THE INTERVENTION: Yasser Booley, Lerato Shadi, Mmabatho Montsho

VISUAL LANGUAGE— Yasser Booley is in Mahikeng today, exploring his narrative behind photography. Somewhere between film cameras, and chemist making negatives he chose to articulate meaning through the typography of visual spaces. He argues that the major thematic here is to explore the internal patterns we project in the process of recording our experiences. At the same time, perhaps exploring the ways of looking and rewriting our history. Between the tensions of authenticity and view point, who’s looking at our history and what composes their view point? More specifically, what are the narratives that inform the “own eye”. Although I expected a photography lesson, I learnt about overcoming myself in reporting and recording the world more than “taking pictures”. At this point, perhaps for the first time I learnt what photography truly meant in some way. Well, naturally I did not agree with every aspect of his offering but the fundamentals were crucially compelling and powerfully driving! More on Yasser Booley here.

LINGUAL RUBBER AND HISTORY— Vivid narratives and questions around history and language. Free will, the core questions on within the dynamics of language as an infrastructure representing instruments of behavior. Perhaps as a source of interpretation, language becomes on one hand a place of safety; it also an instrument of violence. In her argument, Aus Lerato navigates us through the much too familiar edge of being Tswana and speaking English as an imposed instrument of survival. She places emphasis on decolonization as a lingual affair citing the likes of wa Thiongo and Fanon. In particular she draws on the political differentiation between language and dialect, indicating that many African languages remain dialects as they are powerless as institutional instruments in the structure and systems of governance, exchange and control. I obviously disagree with some of the principle points, although can agree with the fact that Africans are multilingual and Afrikanists must understand that this is a fundamental trait of cosmopolitan genetics.

COLOURS AND CONTOURS– Although I don’t agree with some of the narratives she proposed, Mmabatho Montsho spoke of self revealing dynamics woven between colour, contrast, womanhood and dreams. In her series of work she represents a sheer sense of work ethic: carrying ones cross– as a bearable, light and crucial responsibility. In light of the visions she paints she unearthed the much untold narrations behind women in the church — as people of power and substantial influence. Not only did she share fascinating historical delights, but also the dynamics of contemporary screenings and her journey as it manifests before her.

Photography workshop– Only one woman came through and she’s not in the picture.