academic activists

one of the best quotes i came across goes something like this…

its possible to be a commited activist and brilliant academic, by Jenny Lee reflecting on Andy Smith. Reflecting on Andy Smith’s influence as an undergrad student at the University of Michigan, Jenny’s exact words are: “I would also never have thought that it was possible to be a brilliant academic and a deeply invested community organizer at the same time”. read more of Jenny’s lucid texts at:

http://greaterdetroit.wordpress.com/

we need more people like these…

me kinda’s reminisce about Steve Bantu Biko

but then there is Kgafela wa Magogodi, elsewhere on kush.co.za. he says: we need academics who will theorise and historicize films of bo Dumisani Phakhathi, Khalo Matabane, Teboho Mahlatsi and I forgot who else but I may just add Eugene Paramoer, Nhlanhla Masondo and Breeze Yoko right there.

love peace and grooviness,

*sunRa

welcome to our…

greetings!

welcome to the official theFanPalProject blog. this is one of the ongoing outcomes of the three day zine making workshop that took place on the weekend of the 22nd August, 08.  the venue being the historic Drill Hall, the arts, culture and heritage site, right opposite the notorious taxi rank on Noord [by the way, has anyone ever noticed, the rank is NOT on Noord?]

anyway, heads and all came together for this action based project that saw the creation of some of the most beautifullest of zines. oh yes, zine “rules” were broken. but thats usually the case with innovation and pushing of boundaries. that usually means that a people are getting, or at least going somewhere.

and i thought id seen sicker zines...

this blog

this blog is a site of reflection, of monitoring, tracking and hopefully evaluating change [and by extension, growth] we hope theFanPalProject can reveal some aspects of our being that has been hidden by circumstances of isolation, distance and ignorance. we hope that by sharing resources [human and otherwise] individuals will reinforce the appreciation of collective participation = widespread growth.

the way to navigate this blog is on the right hand side, where a daily reflection of the actual workshop is label’d as Day 1, 2 & 3. from there we have info re: participating collectives/individuals, not in any particular order.

now, some of these are almost blank, and are as a result too much of an anti-climax, so I’m preparing you now. to all the blank collectives, please send thru or upload those PROFILES!

posting, admin and authors

if you are a participating collective, you should know the log-in details, and therefore, can take on the role of posting, adminstrating and uploading stuff onto the blog in general, or your crew’s profile specifically.

if one is not part of this yet, holla at any of the contacts, lets have a brief chat and you should be on board in no time. otherwise, this blog is a hopeful, open resource to all. lets share links, ideas, useful thoughts and all about independent publishing/zine making tips.

Detroit Deli

i will be touching Detroit this coming weekend, i have had a very lively and productive meeting with Nandi Comers of Detroit’s InsideOut Literary Projects and CityWide Poets. Nandi [ she is very beautiful! ] provided me with some exciting list of contacts, some of whom I will be meeting soon. check out http://www.alliedmediaconference.org/ and the Allied Media’s very resonant mission statement http://clamormagazine.org/allied/.

detroit ’s got a rich history of independent media, and currently has got an array of publications going around. According to Nandi, some detroit schools, much like in Jozi, are not very familiar with zines and zinemaking.  so we still have some work to do. Because a zinemaking is one of the few activities that can provide a positive, almost instant gratification and a sense of achievement. and worth. we all know the countless negative options available at the disposal of the youngins in the absence [and sometimes presence] of positivity…

MOVE!

in the beginning there was creation

anyway lets move right along and make more noise, zines and spread them all around.

remember,

“all you need is something to say, and a desire to create” 

love, peace & readiness,

Ra

keleketla!library – a context

go upstairs...1 floor up

Keleketla! is a Pedi word which is a response to the beginning of a story, something that you say back to the storyteller’s ‘once upon a time’. It has no direct English translation, but represents a form of acknowledgement and a consent that ‘I am here, willing to listen to your story with active participation’.

The Keleketla! initative is a collection of projects that share a concern with the creation of stories through a variety of modes and media, based on a dynamic and fluid interaction between audience and story-teller – through the spoken word, music, artmaking, film, performance, writing, reading and so on. Located at the Drill Hall, a redeveloped heritage site in the Joubert Park area of the inner city, the projects involve the active participation of local people and a range of age groups.

The project originally developed out of the idea of a library that would serve as a home for a variety of creative activities.  The project has now grown to include a variety of elements:

• The original library project
• Daily creative workshops for children and young people living in the Joubert Park area
• Monthly Art Days at the Drill Hall
• Weekly open-air film screenings
• Monthly workshops/seminars aimed at young creatives working in the inner city

The project was born out of a collaboration between Bettina Malcolmess, a Cape Town based writer, academic and artist, and artist Rangoato Hlasane, with the innacitycommunity collective. Facilitated by the Joubert Park Project – a collective of artists that have a project space at the Drill Hall – the genesis of the project was made possible through a grant from the National Arts Council. The project partners are now exploring ways for the project to be turned into an ongoing and sustainable initiative.

The Inner City Context

The projects have established a unique space in a part of the inner city that has achieved a certain notoriety in the public imagination – a fraught and complex environment that has one of the largest taxi ranks in the region and which has become the point of entry into Johannesburg (and South Africa) for immigrants form the rest of Africa – as well as the influx of economic migrants from the rest of the country. Beset by a variety of problems – high levels of poverty, both organized and petty crime, building invasions and xenophobia – the area is also home to an amazing diversity of experience, culture and social life. The Keleketla projects have sought to harness and work with this extraordinary richness in seeking to make a contribution to turning the Joubert Park area into a liveable neighbourhood.

multi-use square...