eKapa: The debate continues online
by Carine Zaayman
CAPE eKapa blog
http://www.capeafrica.org/blog.asp
The Sessions eKapa conference, held in Cape Town in early December, proved
to be one of the most controversial gatherings the South African art word
has seen in a while. Ostensibly organised as a launch for the CAPE / AFRICA
Platform, the conference opened more cans of worms than many expected, and
did precious little for any sense of unified purpose among art
practitioners.
Nonetheless, judging from their website, the organisers seem to feel that
the conference was, in general, a success, seeing that it had brought so
many issues to the attention of CAPE and Sessions eKapa delegates. It seems
to me, however, that there are still a number of issues facing the
organisation itself, and though they might welcome the opportunity to
address these issues, they also need to realise the pressing nature of the
concerns raised by the art community at this forum.
Perhaps as an answer to the storm of discussions and critiques levelled
against the conference, CAPE has established an online forum to continue
the debate. The forum (which they call a blog) currently features an
invitation to provide feedback on the Sessions eKapa conference, an address
by Sessions organiser Julian Jonker entitled States of Emergence, an
extended diary of the conference by José Ferreira and a letter from Gavin
Jantjies, recently appointed Artistic Director for the proposed biennial of
contemporary African art for September 2006, and one of the most
controversial people (and, in fact, topics) on the conference.
Apart from these long letters, there is also a summary of eKapa in the
press, where one can follow, in some detail, a number of the responses from
the press. Downloads include the cogent and insightful article by Liza
Grobler (from Die Burger), the discussion of the appointment of Gavin
Jantjies by Melvyn Minnaar (from the Cape Times and Kim Gurney's
witty take on the more chaotic aspects of the conference (from the Mail
and Guardian).
I sincerely hope that the forum that the organisers have provided will be
utilised by the public, so that the debate can actually have a trail of
words, which can be referred to by everyone as the process progresses. As
yet, I am only able to find one post, an extract from Caroline
Fekete-Kaiser's feedback on the conference. This forum could also provide a
voice for those who were, unlike the intrepid Lorna Ferguson, unable to give
their commentary and feedback.
