As we cross the half way mark in Heritage Month – September – the City is gearing up for its heritage expo at the Cape Town Civic Centre, from 20 to 23 September 2011.
The expo will be used to demonstrate the City’s commitment to support the development of the arts in relation to preserving and nurturing our local heritage, as both contribute to the development of local tourism and economic development.
Stalls will be manned by various City departments, such as the Tourism Department’s ‘Vote for Table Mountain in the New7Wonders of Nature Campaign,’ stall that will offer visitors the opportunity to vote right then and there. Institutes and museums will also participate in the expo, including Iziko, the District Six Museum, and the Robben Island International Historical Society.
History buffs and visitors interested in finding out about researching their family history will be able to visit stalls by the Western Cape Archive and Record Service and the Western Cape branch of the Genealogical Society of South Africa.
Daily entertainment during lunch times will showcase Cape Town’s diverse culture and heritage through music, song and dance. Visitors will enjoy top local artists such as Larry Joe between 13:00 and 14:00 daily. Vendors will sell traditional food and crafts.
The entrees of the City’s Arts and Poetry competition which also be featured. Visitors will be able to view how Capetonian youth interpreted the theme, ‘My City, My Heritage – Celebrating our Diverse Culture.’ After the expo, the winning submissions and other selected artworks will move to the Chavonnes Battery Museum at the VA Waterfront from 24 to 25 September.
During the expo period, free seminars, workshops and tours will take place at the Western Cape Archives in Roeland Street, which includes ‘Why your great-grandparent was on Robben Island’ and ‘Reconstitution of families after emancipation in 1838.’ Archive staff and members of the Western Cape Branch of the Genealogical Society of South Africa will be available to give free advice on doing family research daily from 10:00 to 15:00, and there will be an Archive Tour on 20 September from 10:00 to 11:00.
During the expo period 240 youths from Mitchells Plain and Khayelitsha will participate in a Natural Heritage workshop that will be held at Macassar Dunes, with excursions to the Kramat in Maccasar, and Helderberg Nature Reserve.
Lunch-hour slave tours will also be held on 20 and 23 September from the Slave Lodge in Adderley Street.
There is no entry fee for the expo or any of the other heritage events listed above during the week as they are sponsored by the City for the benefit of all Capetonians.
For the full heritage month programme and tour bookings, click here.
