As the country celebrated Heritage Month, the Business and Information Administration Department in the Faculty of Business and Management Sciences collaborated with the District Six Museum (D6M), and engaged all second-year Diversity Management students and International exchange students in workshops re-imagining and exploring the past at the Homecoming Centre in Cape Town.

Mandie Richards, senior lecturer and subject co-ordinator, advised that although the workshop focused on forced removals in District Six, forced removals were not synonymous to District Six, as the Group Areas Act passed on 27 April 1950 by the apartheid government was responsible for the separation and segregation of people into residential areas based on their race, which in itself was a social construct, throughout South Africa.

Mandy Sanger, the Education Manager at the D6M, engaged students in active conversations about colonialism, white privilege, culture, identity, language, restitution and human dignity.

Teams of students participated in role play and enacted scenarios on stage in the Avalon Theatre, which was previously known as the Fugard Theatre, and possible future stars were born, as the student audience applauded a few dramatic performances highlighting the suffering experienced by people in South Africa.

As the past influences the present and often shapes the future, District Six ex-residents accompanied students on guided tours to sites in District Six and shared their stories. Jasmina Salie, an ex-resident and author, shared the pain she and her family endured when they were forcibly removed from District Six to Hanover Park, where she still resides.

Second-year student Zena Julie shared the story of her grandmother’s forced removal from Newlands and finally settling in Mitchells Plain, and added that the workshop provided her with a greater understanding of the past and the impact of apartheid.

Richards was joined at the workshops by Fidelis Chu, the subject lecturer on the Wellington Campus, who shared his insights on the importance of history and how it shapes students’ understanding of the present. Students engaged in further conversation over lunch which was held on the rooftop garden overlooking the City Hall and Table Mountain.

Richards further stated that to enhance the understanding of students, the conversations at the workshops were integrated into the Diversity Management curriculum. Students had to identify a challenge in their community and explore ways as to how they would make a difference in communities by sharing their knowledge and skills or creating awareness thereby empowering communities.

“The workshop concluded with teams presenting their project plans which included homework clubs in communities, volunteering their services as tutors, neighbourhood watch to ensure the safety of the community, to creating awareness about gangsterism, teenage pregnancy and gender-based violence and feedback was provided to each team,” added Richards.

Richards advised that the future of the country was in the hands of the youth, and that this required that they be part of the narrative and that their voices and contributions be valued. The challenges raised by the teams and solutions as to how they would address them in their communities, provided her with hope that “this cohort of students will be global citizens and agents of change”.

Written by Kwanele Butana
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A project, which was initiated by a CPUT lecturer and focuses on the 50th commemoration of District Six being declared a whites-only area, continues to gain exposure.

Surface Design lecturer Penny George initiated a partnership with the District Six Museum, which saw 50 local and international artists participating in the compilation of a print exchange portfolio under the theme: Remembering 60 000 Forced Goodbyes.

Last year marked 50 years since the apartheid government declared District Six a white area under the Group Areas Act on 11 February 1966.

“I had previously done a print exchange and wanted to do one again. My colleague Micah Chisholm does a lot of community work with the District Six Homecoming Centre and we explained what the portfolio was about and we partnered with them on the project.”

George said support for the project was received from Sanlam, CPUT and a range of other sponsors.

The portfolio of 50 prints was exhibited at the District Six Museum Homecoming Centre in November and December 2016.

The portfolio was also exhibited during the recent Woordfees in Stellenbosch.

“One major outcome of doing a print exchange is that all the participating artists and all the supporting organisations each get a box of portfolios, containing all of the participating artists’ work. This means that each of the artists received all 50 prints.”

George said plans for more exhibitions of the portfolio were in the pipeline, including at international venues.

“The portfolio box is easy to send off and to exhibit at any gallery. There are many possibilities for this collection.”

Written by Ilse Fredericks
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More than 150 students recently participated in a thought-provoking webinar, jointly presented by the Faculty of Business and Management Sciences and the District Six (D6) Museum.

The collaboration with the District Six (D6) Museum started in 2013 and has been integrated into the Diversity Management curriculum for the Diploma: Business and Information Administration (BIA) in the Faculty, said senior lecturer, Mandie Richards.

“The purpose of the transformation conversations is so that students may understand the past, the present-day situation and look at the way forward by engaging in positive collaborations. The curriculum needs to be socially responsive, to contribute to the graduate attributes of students and ultimately contribute positively to communities and humanity.”

During the webinar, the history of the country and social injustice were integrated through an exploration of culture and identity, that engaged students in dialogue as to the impact of apartheid. Joe Schaffers, an ex-resident of D6, recalled the hurt of the past, social injustices and the inhumanities still suffered today, and shared his story of his family being forcibly removed from the Bloemhof Flats, D6 in 1967 to Hanover Park on the Cape Flats.

Schaffers has been bestowed with an Honorary Doctorate from the University of Edinburgh for the work he does in communities and keeping the spirit of D6 alive by sharing his knowledge with local and international students, and visitors to the museum.

Students were immersed in the conversation with Mandy Sanger, the Education Manager at the Museum.

“The engagement by students was reflective, interactive and probing as the many questions and comments emphasised that these platforms are pivotal as they allow for students to share their voices as to their lived experiences and thereby have a deeper understanding of the impact of apartheid and the continued systemic racism as a result of this social evil. Discussions pertaining to moving forward through civic engagement is part of the dialogue and result in students engaging in a project which requires deeper research, and in so doing allows for critical engagement, and culminates in a digital storytelling video,” said Richards.

 Fidelis Chu, a lecturer in BIA, has lived in South Africa for 21 years and connected for the first time with the museum three years ago.  He highlighted the distortion of history and the value of the first-person narrative.

Yannick Vermeulen, a second-year student, commented that the session was very informative and that for change to happen, a positive paradigm shift is required as to the way we speak, understand and do things in our everyday lives.

Richards added that before the Covid-19 pandemic, students would engage in ‘Pay It Forward Projects’, and their engagement with the past and present, resulted in them being part of civic engagement initiatives in communities, and further enhancing their understanding by creating digital stories through intergenerational conversations with ex-residents, their family or members in their communities. 

The collaboration with the District Six Museum has been implemented as one of the transformation conversations in which the Faculty engages to enhance an understanding of how the past impacts the present, and the future.  The Faculty has also included this project in 2021 for departments to integrate into the curriculum.

Written by Ilse Fredericks
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Second-year Diversity Management students in the Faculty of Business and Management Sciences recently engaged in a one-day District Six Heritage Learning Journey workshop at the District Six Museum (D6M).

Mandie Richards, Senior Lecturer and Chairperson of the Transformation Forum in the Faculty of Business and Management Sciences, said the District Six Heritage Learning Journey is integrated into the curriculum in the subject Diversity Management and that this year marked the 12^th year of the project and a collaboration with D6M.

Full-time and part-time Diversity Management students from the District Six and Wellington campuses participated in the workshop.

Richards stated: “The story of District Six is not an isolated story and synonymous to Cape Town and the Western Cape. Forced removals as a result of the Natives Land Act of 1913, and the Group Areas Act of 1950 during apartheid impacted the lives of many people of colour across South Africa socially, politically, psychologically and economically. Families were torn apart, traumatised and communities were destroyed.”

Fidelis Chu, the subject lecturer at the Wellington Campus, stated that the workshop was necessary for all students to attend, as it allowed for students to have a meaningful and deeper understanding of history and the past.

Mandy Sanger, the D6 Museum Head of Education, engaged in interactive conversations with students, through exploring the past, looking at the present and the future, and the roles students should be playing. Students were afforded opportunities to engage in inter-generational conversations with ex-residents who shared their stories and challenges, and enlightened students through a personal guided tour and shared the history of the sites and the culture of the people who once lived in this vibrant community.

Richards further stated: “Students need to have an understanding of the past, and more so as the Institution is built on land which was the homes of people living in District Six, and who were forcibly removed on 11 February 1966 by the apartheid regime.”

Richards indicated that 74% of the students who attended the workshop, were unaware that CPUT was built on the homes of residents who had lived in D6.

One of the ex-residents, Nadeema Oostendorp, lived in Richmond Street in D6, and was forcibly removed with her family to Lavender Hill on the Cape Flats, and started working in a clothing factory at the age of 14 to assist her mother financially. Nadeema stated: “The District Six Museum is my comfort space, as it reminds me of a community we once were, before we were destroyed by the apartheid Land Act”. Students also created digital storytelling videos and shared the story of the ex-resident with whom their team interacted.

One of the students, Bontle Swazi, stated: “The workshop improved my understanding of the history, as well as the forced removals and the impact of apartheid. I genuinely didn't know that D6 was a community filled with numerous homes, families and schools. So, it was so heartbreaking to hear the aunties’ stories, and what they went through at such a young age.”

Students also shared their stories and challenges and worked on a #CreateChange project to address challenges in their communities. The challenges were varied and included, amongst others, gender-based violence (GBV), teenage pregnancy, gangsterism, drug addiction, unemployment and a lack of service delivery. This required that students explore the challenge they identified in their team, present their projects in the session and provide solutions to addressing these challenges in their communities and an action plan with solutions which would work towards empowering youth and community members, thus working towards nation building.

Sesethu Haya highlighted domestic violence as a challenge their team identified for their team project and passionately stated: “The patriarchal and apartheid system left deep scars which resulted in violence, and we as young people need to guide young men to know what is meant by being a man, and that real men do not beat women.” He advocated for change and that GBV should be eradicated. He further proposed ways in which young students could contribute to change and empower young people through workshops and conversations in safe spaces; and serve as role models for young men and teach them to respect women.

Richards stated: “Most students shared that they enjoyed the interactive discussions and hearing firsthand accounts from the ex-residents and students about their real-life experiences, as it created a powerful atmosphere where everyone felt connected to the history and impact of content being taught”.

She further indicated that curriculum could not be taught in isolation and devoid of the realities of socio-political challenges nor ignore the voices of students and community members.

Written by CPUT News
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