The Department of Languages and Communication within the School of Humanities of the Sol Plaatjie University (SPU) had issued a call to academic scholars and postgraduate students to submit abstracts for a conference with a theme, “Servants of Africa – African Languages in the 21st Century”. This was a debut project that took place from the 6th to th3 8th September 2023. The conference was inspired by the multilingual Solomon T. Plaatje and his various roles as teacher, interpreter, novelist, and language activist and thus endeavored to promote all African languages. As can be seen on Sol Plaatjie’s epitaph inscribed on his tombstone as, ‘Servant of Africa,’ the conference adopted this concept and aimed at deepening perspectives around African languages as well as interrogating the roles they play in society within the African context and internationally.
Exhibition Set-up
The exhibition was set up on the evening of the 5th of September 2023 from 6pm to 10 pm as a precaution in circumventing any delays in the morning of the commencement of the conference as the exhibition frame is complex and requires time to assemble. To our surprise, we realized that the SPU Central campus had a venue especially dedicated to the display of travelling exhibitions of visitors. Amazwi South African Museum of Literature (Amazwi) was the only institution that utilized this venue as there were no other exhibitors. This became an obvious stage for leverage as it meant that, without the stress and pressures of competing for space and platforms, we were able to emphasize Amazwi branding by use of the backdrop Amazwi backdrop backdrop banner, Voices of the Land and The first ‘green’ museum building in South Africa banners which significantly raised our brand and thus institutional awareness.
In light of the nature of the conference, the Es’kia Mphahlele: Man of Letters was exhibited at the conference. This is because, over and above his astounding literary works, he contributed significantly to language and culture as can be as attested to by his nomination for the France’s Orders des Palmes Académiques for contributions to language and culture in 1986 to name a few. The relevance of the exhibition to the conference was not only limited to the latter but was germane in almost all the subthemes and issues of discussion at the conference.
The exhibition was set up fully with all the twelve panels of the exhibition displayed. These include his early life and family, his education, his exile and banning in South Africa, his return and later life in South Africa, humanism, writing, major works, specific focus of Chirundu and his legacy in general. Amazwi staff further exhibited some of the literary works (books and CDs) that it promotes. These included the following:
Have you seen Zandile
Ityala Lamawele
Izinto Zodidi
Imiyalo
Buzani kubawo
No!
UMihlali uyadanisa
uLonwabo
Dezz
Bhodl’ ingqaka
Isiswenye Sesihobe
Ulundini Lothukela
Bongwez Ndokose
Scenes from the South
Amazwi brochure
Mev. Pikkewyn se Perfekte Paleis
Let’s have an Inside day!