The White Elephant

(See The White Elephant publication for more images)

Introduction

“White Elephant” is the name given by Kliptown residents to the monument development built in 2005 called Walter Sisulu Square. This term used by various members of the community, refers to the huge and expensive development, which for them represents a false promise. A false promise because it was intended to bring the economy of tourism to the area and create jobs. More importantly the White Elephant was intended to celebrate promises which were once made on the square, by the founding fathers of anti-Apartheid resistance, when they held the Freedom Charter signing here in 1955.

In 2007, I first encountered the Walter Sisulu Square monument. By 2011, I had gathered a team, conceived and co-ordinated a project which could function as critical observation of the mammoth monument, in the midst of a gravely poor neighbouring area. The format of this project would be a collaborative process together with a Soweto based art school called Funda Community Arts College. The process would include fieldwork in the Kliptown area, and thereafter the building of a cheap and temporary monument as a form of commentary, on the usually quiet, unwelcoming, formal space on the square.

As a conceptual starting point, we would re-imagine the Freedom Monument, which is now part of the monument complex, in a new form. We wanted to make a connection to the existing monument structure, in its visual form, but at the same time we would have the freedom to create a new structure based on our research in the area, entitled Cardboard Monument.

We formed a team, myself, a South African, Dutch based artist, a Dutch theatre set designer and skilled builder, a UK based project manager, and nine artists who are current or former students from the Funda Community Arts College. We worked together from January until March 2011. Between the 3rd and the 6th of March we formulated a programme at the monument square enabling a platform for what we had created. We invited musicians, performers, and school students from around Kliptown to participate in our four day event. The intention was to temporarily revive the square with a vibrant, young and politically engaged audience.

For a brief few days the White Elephant came alive, and attracted passersby, tourists and friends to join in a lively and warm experience. Conversations were had, children who would usually be begging for money from tourists were able to watch, dance and ask questions. For a brief moment the distance between the White Elephant and Kliptown residents became slightly smaller.

On the day we dismantled our monument, a dark cloud descended over our project. As if the brief joy of the momentous success we had achieved had been too much, too soon. We had embarked on an ambitious public art project, and reached many people in the process both in Kliptown and in Soweto. It was all over. We had created our own exhibition space and work, where nothing had existed before. However we were leaving. The logistical and financial support behind the project was no longer there. The artists involved, most living in Soweto, were suddenly aware of their own dependency on these factors, in order to keep the project running. Bitter questions arose, “But how did we benefit?” and “Now what?”

Valid questions indeed. However this project was not intended to be a sustainable or permanent fixture in the Kliptown area. We were funded by a relatively small budget, a combination of Dutch and South African money, on the basis of our temporary monument structure plan. In the process of learning and investigation, we had benefited enormously in terms of what we had learned from each other.

I was reminded that the Walter Sisulu square, which we had looked upon so critically during the process of the project was also, to some extent, made with good intentions, and with the purpose of pleasing all it’s stakeholders and public. The monument square has become a disappointment. It has failed to create a suitably sustainable strategy, and therefore the public largely feels isolated from it.

Was there really a difference between what we had created together as temporary public art project and the White Elephant? Or had we perpetuated that false promise? I will now start from the beginning, and unravel my story. A network of historical legacy, community and artistic participation, business investment, and political manipulation, told from my subjective point of view.