Dr Jonathan Butler, recently awarded an honorary doctorate by Stellenbosch University, headlined the launch of a new initiative to promote tourism and its economic and social benefits in less-resourced communities on Saturday 29 March at Athlone High School.
Down Klipfontein is the brainchild of Joey Fourie, a matriculant of the school, who has been engaged in tourism initiatives for more than 20 years.
“I’m excited about this tourism project, which will be a learning and discovery tourism programme that integrates history, education, culture, local food and wine, music and other art forms into one immersive, memorable experience,” he said.
Expanding on the elements of the curated experience, Fourie explained that it would combine his experience of home-hosted dinners, where tourists are hosted by local families serving dishes understood as being traditional Cape Malay cuisine.
Also, they will experience the Daily Music Show, a cultural hub located in Long Street in the city centre that provides platforms for musicians and poets to build international markets as well as a new tour route, Down Klipfontein.
Starting at the District Six Museum, the tour will take participants on a route past the Groote Schuur Hospital, Mostert’s Mill and Red Cross War Memorial Hospital on the formerly “white” side of town, to apartheid-era memorials of the Trojan Horse massacre, Coline Williams/Robert Waterwitch Memorial, the Gugulethu Seven and Amy Biehl memorials as well as other sites of local significance ranging from the Joseph Stone Auditorium, Athlone Stadium, Athlone High School, the Saartjie Baartman Centre and the Wembley Roadhouse.
Fourie said tourists would also be introduced to young people engaged in outstanding creative work despite odds stacked against them, such as lack of opportunities experienced on the Cape Flats, and who have achieved national and international recognition.
There are few better examples of such achievement than Jonathan Butler who, with his roots in Belgravia Estate, has become a sought-after global jazz musician, arguably Down Klipfontein’s greatest export.
The tourism-initiative launch took place under the banner of “The Art of Possibility”.
For information, https://downklipfontein.com, email info@downklipfontein.com or WhatsApp 084 880 7012.
