A feast of activities has been planned to celebrate the 35th anniversary of die Afrikaanse Taalmuseum en –monument (Afrikaans Language Museum and Monument) in Paarl.  Over the festival period, which runs from August to October, the institution hopes to make people more aware of the diverse range of facilities, services and activities offered.

“We see ourselves as 35 years young,” says Director Jack Louw.  “Our staff is a youthful, dynamic team and we follow the strategy that museums should not be boring, stuffy places, but that education and entertainment can be utilised hand in hand, to raise cultural and environmental awareness in an exciting, creative way.”

The festival programme kicks off on August 12th with the fourth annual Mathews Phosa lecture, featuring Professor Russel Botman, Stellenbosch University Rector, as this year’s guest speaker.  On the same day, a special Language Day educational programme for Grade 8 pupils, presented by Stellenbosch University’s Drama Department, will depict the Anglicisation Policy, and its continuing impact on South Africans.

On Taaldag (Language Day), August 14th, a special Open Day at the Taalmuseum in Pastorie Avenue will transport visitors back in time, to the year 1875.  On this day, exactly 135 years ago, the “Genootskap van Regte Afrikaners” (GRA) (‘Association of True Afrikaners’) was established, in what was once the home of Gideon Malherbe. Children and adults alike will be able to experience a taste of life from a bygone era, as well as pose for a photograph in period costume, next to the original printing press on which the first Afrikaans newspaper was printed.  Local artists will perform songs at the street café on the Museum’s front stoep, with koeksisters and milktart on sale.  This experience will be repeated from the 23 to the 26th of September, during Paarl’s annual Cultivaria Festival (daily from 10:00-14:00, 24th until 15:00).

A talk on healthy eating, with guest speaker Herman Uys, writer of “God’s pharmacy: you are what you eat and you are what you don’t eat”, is scheduled for Sunday 29 August, in celebration of Womens’ Month. The event will be held at the Bethel Church Hall in Paarl East in aid of the church’s soup kitchen.

September is Heritage Month and first in the line-up is the opening of a new exhibition on early written Afrikaans at the Taalmuseum. This exhibition has four themes, namely; the earliest writings, Afrikaans in Arabic script, the GRA, and the translation of the Bible into Afrikaans.  The exhibition includes a transcription of Afrikaans as spoken by slaves, and documents by colonists.

On 7 September a special educational programme with the theme “indigenous knowledge” will be presented at Amstelhof Primary School for Grade 4 to 6 learners, in which speakers representing a cross-section of South Africa’s diverse cultural groups will share their cuisine, customs and beliefs with the schoolchildren.

The final round of the Mongoose Downhill Mountain Bike Races will take place from September 11th to 12th at the Taalmonument.

The Taalmuseum’s annual “Ommietafel met Stories” Production (Stories around the Table), which last year proved to be one of the most popular events at the Cultivaria Festival, will be presented in association with LitNet on Heritage Day, September 24th.  Participants will include Afrikaans icon Soli Philander, well-known Hip Hop poet and musician “Jitsvinger”  (of “Afrikaaps” fame); writer Jaco Kirsten, poet Melt Myburgh; and Martelize Brink of RSG (Radio Sonder Grense) as MC.

Creative writing sessions, to be held at the Taalmuseum on September 23rd, also form part of the Cultivaria Festival.  This informal workshop, run by Masters Student Anmar le Roux, will focus on stimulating the imagination, character development with the aid of clay and music, and short poetry forms such as the Haiku and Tanka.

The ever-popular summer full-moon picnics at the Taalmonument begin again on September 23rd, with the first star-gazing evening taking place on October 9th. Visitors may bring their own baskets, or order a picnic spread in advance from Volksmond Coffee Shop.

A course in book repair and paper conservation will be held from October 26th to 28th at the Taalmuseum.  This will be presented by Johan Maree, who trained at the Centro del Bel Libro in Switzerland and the Austrian National Library, and was employed at the University of Cape Town Library for 28 years.

Walking enthusiasts can begin training for the Monument Fun Walk (which offers 4km or 9.5 km route options) on October 10th. On the same day, Volksmond Coffee Shop will host a “Fun day for young and old” with games including Afrikaans Scrabble, outdoor chess and boules. Other activities include the release of a new booklet on the Taalmonument and an art competition in which high school learners are invited to express their own interpretations of the Taalmonument.

For more information, call (021) 872 3441 or visit www.taalmonument.co.za

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