In the middle of Wellington, Western Cape, South Africa is a museum, or rather an old house, of the legendary South African poet, philosopher, and artist, Breyten Breytenbach. Now it functions as an art gallery, coffee shop, bookshop, and function hall. Last night, I went to what they call a Philosophy Cafe, and I snapped a couple of photographs of how the venue and museum look. For the philosophical and artistic soul, this is a must place to visit.
Please come along with me on this virtual journey as I take you through this stunning place. Albeit a small place, it has big energy surrounding it to all of those who know who Breytenbach is. A poetic journey filled with art will ensue!
You arrive at a lonely street with poor people lining the street, but this is part and parcel of South Africa. You enter the building and you are greeted with one of Breytenbach's poems:
If I may translate this poem, which is written in Afrikaans:
"This is not a place of giving up, giving off, or giving away, it is about passing on,
It is not about division or splitting up, but it is about participation and belonging."
As you walk inside you already feel part of something bigger. As if you are meant to be here, in the presence of someone magical.
On the bottom floor, there is a coffee shop. The philosophically inclined can drink some coffee to become more rational, or the creative mind can drink some wine to become more artistic.
Outside on the top floor, you can drink some wine and enjoy the view. You can talk about philosophy and everything that comes to mind.
The whole museum is laced with poetry. On the walls, there are words of wisdom for those who feel downtrodden and outside.
The free translation goes something like this: "More poetic-thinking is needed". The artwork is not Breytenbach's, but it is definitely inspired by his style.
This is a poem written by another famous South African poet inspired by Breytenbach. The windows look out into the poetic garden with some statues in them:
In Afrikaans we talk about a "digterstuin", which means a poetic garden. It is similar to Epicurus's garden but alas there is no philosophy here but only poetry!
As mentioned the house is now an art gallery. A snapped some photographs of the artworks, none of them are my own. But I want to share them with you. Most of them are inspired by Breytenbach's own art. His style was very strange and weird for the time in which he produced them. If you know about South African history you will understand. To keep it short, Apartheid South Africa did not like radical free thinkers, nor did they like weird and strange art. He was in prison for a couple of years, and I am sure that influenced his worldview.
You can also buy most of the art, although you need to be very rich. But it feels magical to be so close and personal with the art.
On one of the doors, there are the words: "Creation Station". It has a big table at which you can sit. There are various artistic elements around the room to inspire you:
But there is also wine for those who need it to be creative!
As you walk in and walk up the stairs, you will see all of Breytenbach's book covers. It fills the wall and looks like artworks, in some cases they are art!
Poetry in Afrikaans is not as big under the greater population of Afrikaans speakers, and even less so Breytenbach. He writes in a very difficult writing style, but for the philosophical-artist, his work is very inspiring.
If you stand back and reflect on the art, the bigger picture might come to mind, or it might not. Alas, let them think! We might say.
This is a small piece of the culture of a minority group in South Africa. Although a lot of politics surround the Afrikaans culture, some try to preserve it in spite of its murky past. With the outside forces trying to erase the past, which it should, various voices that played an important role will become lost as well. This small house functions as a reminder that we should still listen and read, think and question.
I hope you enjoyed it, although it is only a small section. All of the photographs are my own but the art and poetry remain the property of the artists/writers. The musings are also my own. Safe travels and enjoy!
