Grahamstown is a small town nestled in a valley a few miles inland from the eastern Cape coast not far from Port Elizabeth. The town lies at the meeting point of the winter and summer rainfall regions of the country. It is located at the convergence of four climatic zones - in addition to the two rainfall zones, there are the semi-arid Karoo and the sub-tropical Natal coastal belts. There is a saying in the town that one can have all four seasons in one day.

The Church Square and surrounding streets are shown in the first picture. In the second picture a view of Grahamstown from the outskirts of the town. Every year during the first two weeks of July, the largest National Arts Festival in the country is held in Grahamstown. A large number of events are held at the Settlers Monument, from which the view in the third photo was taken. However, one of the most charming aspects of the Festival is that many of the event venues are spread throughout the town. Grahamstown becomes part of the Festival, and almost every business seems to be affected or involved. In the shopping mall where many craft sellers displayed their wares, there is a book store where a book signing was being held for a book about Grahamstown. After a delightful chat and some tea, the spirit of Grahamstown became even more endearing.

Grahamstown is also well-known for its university, Rhodes. It was in the grounds of the university that the street theatre event was held. In 1997, the event was "Montreuil-Soweto, The Meeting". Here "Les Pietons" (The Pedestrians) joined with the "Theseles Creative Socity" of Soweto for a fast, furious, fun game of soccer - with audience participation. The next picture is of Rhodes University. The last picture is of street musicians outside an entrance to the University.

Cameras and recording equipment were not allowed at any of the inside events; however, there were many musicians, craft sellers, and much activity in the streets. The above panel consists of three different pictures, but joining them together made an interesting composition.

The first and last pictures are of some of the many different crafts available at many places throughout the town. The second picture is of the decoration on a performance hall in one of the suburbs of the town. Fascinating performances, including "Mumbo Jumbo" were put on here. In the third picture, a colourful homemade instrument played by a street musician.

The events at 1997 Festival, were wonderful, interesting and varied. With respect to musical events, the Festival included great southern African musicians, of whom some were: Pops Mohamed and the Ngqoko Cultural Group, Bayete, Stimela,Tu Nokwe, Gito Baloi, Winston Mankunku, Sibongile Mngoma, Paul Hanmer, the muscians in the tribute to Gibson Kente and The Masakheke Youth Choir amongst many more. There were many other varied events, theatre, dance, art, photography and the Winter School. Some of the more memorable Winter School courses were the three lectures on the origins of man "Becoming Human" by Dr Lee Burger, the talk on "Commemorative Cloths", and the "Umngqokolo: The Xhosa Art of Two Tones".

Some of the views just to the south of Grahamstown toward the coast. Bright red and orange aloes dotted the hillsides.

The Grahamstown Area
Excerpted from the book "Frontiers" by Noel Mostert, Alfred A. Knopf, 1992

Note: Port Elizabeth is situated at Algoa Bay, about an hour's drive from Grahamstown.
"Equally unique and extraordinary is the brief zone around Algoa Bay, where the winter rainfall region of South Africa blends into an area of summer rainfall. It is a zone that, understandably, does not always seem to know what it is. As with all such transitional zones, there is a bewildering overlay of nature, of flora and fauna. The country east of Algoa Bay that we are looking at is, so to speak, the farthest whisper of the tropics. It is the confused meeting place of intermingling fauna from the central African forest families whose southward stream finished here, and of the Cape Flora whose northward progress can take them no further. Its plants and flowers are a glorious confusion of the exotic and the ordinary: prehistoric cycads and geraniums and roses; strelitzia and plumbagos and arums; seashore pelargoniums, exotic forest mosses and parasitic creepers; orchids, pink, mauve, magenta; gladioli, freesias and the yellow chincherinchee. But of all of them, it is the cacti and the bitter-juice aloes that are the most famously characteristic of the region: the flowers of thirst. The aloes, flaming red, flare among the rocks and on ledges where the sun burns fullest; creating their own symbol of hotness within excessive heat."

"During the times of those travellers [ninteenth century], the eastern zone of the Cape world that we have been describing was home to as exotic a gathering of fauna as Africa could offer. All the continent's big game and wildlife roamed these various habitats, and the animals were matched in the numbers and variety by the birdlife which beat across the skies and through the forests, one of the most colourful and eccentric bird populations the natural world has known, and one that provided the indigenous population through symbols and proverbs with much the greater part of its imaginative values. Birds were messengers of death, of warning, harbingers of rain, and even providers of food - the honeybird guiding hungry men to the nearest wild hive, herons, egrets, bitterns, storks, ducks, ibises, flamingoes, geese, vultures, kites, parrots, swallows, orioles, grouse, quail, guinea-fowl - on and on the list goes, describing a universal aviary as it were, with yet another one of similar diversity among sea-birds hovering over the beaches and hopping among the dunes."

Pops Mohamed and the Ngqoko Cultural Group
Excerpted from the"Souvenir Programme" of the Standard Bank National Arts Festival, 3-13 July, 1997.

"Multi-instrumentalist, music producer and arranger Pops Mohamed brings a special mix of old and new South African music to this year's Festival. Continuing the continent-wide trend whereby musicians working with modern instruments and formats draw inspiration from traditional African music, Mohamed and his five-piece band from Johannesburg will be performing with an exceptional group of musicians from Ngqoko village in the former Transkei."

"The Ngqoko Cutural Group hails from a small settlement near Lady Frere in the Eastern Cape. This area remained relatively untouched by Western influence until the early 20th century and many of Ngqoko's current inhabitants recall that their grandparents lived in a traditional way of life. This may at least partially explain why the village today is home to a unique group of musicians, singers and dancers who are among the last adherents of Xhosa musical traditions that pre-date colonial times."

"For their first appearance on a South African concert stage, the Ngqoko group will be performing on instruments like the umrhrubhe (mouth bow), the uhadi (gourd bow), the ikatari (bow-type instrument played by friction) and the usidiphu (friction drum). Members of the group will also sing in umngqokolo (split-tome) style, an unusual vocal production technique which affords the voice a resonant, buzzing quality and a remarkable richness of overtones."

Split-Tone Singing
Overtone singing is a vocal phenomenon known to be practised in Mongolia and Tuva, and as is called Khoomei. Khoomei can be translated to mean pharynx and throat. Overtone singing results in the production of two pitches at the same time, where the undertone can vary from very low tones to high, flute-like sounds depending upon the practitioner. Singing in overtones is not easy and is taxing on human vocal chords. Variable pitch harmonics are obtained by tongue placement, and by varying air pressure and volume of the mouth cavity. It is said to have originated from Asian nomads listening to the sounds of nature and discovering overtones and harmonics. The practice of overtone singing in South Africa was unknown until musicologist Dave Dargie discovered this singing style of the Xhosa women in 1980. It is called umngqokolo. One Xhosa woman, Mrs. No Wayyilethi Mbizweni, has a personal style she claims to have discovered by listening to the umqangi beetle.

Commemorative Cloths
Excerpted from the"Souvenir Programme" of the Standard Bank National Arts Festival, 3-13 July, 1997.

"The Exhibition of Commemoratve Cloths is a brilliant display of commercially printed cloths - which would never have been produced under colonial rule - whose images depict essential historical events in sub-Saharan African countries.
All of these cloths were produced to commemorate special occasions, many of them celebrating the political independence of their respective countries. The images usually showcase leaders who represent their place in the historical evolution of their African country and also contribute to and identify the Africanisation of the continent.
Leaders represented in the southern African region are Nelson Mandela, Sam Nujoma, Rober Mugabe and Chief Mangosuthu Buthelezi.
The designs are strident and powerfully emblematic, showing subject matter which is unique to peoples of the regions. The cloths are mostly worn by women and serve as beautiful decorative ornaments, asserting national identity and offering educational information. They carry messages which can also identify with particular church groups and social issues such as AIDS or immunisation. Wearing these garments reflects a person's identity and particular affiliation, which may be regional or national.
Colourful in design, these heraldic motifs are unmistakable in the landscape. They all serve uniquely as moving human posters which inform and identify with African issues."

Grahamstown
http://www.grahamstown.co.za/Default.htm

Grahamstown Arts Festival
http://www.nafest.co.za/

MELT2000 - A Global Collaboration of World Music and Jazz
http://www.melt2000.com

Pops Mohamed & MELT2000
http://www.melt2000.com/releases/bw2128.html

Commemorative Cloth
http://www.sbic.co.za/gallery/commemcloth/clothfr.htm

Port Elizabeth
http://www.pe.org.za/

Shamwari Game Reserve
http://www.shamwari.com