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'Verlange' (Longing) - a video on the heritage of people from Stellenbosch
Author: Frieda le Roux
Published: 28/09/2017

​There is common ground in people's longing.

With this sentence as starting point, Stellenbosch University's (SU) responsibility centre for Social Impact and Transformation made a video of Stellenbosch inhabitants in celebration of Heritage Day on the 24th of September 2017.

In the video, Verlange (Longing), nine women, all living in one of the towns that form the greater Stellenbosch Municipality, reflect on the associations the word longing stirs in them.

According to Dr Leslie van Rooi, Senior Director: Social Impact and Transformation, we have more in common than we realise. “The video helps us to understand that when we share our stories, we are able to see these shared stories and heritage and we can learn from it."

Saartjie Botha, Director: SU Woordfees, said that with sharing their stories, the participants showed that there are touchpoints in their experiences. In this way people are brought closer together and communalities can be sought for and investigated. The Woordfees and Transformation Office were the drivers of this project, made in association with the Stellenbosch eBosch heritage project.

The women – the video was made during Women's Month – tell of the places where they live, but also about their longings. And, from longing comes hope. Each one of the women – they vary in age between early 20s to 70 and older – is hopeful of the future, as inhabitants of Stellenbosch and as South Africans.

“My longing for Stellenbosch is better integration, also with the various towns," said Jennifer Saunders of Idas Valley. “Geographically we are close together, but the population has grown so much – the intimacy of socialising we once knew is gone."

Jennifer distinguished between intellectual longing and a more emotional experience. In her own life it is her husband, who passed away recently, for whom she longs.

Most of the participants told of their childhood days – carefree, innocent, safe – and how they want the strong values they associate with that time, to revive. For Janine Mybugh from Pniël her younger days represent a stronger sense of community than today. “People got so busy."

Verlange can possibly be the first in a series of videos where Stellenbosch inhabitants build a meaningful, shared heritage and a future filled with hope.

Other participants were Leatitia Solomons Manuel (Vlottenburg and Cloetsville), Benita Cyster (Johannesdal), Ngabakazi Mpemnyama (Kayamandi), Mineke Toerien (Stellenbosch), Siena Charles (Kylemore), Cathy MacLaren (Raithby) and Vivian Kleiynhans (Stellenbosch).

The video is available at http://woordfees.co.za/inhoud/inhoud/verlange/

The video forms part of a joint project by the SU Woordfees, the Unit for Social Impact, the Transformation Office and the SU Museum. These units form part of the Office of the senior director for Social Impact and Transformation.

 Caption: People present at the introduction to the video was from left Prof Nico Koopman, Chimeney van Graan, Dr Leslie van Rooi, Saartjie Botha, Anthony Penderis, Johan Murry and Monica du Toit. In front are Jennifer Saunders en Leatitia Solomons.