Once again at the forefront of celebrating our past in a meaningful manner, organizers of Iziko Summer School 2009 anticipate a high uptake on the FREE lecture on ‘Blame Me on History’ author William Bloke Modisane. The ‘Remembering Differently: Identity & Collective Memory – William Bloke Modisane Remembered” lecture takes place at the South African Museum’s TH Barry Lecture Theatre on Wednesday 18 February at 17h30 for 18h00. In this public lecture, Dr Sam Raditlhalo will take us through the life and times of this important historical figure.

"Museums are well positioned to play a pivotal role in encouraging meaningful conversation about our collective heritage, tangible and intangible," says Professor H.C. (Jatti) Bredekamp, CEO of Iziko Museums of Cape Town.

As one of South Africa’s first urban black intellectuals, Modisane was one of the team of black writers of the 1950s who created Drum magazine. He also became an actor and playwright. His story was originally published in 1963, but was banned in South Africa during the ‘struggle’ years. He lived in Sophiatown, Johannesburg until 1958 when the township was bulldozed flat by government order. Consequently, Modisane decided that the time had come to leave the country and settled in Dortmund, West Germany, where he wrote for the BBC as well as for German radio. Yet he always felt very much an exile.

His evocative writing transports the reader back in time to experience the life and vibrant, energetic shebeen culture that existed at that time in Johannesburg and particularly in Sophiatown. Modisane indulged the likes of the distinguished British actress Dame Sybil Thorndike and the American politician and diplomat Adlai Stevenson, as well as many South African whites who wanted to know and understand the culture of shantytown life and the problems of the urban blacks living there. He died in March 1986 in Dortmund, West Germany.

Iziko Summer School costs, registration forms and programmes can be viewed at www.iziko.org.za, or book through Wandile Goozen Kasibe on telephone (021) 481 3804 / 13, or e-mail publicprogs@iziko.org.za or wkasibe@iziko.org.za. Iziko Summer School 2009 runs between 4 February and 14 March.

Iziko Museums of Cape Town is a public entity organisation partially funded by the National Department of Arts and Culture. Funding support from individual, corporate and donor sponsors enables the organisation to ensure the widest possible public access to Iziko Museums of Cape Town collections and sites. Plans in the pipeline include the imminent 2009 opening of the Iziko Social History Centre, to be located at the former National Mutual Building on Church Square, Cape Town. The twelve Iziko Museums, each with their own history and character, are:

Natural History: Iziko South African Museum; Iziko Planetarium

Art History: Iziko South African National Gallery; Iziko Michaelis Collection

Social History: Iziko Slave Lodge; Iziko at the Castle of Good Hope; Iziko Groot Constantia; Iziko Bo-Kaap Museum; Iziko Koopmans-De Wet House; Iziko Bertram House; Iziko Rust en Vreugd; Iziko Maritime Centre.

Entrance to Iziko Museums is FREE to children under 16 – and free to everyone on certain commemorative days.

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