Dineo Seshee Bopape
Ge Ekabe ...

The diptych installation Ge Ekabe … comes from research and an installation Sa koša ke lerole (2016 – ongoing) that Dineo Seshee Bopape started during the Montreal biennale (curated by Philippe Pirotte), then recently exhibited at Grahamstown National Arts Festival. The Polokwane Chorale Society, which was previously called Seshego Chorale Society, is based in Polokwane, Limpopo Province, South Africa. It has been in existence since 1978—the first and longest living adult choir in the Limpopo region. In the past 40 years, the choir has been able to establish itself as a major choral group locally and a force reckoned nationally. The choir is an honored feature at social events such as funerals, weddings, graduations, private functions and larger public interventions, such as Walter Sisulu’s and Peter Mokaba’s funerals. Having now downsized to 20 members, the choir no longer competes, but have left a legacy of having excelled in choir festivals nationally and internationally. “This work is a traveling museum that celebrates the contribution of chorale music to the rich cultural history of South Africa. Having grown up with chorale music in both ears, as my father was in the choir and my mother an inductor and director for many years, it evokes my first ideas of positive representation while acting as a nostalgic memory of community held within the music. The whole installation consists of a series of memorabilia, reflections, music videos, collage as well as a timeline featuring extensive research into chorale and political history in Southern Africa.” Ge Ekabe is a song about men and women negotiating/arguing about their roles in society (some of the lyrics translated into English would be: “if it wasn’t for us- who would milk the cows? If it wasn’t for us who would grind the sorghum etc.” — Dineo Seshee Bopape