The legacy of spatial apartheid is one that is deeply felt by all South Africans – no family is untouched by the experience of forced removals and the accompanying loss of dignity.
This was according to Chrischene Julius, acting director of the District Six Museum and a panelist in the second Just Conversations online discussion hosted by the Stellenbosch University (SU) Museum. The discussion, titled “Re-imagining spatial politics: Land, memory and the right to access”, took place on 21 April via Microsoft teams.
“The [District Six] Museum participated in the discussion as it believes there needs to be a broader societal discussion on the impact of forced removals, and how it has shaped how we relate to each other today,” said Julius in email correspondence with MatieMedia.
The Just Conversations online discussions were officially launched on 7 April, according to Dr Geraldine Frieslaar, curator of research, dialogue and social justice at the SU Museum, who organises and moderates Just Conversations.
“Just Conversations is a series of conversations which are focused on social justice issues and transformation,” she said.
The Stellenbosch University Museum recently launched a series of online panel discussions around transformation. PHOTO: Tina Ddamulira
In the past, museums were only concerned with the preservation of objects, whereas museums of today are equally concerned with the well-being of people and their lived experiences, according to Bongani Mgijima, the director of the SU Museum. Just Conversations was launched to address these lived experiences. “Without human beings there would be no objects,” said Mgijima.
Dr Geraldine Frieslaar, curator of research, dialogue and social justice at the Stellenbosch University Museum, is responsible for organising and moderating the Just Conversations online panel discussions. PHOTO: Supplied/Dr Geraldine Frieslaar
“Conversations around transformation are in line with SU’s Vision [for] 2040,” added Mgijima. SU’s Vision 2040, which was launched in 2018, aims to develop SU into Africa’s leading research-intensive university, with emphasis on excellence, inclusivity and innovation, according to the SU website.
Dr Geraldine Frieslaar, curator of research, dialogue and social justice at the Stellenbosch University Museum, explains why the online panel discussions are called Just Conversations.
The topic for the next Just Conversations panel discussion will be “Worker struggles framed within growing unemployment in South Africa”. The discussion will be hosted on 5 May, according to an announcement on the Just Conversations Facebook page. Panelists will include Dr Eddie Cottle, who is a postdoctoral fellow at the University of the Witwatersrand, and Karl Cloete, a community activist in the field of labour relations, according to the announcement.