By Lilja Flohr
The Stellenbosch University (SU) Museum hosted a monthly, hour-long African drumming workshop open to students, staff and the broader community. Die Matie went to the final session on 7 October to find out more about the motivation behind these workshops.
Instructor Vuyo Mgijima is an experienced African drummer from Kayamandi with 21 years of teaching and performance experience. “[He] started playing when [he] was about nine or ten”, while he just had “pots at home [and was] making noise, before [he] even had drums.” Mgijima says, “drumming is me.” He has “connected with it deeply”. He also “fell in love with sharing African culture. That is what makes [him] do this.”
Ricky Brecht, curator of anthropological and historical collections at the SU Museum and initiator of the workshop, says the drumming sessions are “part of the University Museum’s public programmes”. He explains that “the museum has become a safe space for everyone, and also a place where the University’s goals of social inclusion, transformation and social impact are best portrayed.” Through drumming, Brecht says, “We are creating engagement between young and old […] and hopefully preserving cultures.” He adds that “playing the African drum is highly relaxing and therapeutic”, which “is very good for increasing performance in the workplace and building team spirit and social cohesion”.
Third-year BCom (Financial Management) student Ntando Vilakazi describes the workshop as “such a communal experience, being in a circle and playing together.” For her, “it did not necessarily matter that [she] was doing good on [her] own because it sounded so good when [they] were playing together. That togetherness and unity really showed an amazing spirit”. She hopes to “encourage other students to take part […] because it is another experience to put on your SU bucket list, very fun and quite short”.
So far, there is no confirmation yet on whether the series will continue beyond this year, but Brecht and Mgijima are hoping it will, maybe even twice a month. The museum, however, is worth visiting either way. Brecht highlights that “students are always welcome to engage with the museum’s permanent exhibitions, which continue to tell the story of Stellenbosch’s past, present and future”. It is open Monday through Friday from 09:00 to 16:30.
