Litnet

Imtiaz Sooliman, Theo Kemp, Lebo Mazibuko, Brian Figaji, Chase Rhys, Veronique Jephtas, Lee-Ann van Rooi en René Cloete, Zolani Mahola (foto’s: Jeremeo Le Cordeur)

Is altyd polarising om innie geselskap van skrywers, art practitioners en notable figures te wies. Die energy wat uit die gesprek en geselskap geskep wôd, is altyd effervescent en lewendig. In hierie camaraderie is ôs in staat om victory, tenderness en  verlies te vier. Ôs kan ook ’n toekoms voostel waa goodwill bestaan. Is een van dai moments waar ôs besef dat hoe ôs met mekaar interact so belangrik is dat ôs kindness moet kweek en mekaa as humans in lyding en innie lewe moet sien. Ieman anders wat hierie ootuiging geshare het, was niemand annes nie as professor Jakes Gerwel.

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Gerwel, ’n lover van taal, letterkunde en sosiale bewustheid, het ’n nalatenskap agtergelaat wat baie wyd loop because of die vele takke wat hy geskep het. Takke wat soveel mense geleenthede aangebied’et om hul immediate en omliggende omgewings te help verander.

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Gerwel, ’n lover van taal, letterkunde en sosiale bewustheid, het ’n nalatenskap agtergelaat wat baie wyd loop because of die vele takke wat hy geskep het. Takke wat soveel mense geleenthede aangebied’et om hul immediate en omliggende omgewings te help verander. Een vannie vele vrugte issie Jakes Gerwel Stigting, ’n projek wat se hoofdoel is ommie nalatenskap van prof Gerwel te celebrate deu ’n verskeidenheid programme te verskaf wat gemik is op die ontwikkeling vannie talente van budding skrywers. Over die course vannie afgelope vyf jaa het die Paulet Huis 136 skrywers, musikante, playwrights en digters gehuisves. 30 published boeke, 22 toneelstukke wat gedebut’et byrie Suidoosterfees as result vannie NATi Jong Sterre mentorship programme en drie musical productions – al hierie wonderlike projekte uit die Paulet Huis in KwaNojoli (Somerset-Oos), ’n home wat aan prof Gerwel behoort’et, en sy wat vrou, Phoebé Gerwel, aan die stigting geskenk’et. Ommie suksesse vannie stigting te vereer en die nagedagtenis van prof Gerwel te celebrate is ’n jaarlikse spesiale lesing gehou.

Veronique Jephtas, Lee-Ann van Rooi en René Cloete (foto: Jeremeo Le Cordeur)

In 2023 is dit die 10de jaa dat die gedenklesing plaasvind, en is vanjaa aangebied deu dr Imtiaz Sooliman, stigter vannie Gift of the Givers; in addition to dr Sooliman se lesing is dit die eeste jaa waa die Jakes Gerwel Stigting die recipient van ’n 6-week internasionale fellowship in samewêking mettie Columbia Universiteit in New York aankondig het. Bekende figure in die creative industry sowel as skrywers wat oor die jare aan die Paulet Huis-residensies deelgeneem het, het die event bygewoon. Een previous fellow, Lebo Mazibuko, skrywer van Bantu knots, het die aand ge-MC wat by die Youngblood Kunsgalery in Breestraat in die CBD plaasgevind het.

Na ’n kort video waar vorige fellows express’et hoe Paulet Huis hul lewens fundamenteel verander het, het dr Sooliman aanlyn byrie geleentheid aangesluit. ’n Opportune oomblik. Sy lesing was soaked innie betekenis van geloof en spiritualiteit. Hierie aangrypende toespraak het die ontstaan ​​van Gift of the Givers in detail uiteengesit en die luisteraars op reis deur die wêreld geneem. Dr Sooliman het opgemerk hoe sy geloof hom op hierie reis geneem het na waar ’n geestelike leier vi hom gesê het dat hy die persoon sou wees wat hierie merkwaardige NGO sou begin. Terselfdertyd het hy daarop gewys dat daar nie sulke dinge is soos toevallig nie en dat Gift of the Givers is nie alleen sy projek nie. Aan die einde vannie lesing issie stelling wat duidelik was dat as ’n mens hulself in spiritualiteit ground, dit nie net vi jou gesondheid is nie, maar vi die reviving van lang verlore virtues soos hoop, selflessness en aspirasie is daar ’n toekoms, en daa’s oek ’n future vi Suid-Afrika. Uiters aangrypend, goed geartikuleer en relevant – almal was verryk gelaat na dr Sooliman se toespraak.

Zolani Mahola (foto: Jeremeo Le Cordeur)

En uiteindelik, die aankondiging vannie Columbia Fellowship. Hierie fellowship is virrie eerste keer innie middel van 2023 aangekondig en eksklusief gemaak vi all previous participants van die stigting se programme; hierie geleentheid behels die selected skrywer om meesterklasse vi ses weke byrie bekende Columbia University of the Arts aan te bied, asook wêkswinkels by The New School. Stevlyn Vermeulen, uitgewer by Kwela Boeke, was daar om aan te kondig dat Chase Rhys, skrywer van Misfit ennie befaamde Kinnes, vroeg in 2024 na Amerika gaan vlieg.

Chase sal ’n adjunkprofessor wees gedurende die tyd by Columbia en sal ’n meesterklasreeks aanbied met die titel: "Narrative resistance – writing authentic stories of resilience and identity in diverse communities". Terwyl hulle oor hul meesterklas gesels het, het hulle ook gesê dat hulle Kaaps wil transplant, ennit vat na ruimtes waarit nie gewoonlik verwag word nie. Hulle reflect ook oo hul kinderjare toe hulle ontdek het hoe Kaaps as ’n taal in verskillende dele van Kaapstad waargeneem word.  Chase is baie passievol oor Kaaps en is dankbaar dat hulle die vreugde en krag wat hierie taal inhou onder ander kreatiewe en skrywers sal kan deel. Soes hulle gesê’et: “It carries this sense of belonging, pride and solidarity amongst speakers, allowing us to share stories, emotions, and experiences with authenticity and creativity.” Baie geluk Chase!

Theo Kemp (foto: Jeremeo Le Cordeur)

As daa iets is, het hierie gebeurtenis bewys dattie stemme en actions van skrywers, filantrope en creatives opvallend is en dat dit in ’n post-lockdown wêreld ook nodig is. Met die Jakes Gerwel Stigting wat voortgaan om ’n vernuwende en breë kontemporêre literêre toneel te kweek en te ontwikkel, kan ôs sekerlik voortgaan om hoop in die krag vannie kunste te cherish.

Vir meer inligting oor die stigting, besoek hul webwerf by jgf.org.za.

SU Jazz Trio: Melisizwe Plaatjie, Nicolas Miso, Dillon Cornelius en Stuart Martin (foto: Jeremeo Le Cordeur)

It’s always polarising to be in the company of writers, arts professionals, and notable figures. The energy created from the conversation and companionship is always effervescent and lively. In this camaraderie we are able to celebrate victory, tenderness, loss, and imagine futures where goodwill exists. It’s one of those moments where we realise that how we interact with one another is so important that we need to cultivate goodness and see one another as fellow humans in suffering, in life. Someone else who shared this belief was no other than Professor Jakes Gerwel.

A lover of language, literature and social awareness, Gerwel left behind a legacy that is very hard to trace because of the many branches it has birthed, providing so many people with opportunities to help change their immediate and surrounding environments. One of the many fruits is the Jakes Gerwel Foundation, a project whose main objective is to celebrate the legacy of Prof Gerwel by providing a variety of programmes aimed at the development of the talents of budding writers. Over the past five years these writers’ residencies have hosted 136 writers and yielded 30 published books across the residency programmes and 22 plays across the playwriting mentorships – with all these wonderful projects birthed at the Paulet House in KwaNojoli (Somerset East), a home that belonged to Prof Gerwel and which his wife, Phoebé Gerwel, donated to the foundation which they turned into a home for emerging writers. And keeping the tradition of celebrating the transformative nature of the arts, a special lecture was held to honour the successes of the foundation and, of course, the memory of Jakes Gerwel.

Stevlyn Vermeulen en Chase Rhys (foto: Jeremeo Le Cordeur)

2023 is the 10th year that the Commemoration Lecture has taken place, and it was presented this year by Dr Imtiaz Sooliman, founder of Gift of the Givers. In addition to his lecture this is the first year that the Jakes Gerwel Foundation announced the recipient of a 6-week international fellowship in collaboration with Columbia University in New York. Notable figures in the creative industries as well writers who took part in the foundation’s residencies over the years attended the event; one previous fellow, Lebo Mazibuko, author of Bantu knots, hosted the evening which took place at the Youngblood Art Gallery on Bree Street in the heart of Cape Town.

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2023 is the 10th year that the Commemoration Lecture has taken place, and it was presented this year by Dr Imtiaz Sooliman, founder of Gift of the Givers. In addition to his lecture this is the first year that the Jakes Gerwel Foundation announced the recipient of a 6-week international fellowship in collaboration with Columbia University in New York.

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After a short video in which previous fellows expressed how being at Paulet House had fundamentally changed their lives Dr Sooliman joined the event virtually. An opportune moment. His lecture was steeped in the significance of faith and spirituality. This poignant speech detailed the inception of Gift of the Givers and took the listeners on a journey through the world. Dr Sooliman noted how his faith had taken him on a journey to where a spiritual leader told him that he’d be the person who would start this remarkable NGO. At the same time he pointed out that there are no such things are coincidences and that Gift of the Givers is not his project alone. At the end of the lecture the statement that was clear was that grounding oneself in spirituality is not just for one’s health, but for the revival of long lost virtues such as hope, selflessness, and aspiration. Extremely gripping, well articulated and extremely relevant – everyone was left enriched after Dr Sooliman’s speech.

Lebo Mazibuko (foto: Jereme Le Cordeur)

And at last, the announcement of the Columbia Fellowship. This fellowship was first announced in the middle of 2023 and made exclusive to Paulet House residents. This opportunity involves the selected writer’s presenting master classes for six weeks at the renowned Columbia University of the Arts, as well workshops at the New School. Stevlyn Vermeulen, publisher at Kwela Books, was there to announce that Chase Rhys, writer of Misfit and the famed Kinnes, would be flying off to America in early 2024.

Chase will be an adjunct professor during the time at Columbia and will present a masterclass series titled “Narrative resistance – writing authentic stories of resilience and identity in diverse communities”. While talking about their masterclass they also stated that they are transplanting Kaaps, taking it into spaces where it is not usually expected, reflecting on their childhood when they discovered how Kaaps as a language is perceived in different areas of Cape Town. Chase is very passionate about Kaaps and is grateful that they will be able to share the joy and power this language holds among other creatives and writers alike. As they said, “It carries this sense of belonging, pride and solidarity amongst speakers, allowing us to share stories, emotions, and experiences with authenticity and creativity.” Congratulations Chase!

Imtiaz Sooliman (foto: Jeremeo Le Cordeur)

If anything, this event proved that the voices and actions of writers, philanthropists and creatives are salient and that in a post-lockdown world they are necessary as well. With the Jakes Gerwel Foundation continuing to cultivate and develop an innovative and broad contemporary literary scene we can surely continue cherishing the power of the arts.

For more information on the foundation, visit their website at jgf.org.za.