August 20, 2002
By Lucille Davie
UBUNTU Village, World Summit exhibition venue, was opened on Tuesday by President Thabo Mbeki.
The president, accompanied by Johannesburg World Summit Company officials, cut the ribbon at the entrance to the Village, then spent the next two hours walking around the numerous tents, crammed with impressive exhibitions.
Ubuntu Village is situated on the grounds of the Wanderers' Club in Illovo, and has been created for the World Summit as a cultural and exhibition venue. A number of large tents have been erected, the biggest being Tensile 1, the world's largest tent, anchored by 16 poles and able to host up to 22 500 people. It contains a range of international exhibitors, with the smaller surrounding tents housing national and local government exhibitors.
Smart guides in black tunics and trousers with Ndebele trim, offer assistance with a friendly smile the moment anyone looks lost. Bright blue garbage bins catering for metal, plastic, paper and glass rubbish dot the site.
One of the tents at the entrance to the Village contains the "Beautiful Things in South Africa" exhibition, full of wonderful indigenous craft ware. It is arranged in squares displaying crafts from around the country, from wire baskets, ceramic bowls, bead-covered wooden giraffes, to African dolls, Zulu clay pots, and carved and painted wooden figures, all beautifully arranged.
Next door are some 130 crafters displaying their works in a hall full of stalls, a feast for the eyes and a shopping extravaganza for visitors. All nine provinces are represented, in all around 630 organisations and projects present. Each crafter is dressed in traditional dress, full of smiles and enthusiasm.
The craft organisers were keen to emphasise that these stalls are open to the residents of Johannesburg, not just the Summit delegates.
The City of Johannesburg has a pavilion, with stands for the City's utilities and departments, decorated with plant arrangements by City Parks.
The Village has a Community Kraal, different ethnic huts demonstrating cultural customs. This is complemented by a Cultural Events Theatre.
A special feature of the Village is a 62-foot yacht that is "moored" alongside "Ice Station Johannesburg", an all-white dome with an entrance maze of garbage - mostly metal and plastic - making up the walls of the maze, and carrying notices recounting how much garbage the world produces.
The yacht was used by polar explorer Robert Swan, to take young people to Antarctica on a huge clean-up mission. The yacht has been on a 12 000-kilometre nationwide tour, starting in Cape Town on 27 May, in partnership with the national sex education programme, LoveLife, in a project called "Earthship Mission Possible". The object of the collaboration is to encourage young people to take charge of their lives and to adopt a responsible and positive lifestyle.
Swan will report back on the clean-up operation, during the Summit.
All in all, a fun place to stroll around and take in the atmosphere, once you're through the security check at the gate. Visitors needn't worry about the beautiful craft items running low - there are 35 full containers behind the scenes to replenish the stalls' supplies.
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VISIT OUR PICTURE GALLERY OF UBUNTU VILLAGE
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