URBAN
RENEWAL PROJECT: THE REVIVAL OF THE LOTLAMORENG DAM AS PART OF THE BAROLONG
CULTURAL PRECINCT.
This
signature project has been well received by the Barolong community, in its third
phase #wallsthatteach has focused on a theme relating to literacy and the role
that it has played in empowering the well educated Batswana old folk from the
era of the first black man to fly in a hot air balloon Kgosi Montshioa (late
1800) as well as the legendary Sol Plaatje, and the Molema lineage. Amongst the
first published newspapers in the Southern hemisphere “Koranta ya Becoana” is
featured along with some of the most revered Setswana literature books that
have shaped the preservation of the language in the Tswana region.
There will be specially organized tours come heritage month(September)
and in counting down to the solo exhibition of Giorgie Bhunu called Noble
Existence which is a body of work relating a narrative about the Life of Sol
Plaatje and the Barolong Monarch. Famous for his memoirs relating a black man’s
account of the “Siege of Mahikeng” that lasted several months with women and
children massacred in concentration camps and thousands of Barolong who
perished from the war famine. His book ‘ Mhudi’ amongst many other authors has
been captured on the walls-that-teach Murals.
PAYT Trust has followed this project’s progression with
close interest as it sparks an exciting era in Mahikeng’s historical background
that is yet to be fully explored. As we spotted the wall murals under
construction we also took a sneak peak at the state of affairs inside
Lotlamoreng Dam. Needless to say that what was once a haven for cultural
artists has diminished into a lost kingdom and Arts in wellness space that
served a higher purpose through its originator Credo Mutwa during its time, now
under threat of being wiped out of our memory and sight!
PAYT Trust is part of a Public Private
Partnership (PPP) with LG Creative Artist, the Barolong Tribal Authority as
well as the Department of Arts and Culture and various stakeholders, in
creating a task team and cooperation between industry, government and civil
society to develop this urban renewal project further. The essential
characteristic of PPP models is the co-existence and governing through a shared
economy versus an ownership model that benefits a minority instead of the
majority. PPP is not an objective in itself, but an instrument for carrying out
important projects that require capitalization and enabling a supportive
environment.
PAYT Trust invites you to visit the Old Town Mahikeng, a
true cultural destination and a historical Batswana capital. In the summertime,
it becomes a stage for open air concerts, shows of theater troupes and a
gallery for painters. Romantic lanes
going down to Modimola and Disaneng Dam, while witnessing the breath taking sun
sets, a perfect setting for moments of relation and after hours spent at
#Walls-that-teach (drive by public art exhibition)
Mahikeng is also a paradise for sacral art lovers, a tour
inside Lotlamoreng Dam will bring your spirit closer to the ingenuity of public
art spaces designed to inspire and heighten your creative existence.
For more information regarding the Educational Tours and the
#Walls-that-teach project email wallsthatteach@gmail.com
or lerato.mosimane@paytlive.org
