Isabella Fischer's Blog: The Mdantsane Way, page 17
January 30, 2012
What's Next ? - The Mdantsane Tales On YouTube
" Can you listen to me for a minute" ? I asked.
" Ok, what's up," she said.
" I got a new idea," I replied.
" Aibo," she said
(Aibo is a South African exclamation and could be compared to the French " Oh la la ", the American " Gosh " or the German "Ach Du Lieber Gott ".
" THE MDANTSANE TALES, a series of short movies, that's my idea ," I said.
After having finished The Mdantsane Way we have moved up to the next level and are working on a series of short
movies. The existing material has been filmed during the photo shots for
The Mdantsane Way and is being edited at present. We have already
created a channel on YouTube and hopefully we will upload the first
movies very soon.
The series carries the title " The Mdantsane Tales ".
This time the Mdantsanians are telling their stories themselves. We
are the spectators, listening to the voices, the music, the poems, the memories of Mdantsane. During the work for the book we have concentrated a lot on history, life stories, memories of old people, African entrepreneurship and women.
While working with the existing material the concept that we intend to follow with the Mdantsane Tales has become very clear for
us. Our focus is on artists. muscians, poets, writers, students, dancers, revolutionaries, believers, protesters, comedians, free spirits and
people with other aspirations.
In the bigger picture
this means that the stories old and young are linked and connected in society. We are going to show the
interdependency of people and their influence on each other in their society.
We want to take you through a whole range of emotions, like my friend in the picture.
Because emotions are good. We hope to leave you speechless, shocked, delighted, confused, happy, curious, excited and puzzled. But NOT BORED !
And in the end we hope that we can provoke a hearty laughter !
http://feeds.feedburner.com/blogspot/...
The Mdantsane Way
The photo documentary and the coffee table book project " THE MDANTSANE WAY " has come to an end. The book will be available from next week onwards on Amazon.com. You have the option between an e-book version and a hardcover version. You can also order it directly from me.
It was not easy to make the selection of images to be included in the book. In fact this was our biggest problem, to choose between more than 10.000 images that we have shot during the last five years.Reluctantly we had to limit the scope of " THE MDANTSANE WAY " although we would have loved to create a 1000 or more pages edition - which would have been easily possible.
The hardcover version measuring 30 x 25 cm, with over 200 pages, hundreds of color images and some amazing stories of amazing people, this book is a portrait of Mdantsane that we are proud of. It includes a number of images and articles that we like and that we have partly shown on our blog but it also contains a lot of new material. It is a personal, very human account of what we have seen and encountered during our countless visits.
We thank Onehitale Akhimien Ugue for an amazing job he has done on the layout and the graphic design of The Mdantsane Way. If you love color, you will love browsing through this book !
We called Mdantsane in the beginning " the mysterious one". There was this big township right in front of our door and nobody had talked about it or devoted a photographic project or film project to it. Many said, it's not interesting. Township reportage is boring now !
Nobody could even explain to us what the name Mdantsane means. Our book starts with a short description of our search for the origin of the name.
Every African name has a meaning. So, I said to myself, the meaning and the origin of the name has to be found. But each and every person I asked said to me: Nope, it doesn't mean a thing !
" The Mysterious One" has been turned into a to us much known and beloved one. When we started the process, we saw there are so many amazing things to discover. It's not boring at all. It is exciting ! We are able to share at least some of the excitement with you now.
And there is more to come in the future !
http://feeds.feedburner.com/blogspot/...
January 26, 2012
The Longest Washing Line
Having said this, I can hear some already protesting and proclaiming loudly that their washing line is longer.
I am sure there are longer ones but this one was pretty phenomenal. It looks small in the picture but when you stand right in front of it, it is a different story !
Since nearly ten years the MURP - Mdantsane Urban Renewal Programme is concentrating all it's efforts to upgrade and improve urban life in the Kazi. Successful ? We are not here to judge.
Housing programs are mushrooming all over the township, but still informal settlements grow on a daily basis.
http://feeds.feedburner.com/blogspot/...
January 25, 2012
Gimme A Smile
Well, what can I say, sometimes my requests are a little bit misunderstood !
http://feeds.feedburner.com/blogspot/...
January 9, 2012
The Art Of African Sign Board Painting
E-Commerce, Internet-marketing, Search Engine Optimisation, Google-it, E-mail marketing, Podcats, Minicast - the list can be continued ad infinitum.
But still, in Africa we paint the sign boards to attract a potential costumer's attention. It is one of the cheapest and most affordable ways to market your shop or product localy. There are troops of talented sign board painters out there.
And that is truly, truly great !
Bigger surfaces are dealt with in team spirit like here in Kentani at the Wild Coast where the wall of Kings Hardware trading store is getting a face lift !
While the one paints, the other can rest. And vice versa.
Africa is a fantastic continent !
We salute you artists of Africa !
http://feeds.feedburner.com/blogspot/...
January 7, 2012
Normal Flat
I invite you to stay a little longer in the beautiful Transkei with me.
I was so lucky to be able to spend a couple of days there inlcuding New Year's Eve.
Girls, if you ever had a problem bringing your color TV home alone, just follow the example of this lady in Kentani, a small village at the wildcoast, a few kilometers outside of Butterworth.
Not only is she " walking her TV home very independently " - no man in sight who thinks he should intervene ( I don't think she needs one) - but she is doing it with great style and class as well !
Hm, I should rather say : Do not follow this example ! Do not do this at home ! It does demand practice !
http://feeds.feedburner.com/blogspot/...
January 4, 2012
The Transkei, A Land Of Green Rolling Hills And Mighty Bulls
The Transkei and the Mdantsane township are closely linked. You might ask why ? In basically every family who resides in Mdantsane you will find a person who has a connection to the former homeland of the Transkei that had been established under the Aparheid regime as a " self governed bantustan reserve ". The establishment of such a reserve was an experiment at the time. But today the Transkei is one of the purest places in Africa displaying a true and unique African identity.
This means that most of the people have still a connection to the rural areas of the Eastern Cape. Before the holidays you can hear people talking about " going back to their location ". The location is their home, their place of birth and origin. For many this place is a village in the Transkei.
The Transkei is a blessed land of plenty with green rolling hills, rich soil on which you can grow basically everything. It is a land of mighty bulls. It is a land where the Nguni cattle reign.
Over centuries this region has kept and preserved it's wild beauty.
It is a land of abundance, especially after long and heavy rainfalls like we had them this year. A land where the traditions of the Xhosa people are lived and are very well alive.
http://feeds.feedburner.com/blogspot/...
December 26, 2011
The Heroes Of Daily Life - In Memory Of The Painter Helmut Goettl
Card board collector in East London
When working on a project like The Mdantsane Way it is essentital to try to be as true possible as you can to the people who share their life and their stories with you. But you always bring a part of yourself into it and you have to be true to yourself as well.
When I first used the term " The Heroes of Daily Life " in the book I have been asked where I got the idea from. From my own life.
My father had a friend. A life long best friend. He was a painter. This friendship between the two men lasted as long as it was possible - until the end of the life of one of them. My father's friend died about a year ago.
A real talent is a curse because you have to do what you feel inside that you must do. You can not esacpe this urge and at times your talent and your work might stay completely unrecognized, and non-appreciated, lead you to great poverty and misery. And worse make you drag your family into it.
My father's friend painted his whole life. He sacrificed everything else for his great talent, that today after many years is undisputed. When young he did not eat at times to buy oil paint. Neither did his family.
He walked the long and hard walk of an artist who does not want to compromise. The question was not: did he believe in himself but rather did he have to paint ? He had to paint !
Belief was not the question !
There was no way of not following the inner voice. Today his paintings are collected by art lovers all over the world. What he painted were the Heroes of Daily Life.
His paintings depict society and reality brutally, without any glorification.
It was him who created the term " The Heroes of Daily Life " .
The Heroes of Daily Life are the millions of people, who fight and fight, and do simply not stop battling for a better and more affluent life. They might not be considered beautiful or important by many. But they are the true actors in the theatre of life. They are in Mdantsane. They are on the African continent.
They are in every society and in every land. They are of a great number. They make a choice not to kill you for your sunglasses, stab you for your handbag or hijack cars. They make the choice to collect dirty cardboad instead or to recycle your trash. They are more than the Salt of the Earth or what is commonly called the working class. They are the true Heroes of Daily Life playing their role in the theatre of life. Amongst poverty and a lack of everything they have still chosen an honest fight. And this makes them true and genuine heroes. You might be one of them.
This post was written in memory of Helmut Goettl, a great inspiration in the theatre of life.
Helmut Goettl Artworks
http://feeds.feedburner.com/blogspot/...
December 22, 2011
Walk Gentle
I read a twitter comment that somebody had made the other day.
" Coming home to Mdantsane for holidays is like going on vacation to
Afghanistan. "
Mdantsane still lacks the most basic entertainment facilities after 16 years of independence. There is not one cinema in the township ( the population of Mdantsane is estimated to be over a million people). There are hardly any pubs, bars or restaurants, apart from the usual shebeens. From a point of view of entertainment facilities the township has not much to offer. You have to be in your house in the evening because of the high crime rate.
But one thing that distinguishes this township from many other big townships is the pristine and beautiful environment. The beaches are close and easy to reach. There are miles of unspoilt coastline.
Christmas time is beach time. You go to the beach with your familiy and friends.
Have a braai ( barbecue), just linger, have drinks, talk and relax..The Christmas season in South Africa is like a prolonged national holiday and many companies and firms close around the 15th of December.
Just spoil yourself and if you can get forget your sorrows over money, love, the lack of things you need and don't have for a couple of days. They'll come back to you as soon as you let them. And they are willing to stay with your for another year. SO let go for now !
Go for a walk with your daughter.
And just walk gentle.
http://feeds.feedburner.com/blogspot/...
