About this Event
1908 Wylie Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA, 15219
In the 1990s, as Nelson Mandela led thousands in preparing to build a non-racial South Africa, communities across the country had a unique opportunity to create new memories based on their experiences of oppression.
As a young scholar, artist, and archivist, I too pondered what it would mean to bear witness, to heal through stories, but also to grapple with the complexities of the significant times we live in and the many predicaments and contradictions these presented.
My birthplace, the neighborhood District Six, used to be a cosmopolitan place in Cape Town that was demolished to establish a segregated city. It wasn’t just bulldozers that destroyed places like this, but also the relentless racist depictions of black people in cities. Could the power of witness offer something restorative? In the 1990s, community members came together to build a museum of District Six as a means to represent these stories. The impact of this place continues to haunt South Africa, and the institutions that emerged from its aftermath utilize these haunting memories as a way to bear witness. Museums and other archives matter.
These legacies have left an imprint on the urban world that emerged in its place, where racism and racial legacies continue to confound efforts at social transformation in South Africa, and perhaps even the world. How can such archival bodies breathe new life into these efforts to write new imaginaries? In this lecture, I offer my reflections on what a life of activism, artist engagement and activism can mean for working at the seam of the new.
Please let us know if you require an accommodation in order to participate in this event. Accommodations may include live captioning, ASL interpreters, and/or captioned media and accessible documents from recorded events. At least 5 days in advance is recommended.