Memory, Multiplicity, and Participatory Curation at the District Six Museum, Cape Town

ABSTRACT

The South African apartheid state declared District Six a “whites only” area in 1966, under the Group Areas Act of 1950. Forced removal of residents commenced in the 1970s and 1980s, followed by the demolition of residential buildings. By the late 1980s, the physical infrastructure of District Six had been largely destroyed. The District Six Museum, established in 1994, has dedicated its existence to the memory of District Six through honouring the stories and experiences of its residents. The author discusses the District Six Museum’s participatory culture as central to its curatorial methodology, with emphasis on the use and adaptation of artistic practices in the curatorial process. The pursuit of the recovery of memory, through the mediation of artistic practices, is the primary concern of this article; through this lens, the generative possibilities of “participatory curation” are addressed. Looking at collaborative creative projects undertaken by the District Six Museum, such as the District Six Huis Kombuis: Food & Memory Cookbook (edited by Tina Smith, 2017. Cape Town: Quivertree Publications) and the exhibitions Streets: Retracing District Six (1994) and Digging Deeper (2000), the author explores the complexity of presenting a myriad of stories and perspectives and the museum’s commitment to memory in “making the intangible tangible” (Interview with Tina Smith by Amie Soudien. March 23, 2018. Homecoming Centre, Cape Town).

KEYWORDS:

• Cape Town
• District Six
• recovery of memory
• artistic practice
• participatory curation
• multiplicity

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Notes

1 In referring to “the Museum”, I am discussing the work of the District Six Museum’s associated artists, curators, educators, archivists, historians, and administrators.

2 The Kaapse Klopse are also known by the term English term “Cape Minstrels”.

3 This term has been used elsewhere, primarily in the realm of online digital curatorial exhibition making.

4 “Huis Kombuis” (Afrikaans) translates to “home kitchen” in English.

5 Afval (Afrikaans) refers to discarded parts of butchered meat, directly translated as “falloff” or “waste” in English.

6 Baderoon observes the ways in which particular Muslim cookbook authors have also perpetuated colonial fetishising and condescending language in their publications (2009, 102).

7 Unfortunately, detailed discussion of these collaborative projects and educational programmes lies beyond the scope of this article.