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table of contents - home page - text-only home page South Africa Celebrates "Arts, Culture and Disability" Statement issued by the South African Department of Arts, Culture, Science & Technology, 23 October 2000 The Office on the Status of the Disabled Persons [OSDP], together with their provincial offices, Disabled People South Africa [DPSA], the South African Federal Council on Disability [SAFCD] and the Department of Arts, Culture, Science and Technology [DACST] have set up a task team to co-ordinate events leading up to the International Day of the Disabled on Sunday 3 December 2000. National Launch Activities started on 1 November 2000 with a National Launch of the Disability Awareness month. Events based on the theme DISABILITY RENAISSANCE: From poverty to social, political, economic and cultural freedom will run throughout November. Four specific areas of focus have been identified to fit into this theme, which should be used as instruments to engage current initiatives within government and the private sector:
The value of the arts to people with disabilities should not be underestimated. The general public's conceptions of art are inextricably interwoven with notions of physical beauty. People with disabilities who look and function differently receive a strong social message that they fail to meet the majority cultural standard for beauty. Those who have learnt to be ashamed of their disabilities may avoid music, dance, drama and other forms of art that focus a spotlight on them. Work by disabled people is often rejected because it is believed it will not appeal to a wide audience and that works with explicit subject matter are considered too depressing. Human Rights Focus Through this campaign, DACST hopes to sensitize the public regarding human rights for people with disabilities and to assist in extinguishing the negative images and stereotypes associated with the disabled. Because the arts are an infinite and unconditional field, people with disabilities are free to express themselves in the arts without physical, social, or attitudinal barriers. Through this campaign we hope to create an awareness of the world of resources and opportunities offered in the arts, whilst providing an outlet for the creative expression of disabled people as well as creating an awareness of the unlimited possibilities for personal, academic and professional success offered within the arts. While the programme will promote solidarity through the arts between people with disabilities and society as a whole it will also serve to give special recognition to disabled organizations and artists. Disabled people have a unique worldview and through their artistic pursuits can speak to many segments of society that are likewise disenfranchised. Their work can inform the community and can be used to continue the struggle for full inclusion. The past decade has witnessed the evolution of what some have described as disability culture, a corollary to the self-identification of people with disabilities as a minority group. As people with disabilities have increasingly come to identify with each other, and to express themselves artistically through the visual arts, performing arts and the participation in the cultural life of society as a whole, they have increasingly identified their own cultural affiliation, which like other minority groups, may mitigate the effects of social devaluation. A function of disability culture is a celebration of the uniqueness of disability and it is this that we seek to nurture through this campaign. The national cultural empowerment campaign is scheduled to run throughout November. Activities will take place in KwaZulu Natal but it is envisaged that the media campaign will ensure national coverage. What follows is a brief outline of some of the programmes that are in the process of being finalised: Gala Performance This performance will promote the artistic expressions of artists with disabilities and is scheduled to take place on 25 November at the Playhouse in Durban. Performers will include national disabled performing groups, musicians and dancers. DACST is also exploring the possibility of getting an international group to perform. This performance will be critical in raising public awareness to the level to which our disabled performing artists can achieve. We are also exploring the possibility of inviting group from the rest of Africa as the International Day of the Disabled [IDD] this year will see the launch "AFRICA - the decade of the disabled". Deaf Theatrical Performances The medium of deaf theatre is a powerful one and has the potential to communicate beyond language barriers. We are negotiating with an experienced group of deaf people, who are working on a production with the aim of public education and awareness raising. The production will premier as part of the awareness month but could later tour the country, in both urban and rural areas, exposing the myths, which cause so much discrimination. Adult Choir Festival This festival is already scheduled to take place at the Bat centre in Durban and will be hosted by Very Special Arts an organisation promoting disabled artists and performers. This event will showcase disabled musicians from KZN. Visual Arts Exhibitions by Disabled Artists We are looking at exhibitions by the late Bonnie Ntshalinshali, a physically disabled ceramic artist who died last year. The Tatham Art Gallery in Pietermaritzburg will curate this exhibition. The Durban Art Gallery will host a tactile exhibition for the blind. Other disabled visual artists who we will be showcasing include Dan Rakgoathe who is blind; Tommy Motswai who is deaf and physically disabled artist Mandla Mabila and Vusi Swane. Organisations such as the foot and mouth painters will also be included. We are also exploring the possibility of supporting these artists through residency programmes. The visual arts exhibitions will be supported by educational and awareness raising programmes. Photographic Exhibition In 1998, a photographic exhibition on human rights and disability was launched at Parliament. Elvis Ntombela, who has been taking photographs of people with disabilities for several years, took the majority of photographs. These photographs served to communicate with others beyond policy and provided a visual narrative, allowing glimpses into the lives and experiences of people with disabilities. The photographic exhibition is mobile and has traveled to various conferences and workshops around the country. Workshops will be run with unemployed disabled youth with a view to continuing the project . The youth will be encouraged to take their cameras into their communities and to photograph images of their own lives. There is also a possibility at the end of these courses, that a collection of the best photographs could be exhibited. Art Workshops More so than for all other groups access to education and training is a serious concern for disabled people wishing to pursue careers in the arts. The typical circumstances in which young persons with disabilities grow up serve to suppress rather than encourage their participation in the arts. We develop our creative potential by interacting with the world around us and young people with disabilities commonly encounter barriers to their artistic aspirations at the earliest stages of development. The aspirations of young artists with disabilities must survive a myriad of hazards such as a pervasive social messages of unworthiness, concerns about the impracticality of the arts as a vocation and a lack of accessible art programs in schools and the community. There are also access barriers to art in the community as many venues are physically inaccessible and lack alternative forms of communication for those with hearing, vision or learning limitations. Through these workshops we hope to expose learners the various art forms and to break down existing barriers. Skills Training for Disabled Crafters Many disabled people are involved in craft production in order to earn a living. These crafters are largely left out of craft development initiatives. A Disabled crafters market with skills training and support in areas such as product development, marketing, SMME training etc. would be of enormous benefit. Writers Workshop The disability sector in this country have very little of their history captured in print. At this stage, there is an oral tradition. The written word is confined to policy documents, speeches, newsletter articles, all of which are quite scattered. The disability movement in his country has a rich history, one, which should be captured so that we may be able to pass it on to future generations and also share our experiences with each other and the rest of the world. A writers/poets workshop is being planned with a view to an anthology of literature written by people with disabilities themselves. The anthology will contain everything from academic articles, newsletter articles, biographies of those who left an indelible mark on the history of the disability rights struggle in the country, short stories of people's lives and experiences, poetry, plays, abstracts, transcripts of oral history, human rights abuses, celebratory stories, legislative developments, issues around sexuality etc. The scope of the anthology will be broad and diverse, to reflect the diverse community who will write it. Train the Trainer Program Research recently conducted by the OSDP into the situation of disability inclusiveness in government departments showed that DACST is one of the departments that plays an important role in fostering national unity and aiding individuals and groups to maintain their identity and achieving unity in diversity. DACST also has an important role to play in enabling disabled persons to be inclusive in mainstream society. DACST policies pre-date the Integrated National Disability Strategy [INDS] and therefore are not precise on disability inclusiveness. The department recognises the importance of involving disabled people in policy formulation and implementation. This consultative conference will allow disabled people involved in the arts to make their voices heard and feed into future arts and culture policy and programming. The supporting train the trainer program will provide a platform for trainers working in isolation till now to explore issues and share their experiences through workshops and lectures. This conference is scheduled to take place in early 2001. For more information contact: Simmi Pillay 012 337 8005 table of contents - home page - text-only home page |