The journey to 'Veneration of Images' Part 1

VAALKOP 66 SENTRAL MUSEUM

An incredible "steel&plant" gallery museum offering a unique point of view to the rural existence and en-route to Groot Marico is a significant reference for the beginning of our journey.
What is found to be endearing is the perspective and use of materials in the subject matters at the Museum, items that would otherwise constitute our waste products such as used tyres for trucks, have been given a new meaning hosting an array of plants and living organs, symbolizing the undeniable cycle of life.

Concepts of the 'dead serve the living' can be interpreted in dialogue within the displayed gallery, which judging from the location of the Museum, is no more a visible attraction on the N4 between Zeerust and Groot Marico than a low key roadside nursery. To our suprice there is life and plenty of it....

As we make our way with our intended destination for this leg of the trip being the studio house of Masterpiece Sculptor Johan Moolman who is based in Groot Marico.The dialogue on the road trip did not disappoint and reflected on the minds of the young people living in South Africa. Suggestive input in these conversations indicate that the next coming general elections will mark the beginning of opposition to the status quo. Like any other trip conversations, scenery and good company are the x factor to any memorable experience....

'Veneration of Images' is a public art project that is founded by LG Creative Artists in North West South Africa, and in a collaborative effort with PAYT Trust as a Public Private Partnership (Triple P) initiative, that aims to tell the stories of the Indi people through genuine art. An African practice that has always existed which today is tagged Public art, through sphinxes, rock arts and artifacts that are shared objects, continue to define civilizations.
'Veneration of Images' features an extensive context into the rural life of the Batswana people in the form of Mural and sculpture artwork with immense contribution to traditional preservation.

The Project is in its second phase and can be seen at the Lotlamoreng Dam, a cultural village in the historic town of Mahikeng. Keep posted @paytafrica.blogspot for more on this journey. As we document this road trip it became very clear that there is allot to be discovered and published in rural SA.

Art in Black Africa

The art of sub-Saharan Africa has a long history, although it is difficult to reconstruct precisely because many works, being made from wood and earth, have disappeared without a trace and archaeological excavations, which could enrich our knowledge of the region, are still rare.

To fully appreciate the meaning of these artworks, it is necessary to relate them to the forms of life, societies and religion or beliefs that led to their creation or use.

Although they may vary from place to place, some elements seen to be recurrent and common to all African artistic tradition, statues are often figures of ancestors or deities and sacrifices offered to them to maintain communication with the other world, between gods and human, between the prescribed notion of the living and the dead.

Those Masks which are brought into the village from the forest are also displayed during invitation rites believed to guarantee social order, importing the value of community and punishing transgressors. The fertility of women and the fields is a recurrent theme expressed by Art. In societies with no writing system art offered material support for word, thus facilitating for the transmission of traditions.

While much attention is often paid to the forms, objects and themes of Art culture in Africa, it is very clear that the Artwork is almost never created solely for pleasure. These works are not the expression of the artist’s free imagination nor are they intended for the individual enjoyment of the collector.  Far more ambitiously, their creation and purpose is to contribute to the order of the world – the well-being of the community and to maintaining life.

Towards a Knowledge Society: shared knowledge can unite communities!

018 Golf is a Non Violence project that seeks to raise awareness and advocate for Non Violence through a Violence Intervention Program (VIP), that is being administered by a Public Charitable Trust called PAYT Trust.

To remain human and live-able  knowledge societies will have to be societies of shared knowledge. Building knowledge societies is directly linked to technology and education; this is the views of Mahikeng’s Social Entrepreneur and Founder of PAYT Trust Lerato Mosimane who is upbeat about the upcoming 018 Golf Campaign taking place during Child Protection Week.

PAYT Trust serves to empower young people through an educational and industrial development program that ranges from vocational training, advocacy, career guidance, edu-tours and digital publishing of African content, amongst many initiatives. 018 Golf is a fund raising benefit that will assist in creating seed funds for research, studies and educational material that address violence related issues. The non violence campaign through its VIP will channel information and empower victims of violence towards breaking the cycle. 018 Golf is about a culture of consciousness and recourse by promoting sport, recreational and alternative lifestyle orientation that are aligned with optimizing wellness.

“If a culture of sharing can enable a culture of learning, a culture of peace is easily attainable and new possibilities of an advanced and well off society can be projected as well as achieved.”            Lerato Mosimane

018 Golf will kick-starts at Leopard Park Golf Club on 24 May with a Golf Clinic, followed by a Self Defense seminar taking place on Africa Day 25^th May and the campaign ends with a Golf Challenge on 31^st May.

  

As a program that advances education and directs young people towards various opportunities, PAYT 
Trust has adopted a policy for open schools and virtual universities or higher learning programs that represent new institutional models. Knowledge is a common good – and ICT supported education can and must contribute to making knowledge more freely available to more people particularly in rural communities.

PAYT Trust is constructing an open dialogue through projects such as 018 Golf,  that serve to leverage on modern day applications that assist to inform and model the ideal through discovery. It is through discovery particularly self discovery that people are able to achieve great things including conquering fears. The social capital of this generation and the next lies in knowledge and the success of any society lies in harnessing that knowledge.

Cultural Sentiments: Art in Motion

About the Artist

Georgie Bhunu

Georgie Bhunu has over 20 years in the Fine Artists industry. He has a passion for Art and has contributed to the development and growth of Art having previously lectured Arts at the North-West University, Mmabana Foundation, and the International School of South Africa. He has successfully established himself as an arts entrepreneur as a sole Director of LG Creative Artists, a North West Province based company specializing in Fine Arts, Industrial/ Urban Design.

Amongst his achievements is that he participated in numerous Art Exhibitions which include the Sol Plaatje Art Exhibition, the Millenium Africa Arts & Exhibition in Florida USA and his own Solo Exhibition at the Sandton Village Walk. Georgie’s Artwork has been collected by high-profile individuals amongst them is the late Walter Sisulu, President J Zuma and President Thabo Mbeki. His latest renowned work is the revamping of Lotlamoreng Dam with Mural artwork that depicts the history of the Barolong through portraits of the Barolong monarchy.

Georgie Bhunu's work in progress at his Gallery in Mahikeng

Georgie Bhunu is the essential painter. A maverick storyteller of dramatic moments of life in its myriad self. A visual philosopher who has an undying love for lesser told stories of the expressive yet impressive, attractive yet repulsive, innocent yet pulsating aferican village life. Colours not words must be used to define and do justice to painters like Bhunu.

The mastery of his chosen subject matter might be deemed as simple yet to him its the loyalty to his own upbringing, longings, childhood mirth of those chapters of life, a universal phenomena found in every living.  Bhunu has recently cut himself a niche as a cultural heritage chronicler as he has related the stories of the Barolong people their heroes

Aside his long awaited work on "The life and times of Sol Plaatje", PAYT takes a journey with Georgie to capture the Exhibition and its following as it goes on a National Tour.

So it didnt come as a surprise when "What is Poetry" the International tour festival which will be coming to Mahikeng on 22 April, they included Georgie Bhunu as one of the Local Fine Artists they profiling and giving a platform through the organized Tour festival. Yet another initiative of "Arts in Motion" taking it to the people... Go check the 'What is Poetry?' Program for yourself www.whatispoetry.net

What is Poetry? is a celebration of language festival and will take place in Johannesburg, Mahikeng, Polokwane, Makhado and Harare Zimbabwe. Featured Poets come from all over the world including our very own South Africans: Kgafela oa Magogodi, Alan Finlay, Mbali Kgosidintsi, Xoli Norman and Lesego Rampolokeng amongst others.

21st April - 3rd May 2013

Catch PAYTLive crew there!!!

Triple Pundit

 EBooks: Future Perspectives!!

The digital era has phased in and phased out a lot of applications that have changed the way the world spins, to the point that every single gadget freak can’t keep up with what the latest technology has to offer in either simplifying things or improving connectivity. The Publishing business is also being plagued by the rise of the sharing economy and digital platforms that are seeing more and more ebook reader devices taking the market by storm.

 

On the 29^th March 2013, PAYT’s first published eBook “Kattey’s Arrow:’Cruel Journey to her Destiny by Kentse Badirwang will be launched and available for the world to share in the epic life of a young author from South Africa who has beaten the odds and lived to tell her story of hope.

 

The eBook is supported by a 3 tier movement of organizations including that of PAYT, Sedikwa Movement and the South African Police Service as a corrective measure that seeks to combat the scourge of violence against women and children in our communities. Kentse Badirwang through her debut book has been chosen to be the face of the Non Violence campaign which will be taken to schools and various stakeholders in the North West Province of South Africa.

 

As a youth development program PAYT plans to roll out a Digital Logic Program that has been established by pioneering individuals who are championing the use of digital devices and applications to make learning much easier and pleasant for learners and people in rural areas. Kattey’s Arrow will form part of a pilot project to introduce e-book reader devices in schools which will not only improve the access to information and literacy but will also eliminate the cost of books or education as a whole.

 

Kattey’s Arrow will be available for purchase on www.smashwords.com, www.paytlive.org or www.dextrawstudio.com .

Smashwords is the world’s leading ebook publishing and distribution

platform for indie ebook authors and publishers and has

helped over 45,000 authors and publishers around the world collectively release over 130,000 ebooks.

Kentse Badirwang's debut eBook Preview Launch of "Kattey's Arrow: Cruel Journey to her Destiny" will take place at the Mahikeng Protea Hotel where a select few of stakeholders, Author's peers and industry players. PAYT will host satelite ebook launch sessions in South Africa, Botswana and Kenya.

 

 

I knew i was Different but not less!!

The launch of “Kattey’s Arrow: Cruel Journey to her Destiny’

A coming of age story based on the life experience of a talented rising South African Author Kentse Badirwang, to be launched on 29 March 2013; the story is about as real as it gets when it comes to a graphic narrative or scope into life growing up in ‘Black Africa’. The book redefines active citizenship and demonstrates that each and every one of us was created for a Devine purpose in this world and no matter how tragic the circumstances, it is our duty to discover the reasons for our existence.

After experiencing some of the worst things a girl child can encounter including multiple rape, depression, neglect and low self esteem, her spirit relentlessly fought to keep searching for her truth. In her own words through interviews that capture her pre-launch moments ‘The Arrow that I was born with to guide me through the journey to my destiny, led and guided me out of situations good and bad; its golden sharp end served as a light in my darkest moments telling me that i was different but not less’

‘After 37 years following the Arrow, it finally led me to my destiny Dikgabo Village, a place of remarkable creatures.  Just like Tajewo left home with his brother’s Arrow from the village to become a warrior. My arrow is my Spirit.’

The book will be published as part of Lerato Mosimane’s ebook Collections www.smashwords.com/profile/view/GuyPublishing1 going live on the launch date alongside the epic children’s Poetry book Pyramid by Keaoboka OO-Ra Molomo. What stands out the most as a key feature at PAYT is the cultural exchange element of ‘Kattey’s Arrow’, which makes reference to Tajewo, a book about a Maasai boy who wants to become a warrior by preparing to go through the cultural initiation. According to the book Tajewo, in Maasai culture when boys are 14/15, they become Initiates – that is they start to learn about becoming a warrior and a man. They have to harden themselves against the fear of danger. They go off into the bush for long periods where certain elders and warriors teach them the arts of warfare, of cattle raiding or lion-hunting. Courage is required of them, but also courtesy, generosity, respect for elders of the tribe and compassion for all who are weaker than themselves. Tajewo is a book by Cicely Luck and is recommended to young people in identifying cultural practices that give new meaning to humanitarian.

Kattey’s Arrow will be a main feature at PAYT’s Back2school campaigns @AP Camp starting in February ahead of the launch event taking place in March and themed Maasai. The coming of age cover for the launch symbolizes growth and a unique perspective of how one can overcome their fears or challenges and embody a renewed all empowered being; ready to take on the world.