hour.”

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Music

Here Be Dragons presents “Folk 101” – 24 to 27 July 2020

Get the whole house together, it’s time to shake out the quarantine blues. The Folk Baroque ensemble ‘Here Be Dragons’ will explore the roots of baroque music, found in the folk music performed in and around the main cultural centres of Europe during the 15th and 16th Century. The selection includes music from both folk and high art styles, giving the audience a unique perspective on the evolution of the one into the other.

Clap along to these toe-tapping tunes at home by booking your ticket here.

My Miriam Makeba Story – 31 July to 3 August

The award-winning music production ‘My Miriam Makeba Story’ celebrates the life and songs of Miriam Makeba and introduces music lovers to the talents of featuring singer-songwriter Sima Mashazi and Cape Jazz pianist and composer Ramon Alexander.

Sima Mashazi performed the role of the young Miriam in the first musical about Mama Africa (touring US and SA). The experience deepened Sima’s admiration for Makeba’s music and the woman behind it. She shares the themes in Makeba’s music and life that touched her and bear similarities to her own journey.

Ticket link: R100 at Webtickets

Movies

The Galileo Outdoor Theatre returns – from 17 July onwards

The Galileo is bringing back the beloved drive-in with an array of cinematic favourites on the big screen. Movie style snacks will be available to order from the comfort of your vehicle.

With very stringent hygiene measures and Covid-friendly safety regulations in place, they are making sure to keep movie-goers safe while providing an opportunity to have some much-needed time out of the house.

Hiking

Go for a hike with CapeNature

Most CapeNature reserves have started offering walks as well as guided hikes again, allowing you to get out there and explore our region’s rich plant diversity and natural beauty. There are a variety of trails available in and around Stellenbosch, so you can choose the route that best suits you.

Jonkershoek, right on our doorstep, has a variety of wildlife to look out for: including leopard, honey badger, baboon, klipspringer and mongoose, but these mammals are generally shy and seldom seen. The reserve is also home to kingfishers, black eagles, fish eagles, spotted eagle owls, sugarbirds, orange-breasted sunbirds and protea seed-eaters. 

Cape Nature requests that visitors wear face-masks, and to keep their hands disinfected. Please note that permits are not available at reserve gates. Pre-purchase them online here or contact 087 087 8250 (074 936 2139 or 062 318 4987 on weekends). For guided hikes, contact Heleen Roussouw at 0824456648.

Fitness

Bear Essentials Coaching

Bear Essentials offers a chance to get motivated and shake off the cobwebs with a guided running programme to get the spring back into your step.

There are three training groups available, based on runs per week and kilometres per week. A basic training program will be sent to each group every Sunday. There will be a very specific challenge to complete every week. A WhatsApp group and a Strava Club will be created for each group where runners can track, motivate and encourage one another to meet the goals and challenges of the group.

Dining

Celebrate Life with a dinner made by four top chefs – 31st July 2020

This year, Horizon House brings Celebrate Life to your home with the exciting Dine-in Box, expertly crafted by four different top local chefs.

The Celebrate Life Dine-in Box serves two and contains four courses, each individually prepared by one of their four chefs: Starters by Michael Deg, first course by Fabio Daniel, main course by Kayla-Ann Osborn, and dessert by Gregory Czarnecki, plus sourdough bread and four petit fours (one by each chef).

The box costs R1200 for two and will be delivered to your home on the 31st of July. Orders are available up to the 23rd of July. Deliveries in and around Stellenbosch and Somerset West are included in the price. Go to their website to place your order.

Wine

Srauss & Co Virtual Live Auction – 26 to 28 July 2020

This upcoming auction is one to bookmark for anyone who is a fan of our finest local wine producers including Kanonkop, Klein Constantia and Boekenhoutskloof. Expect both mature and young vintages from some of South Africa’s greatest producers.

There are eighteen vintages of Vin de Constance, one of the world’s greatest wines, including the legendary 1987 which was their first commercial release. The Boekenhoutskloof selection includes the 1997 Syrah, a modern-day legend, as well as five vintages of the extremely rare, The Journeyman. Kanonkop is represented by fine, mature vintages of all their flagship wines including 20 vintages of Paul Sauer. Lot 54 offers three decades of Paul Sauer Jeroboams which is not only truly unique, but also the highest value lot we have ever auctioned. All wines purchased on auction will be delivered post lockdown restrictions.

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StreetSmart SA is an organisation established 15 years ago, dedicated towards helping vulnerable children rebuild their lives through public donations throughout the Western Cape and Gauteng. 

From television celebrity to a complete re-invention within the culinary world, Reddy created ‘The Indian Chapter Restaurant with Prim Reddy’ which is a firm favourite on the acclaimed Cape Town food map. Her love for food crosses cultural boundaries and her ability to tell stories and keep people entertained sparked an interest in writing a book.

“I wanted to give the book an edge, a lifestyle offering, wine pairing and a pure celebration of everything that can be celebrated with taste,” says Reddy, who invited Naranj Pather to add her expertise to the mix.

“These are recipes from our travels, dishes we have experienced and added flair of our own. Quick easy meals that make a home chef feel like a million bucks with that extra time to put on some lipstick, put your feet up and have that well-deserved glass of wine,” says Pather.

Tickets for the virtual event are available at donations of R5 to R50 and can be obtained via Quicket.

StreetSmart SA is a registered Public Benefit Organisation as well as a Non-Profit Organisation and funds are primarily raised by participating restaurants, accommodation establishments, and wine tasting centres, adding a voluntary R5 donation to the bill. Every cent raised in this way goes towards social and educational upliftment projects for street children. The organisation was set up by a group of concerned Capetonians under the patronage of Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu and comprises resourceful board members representing business and the hospitality and tourism industries. Similar StreetSmartorganisations also run independently throughout the UK, Australia, New Zealand, Vancouver and the Netherlands.

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An installation image of David Brits & Raiven Hansmann’s
‘Tears Become Rain’ project. They spent a week in Graaff-Reinet doing research.

Are artists able to ‘change’ society? It’s a weighty question, and not one that the Rupert Museum’s Social Impact Arts Prize aims to address. However, by providing three groups of creatives with the resources to try to effect change in Graaff-Reinet, the award and its programme may contribute to our understanding of the role artists should – or can – play in society. 

Interestingly, this topic has been circulating in Stellenbosch since the inaugural Triennale was launched in February. An art prize with a focus on social impact therefore seems timely and will add to the discussion, even though its outcomes will be felt only in Graaff-Reinet. 

Launched at the Rupert Museum in early March, this novel award came to life as Hanneli Rupert was considering ways in which the museum could function as an institution “without walls”, as she explained on the day the winners were announced in Stellenbosch. Where once this local art museum may have appeared to some like an ‘impenetrable fortress’ of high art, the owners and staff are trying to broaden its reach. 

“We are turning this space into a place of learning. You can come and draw here and meet other artists. We also wanted to create a platform for all South African thinkers, from architects to painters or poets, so that they could come together and collaboratively think of art practices and apply them to the problems of the day,” observes Roelof van Wyk, director of the Social Impact Arts Prize. 

Hanneli’s initiative is also driven by personal interest. Her grandfather Anton Rupert was born in Graaff-Reinet and her childhood recollections of the town while visiting him have played a huge role in it being the focus of the inaugural and subsequent awards. 

David Brits & Raiven Hansmann aimed to connect all the choirs in the town
via a mass performance to sing for rain.

The third winning project, ‘PLANTed’, by Andrew Brose,
Casper Lundie and Lorenzo Nassimbeni proposes a medicinal plant garden.

“We would like to make Graaff-Reinet the new centre of social impact art,” says Roelof, implying that the award could encourage more artists to make art with a clear social outcome. Not that he has a clear definition of this form of artistic practice. “Together we are figuring out a field and what social art can be and we want to build this category like any other on the art landscape,” he adds. 

A call for proposals from artists and other creatives to generate a project that could have a positive social impact on this small town resulted in more than 120 entries from round South Africa. The judges work in different spheres across the globe, and included were Aliki Lampropoulos of the Museum of Cycladic Art in Athens, Suhair Khan of Google Arts and Culture and Salma Tuqan of the Delfina Foundation in the UK, and Azu Nwagbogu, the founder of African Artists’ Foundation in Nigeria. 

Six projects were selected from the 120 entries and each of the finalists had to apply their idea in the town while staying there for a week. All their proposals shifted considerably once they came into contact with locals and were able to do research in situ. The proposals, which are on view at the Rupert Museum until April before they move to the Jan Rupert Art Centre in Graaff-Reinet, centred on bridging social divides by means of different activities.

Architecture firm studioMAS and Gustav Praekelt’s project,
‘Hello Wolk!’ proposes a tree-like contraption that functions as a virtual cloud. 

Pierre Swanepoel and Gustav Praekelt created one of the winning projects.

“Graaff-Reinet is a Petri dish of South Africa. It has all the embedded and systemic issues of a post-apartheid community. We were touched by the fact that there is a willingness in this town to reach out to each other. They all speak Afrikaans and not as the language of the oppressor,” notes Roelof. 

Three projects were declared ultimate winners of the Social Impact Arts Prize. In the one titled ‘Tears Become Rain’, David Brits and Raiven Hansmann aimed to connect all the choirs in the town via a mass performance to sing for rain. Referencing a lack of rain also informed the architecture firm studioMAS and Gustav Praekelt’s project ‘Hello Wolk!’ They proposed an attractive design for a sculptural cloud-like object that will also serve as a virtual cloud; locals standing below it can access free Wi-Fi and store virtual files. 

The third winner, ‘PLANTed’ by Lorenzo Nassimbeni, Andrew Brose and Casper Lundie, also pivots on life in the absence of water with the plan for a medicinal plant garden that can be maintained in this arid climate. “Some of the plants have become extinct, so we are also drawing attention to their conservation,” says Lorenzo. 

Roelof is adamant the winning projects need to be “owned” and maintained by the citizens of Graaff-Reinet in order for the prize to be viable. Can a week of research in Graaff-Reinet help creatives identify opportunities for change? And, indeed, is a panel of judges from other countries qualified to select projects to address a community and its social politics so far removed from their own? The Rupert Museum’s Social Impact Arts Prize perhaps raises more questions than can be answered in any simple way. This could either prove to be to its credit or overshadow its development and reception. As Roelof observes, this is just the start. “We had to begin somewhere. The prize will change and be adapted as we progress.” 

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