Visual Arts: Talking in Dakar: Conversations about a free South Africa
28 September – 6 October
SU Museum
The Woordfees exhibition Talking in Dakar: Conversations About a Free South Africa attempts to capture an important moment in South Africa’s history, when dialogue across racial lines was essential for the country’s future. However, rather than inspiring reflection and conversation, the exhibition’s poor execution undermines the potential for meaningful engagement.
Visitors to the Talking in Dakar photo exhibition at the Stellenbosch University Museum are met with a collection of framed black and white photographs showcasing interactions between people in Dakar, Senegal. PHOTO: Shérie Vollenhoven.
Displayed at the Stellenbosch University (SU) Museum, the exhibition features photographs by Rashid Lombard, mostly taken in July 1987, from the Institute for a Democratic Alternative in South Africa (Idasa) archives. The images document talks between white South Africans and exiled African National Congress (ANC) members during apartheid. The exhibition aims to emphasize the power of dialogue in overcoming deep divisions. Yet, despite this intention, the presentation falls flat. The curation lacks focus, and the narrative of unity is severely undercut by the way the exhibition is structured.
Dialogue detour
Most of the images displayed only feature white participants in moments of ease, laughter, and bonding, which creates a jarring gap in the narrative.
The selective curation subtly diminishes the importance of interracial interactions that were central to the process. The exhibition fails to properly capture the complexity of those talks, leaving out the diversity and tension that would have been crucial to understanding the historical moment.
The Talking in Dakar photo exhibition recently displayed at the Stellenbosch University Museum features black-and-white photographs depicting various interactions, though this particular image stands out as one of the few that includes both black and white individuals. PHOTO: Rashid Lombard
The exhibition lacks basic context. There are no captions with the photographs, forcing viewers to guess at what they are seeing. Without specific information on who is depicted and what the conversations were about, the photographs lose much of their significance, especially when the majority of the participants in the photographs are white individuals. This disconnects the viewer from the historical depth of the images, turning an engaging experience into something hollow.
Out of frame
The layout of the exhibition also does not tell a cohesive story. The images are arranged without any clear sense of progression, leaving the visitor to jump from one unconnected photograph to another. Rather than guiding viewers through a narrative about how communication helped to bridge divides, the exhibition seems random and unfocused.
Despite the striking imagery of the Talking in Dakar photo exhibition, which was recently displayed at the Stellenbosch University Museum, the absence of context leaves many visitors craving a deeper connection with this pivotal historical moment. PHOTO: Shérie Vollenhoven
When the exhibit opened, it started as a slideshow on a single TV screen, then switched to framed, printed images two days later. Videos, intended to enhance the experience, are solely in Afrikaans, without English subtitles, excluding many potential viewers from accessing these personal stories.
In the end, Talking in Dakar is a missed opportunity. Rather than provoking dialogue about a critical time in South African history, the gaps, lack of context, and careless execution can leave visitors searching for meaning that the exhibition neglects to deliver.