February 2, 2004
By Lucille Davie
THE City has called for proposals for the creation of a Sophiatown Heritage Precinct in an effort to revive the rich history of the suburb as well as boost the tourist experience of the city.
"The creation of a cultural precinct in Sophiatown would stimulate the cultural revival of this historically rich area, improve the visitor experience to the city, attract domestic visitors to visit heritage sites and promote economic development," says Eric Itzkin, deputy director of immovable heritage in the arts, culture and heritage department.
Sophiatown developed into a vibrant cosmopolitan community in the 1940s and 50s, producing many talented musicians, writers and artists. In 1955 the apartheid government reclassified the suburb as a white suburb, and over the next eight years systemically broke up the close-knit community and removed most of them to Meadowlands in Soweto. Some 65 000 people were eventually removed.
Now, there's a move by the City to recapture some of that spirit, to tap into and record the memories of some of the past residents of Sophiatown, a good deal of them still living in Meadowlands.
The City is hoping to develop a community-based museum where former Sophiatown residents' written and oral memories will be stored; an interpretation centre which will include a place for cultural activities like theatre, art and music; and a walking trail taking in some of the memorable sites like the Anglican Christ the King Church, one of the few buildings to have survived the demolition of the suburb. It's hoped that this will promote economic development and tourism in the area.
The trail would highlight both what remains of old Sophiatown and what was removed. Three significant buildings still remain: the church, St Joseph's Home, an orphanage and a national monument, and the house of Dr AB Xuma, president of the ANC from 1940 to 1949. The house is also a national monument.
Itzkin stresses that these buildings may or may not be used for the museum and centre but that other buildings will also be considered.
"We are not obliged to use the existing buildings, there are other possibilities. No definite site has been decided on yet," he says.
The precinct could link to other significant areas with links to Sophiatown: Fietas, Newclare and Meadowlands, where ex-residents were moved to, and to Newtown, the city's cultural precinct.
The City is calling for a proposal for the "conceptualisation, development framework and business planning for such a precinct". The framework will incorporate heritage interpretation, spatial planning and tourism.
A multi-disciplinary team will need to focus on community consultation; an audit of buildings and spaces available for development; infrastructural requirements, building design and landscaping; and target audiences and visitor routing.
Itzkin says he envisions a broad-based partnership arrangement for the project, involving provincial, national and local governments.
Submissions should be delivered to Alba Letts at 2nd Floor, Joburg Newtown Building, 2 President Street, Newtown, by noon on Wednesday, 18 February 2004. For further details contact her on 011 373 7501 or 082 464 9624.
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