Caption to photo: "The late Joyce Thomas (left) standing with her father, Bernard Fynn, who was also her dance partner. The couple on the right are unknown. • The image was taken at a dance competition at the YMCA in Beatrice st, Durban, in the 1970s • photo courtesy of Lorin Sookool"
Media Release
Proclamation 73 Exhibition – Call for Collaboration
The curators of an exhibition titled Proclamation 73, which explores the family archives of people racialized as Coloured and Indian in Durban under the Group Areas Act, are calling for people to collaborate with them.
Proclamation 73 is a not-for-profit project conceived by Zara Julius and Chandra Frank in partnership with the Goethe-Institut South Africa as part of the Goethe-Institut Project Space (GPS) and eThekwini History Museums. It is scheduled to be exhibited at the Durban Art Gallery from 10 December, 2018 to 15 February 2019.
“This exhibition takes family histories as an entry point into the creation of both an exhibition and a visual online archive,” explain Julius and Frank. “In bringing together a large collection of family photos of everyday lived experiences, Proclamation 73 portrays narratives on the meaning of loss, kinship and home. Proclamation 73 investigates and challenges how different racial histories and segregation operate within the city of Durban. The growing collection includes photos of weddings, beach days, ballroom dances, debutant balls, dance contests, street portraits, school pictures and other snapshots. The exhibition will cover a large time period, from the late 1860s until the very early 2000s, and therefore offers insight into different historical frameworks and fragmented histories and narratives.”
“This is an interactive non-profit project and we are calling on support to help develop an archival collection of the family album in Durban. We are hoping to grow this body of untold stories, and help document everyday memories and histories."
The curators are looking for families who were based in Durban between 1860s and 2000 press, and / or who were racialised as “coloured” or “Indian” during apartheid and or were relocated/forcibly removed to Sydenham, Greenwood Park, Chatsworth, Wentworth, Phoenix, Newlands East, Newlands West, Overport etc.
“We would like to ask people to submit photographs from their personal family albums that document their homes, family/friend gatherings, community, social events, school events, etc that date any time before 2000. We are also interested in receiving copies of written letters or any such archival objects that you feel are of particular interest.”
No original material will be kept by the curators. Submissions are requested to be done by 22 October 2018.
Anyone wanting to contribute or collaborate can contact Zara on zara.julius@gmail.com or email her with high res scans and descriptions of photos, or photos and information can be submitted directly onto the Proclamation 73 website: https://proclamation73.wixsite.com/proclamation73
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