When Ros Turner, curator of the Walter Battiss Art Museum went next door to Paulet House this week to see Theo Kemp, Jakes Gerwel Foundation’s Executive Director about delivering a book to Cape Town, she walked into a dream come true – JGF’s newest mentor Zolani Mahola and her mentees were in full song.
“Too, too beautiful!” exclaims Ros who is a long-time Zolani fan. “What I sat in on will stay with me forever. Was a bit tearful, sheer beauty.”
Says Theo, “It was a lovely moment. She (Ros) was in tears and Zolani spoke so nicely to her.”
The following morning Zolani, whose late mom came from Somerset East, went to visit the Battiss Museum and was treated to Ros’ tour of the town’s rare collection of Walter Battiss’s artworks. “Showing Zolani around the Battiss,” says Ros, “big tick on my bucket list.” Later in the day, Ros was treated to some more sweet sounds when the songwriters walked by the museum, singing, just as she was about to close the museum for the day..
For the townspeople, the writers are a curiosity and they would like to meet the groups that they see coming and going. Some of the writers do visit the Museum just as curious about the town. When asked about the writers Ros just explains, “some of them just come here to write in peace.”
Pictured: Frazer Barry, Kerischnie Pheiffer, Spha Dlakwe, Carlo Fortune and Zolani Mahola.
For last night’s concert in the garden, the neighbours came to picnic and took pictures and videos of the songbirds before the light faded.
“First Zolani gave us a very personal story of her life and music, then Frazer Barry gave us his music and then the songwriters with the music they wrote while they were here. The friends I asked loved it – a very special experience in a beautiful setting. Three hours of music, pure magic!” reports Ros.
Pictured: Frazer Barry, Kele Langa, Kerischnie Pheiffer and Spha Dlakwe.
And then the songwriters and Zolani came to visit the museum again this morning, says Ros. “Just had a group of schoolkids from Aeroville and Johnson Nqonqoza Schools arrive as part of our museum’s Heritage Day programme, just after Zolani. Bedlam!. Zolani was recognised. Battiss took a back seat but that was the teachers, the kids were too young. Much selfie-taking with Zolani.”
In the picture, Zolani with one of the teachers. Punctuated with many laughing yellow emojis, Ros reports: “He was totally star struck, and to h@#! with his learners.”
Pictures: Ros Turner @ Walter Battiss Art Museum in Paulet Street, Somerset East. And first and last picture by Theo Kemp.
