Opening hearts, minds and doors to the humanity in each of us
Purple Mountain Arts Residency hosted its inaugural Purple Mountain Heritage Festival, (PMHF), in both Cape Town and Porterville, from the 5th of September to the 24th September 2024.
At its core, PMHF sought to open hearts, minds, and literally the doors, to the humanity in each of us. PMHF is a not-for-profit event, boasting a mix of art, traditional food, storytelling, music, photography, drama, poetry, and walking tours – to forage for indigenous herbs – and a magic show, thrown in for good measure.
PMHF acknowledges and accepts that the legacies of colonialism and apartheid still manifest across contemporary South Africa, and that individuals are somewhat limited in their capacity to alter these realities, and to affect policy change. However, PMHF assert their right to explore these realities; to expose ourselves; our willing participants, and our willing audiences to the ‘other’, while understanding that we ourselves are the ‘other’; to curate and put together a heritage festival program that is personal, intimate and authentic.
Festival participants ranged from seasoned internationally acclaimed artists to first-time creatives. The program included drama and music by local Porterville talents, Isabella Kok and Evan Zass, to poetry and music by Cape Town-based Deirdre Prins-Solani and musician, Ernestine Deane, respectively; and photography by multi-award-winning South African photographer, Sabelo Mlangeni, who was showing at the Venice Biennale at the time of the festival. There was also a magic show for kids, a film screening, and a talk by local herbalists; stoep stories, (front-porch stories), ceramics, and art walkabouts. All these events and more, were free to the public.
Our curated program was drawn from and rooted in the co-founders’ of PMAR’s personal relationships and their shared lived experiences, while acknowledging and celebrating the full scope of their mixed heritage. A secular approach to building communal knowledge and personal meaning was taken in the hopes of beginning conversations that lead to holding space with the ultimate goal – or hope – of opening minds and re-humanising our fellow beings.
All of the events included free, traditional homemade snacks, made with love and, of course, some indigenous herbs and locally sourced ingredients.
While the events were free, members of the public were encouraged to ‘book’, as seating capacity was limited. ‘Free tickets’ were allocated on a first-come-first-serve basis. All events at PMHF experienced maximum attendance.
