Visitors

Its been exciting to be able to reshape some of the ideas for project with the two members of the advisory board, Bernd Kneiss and Christopher Dell, that the IFG Ulm has sent out. The relative clarity that they bring to discussing and viewing the context feels like some sort of renewal. I’ve been reminded of original intentions that have slipped and forced to consider why the project took certain shifts from those decisions. The politics of these shifts becomes clearer; they reflect the fluid social positions that we’ve undertaken in relation to the complex of clients and interests we’re presenting to. We’ve clearly overvalued the Council’s approval and failed to react with equal accountability to the community. Tomorrow will be a chance to go through the process more finely and reflect on what has been lost in the process. Perhaps reclaim parts of it.

In the course of the day, walking through KwaThema, we meet many people who are interested in us and the project. We are invited to see artworks, to check out vegetable gardens, we meet social workers and agree to correspond with a local democracy NGO.

When we get the beerhall it is swept clean, a project that Stan, Mr Cindi, Eric and a volunteer have undertaken as a surprise. After some persuasion, the students and volunteers get down and dirty at the beerhall site, cleaning up the surrounding rubble. Already it’s really changed and there’s no construction.

At the chess club a host of new volunteers arrived to help dig trenches and they get completed in the day. The students have blisters! Christopher and Bernd are fascinated by the Chess Academy and its achievements.

At the end of the day everyone gets together at Stan’s container for drinks and wors rolls. We formally introduce ourselves and comment on the day, and there’s delight all round at the progress. The sun sets. A roller arrives to flatten rubble. Kids play with cars made from milk bottles, and everyone looks at home.