Oor | About

The Centre for Curating the Archive has been collecting stories in the Western and Northern Cape since 2010, when José Manuel de Prada-Samper was appointed as a post-doctoral fellow. His publication, The Man Who Cursed the Wind and Other Stories from the Karoo (2017), is evidence of a rich seam of folklore, in which narratives, many passed down for generations, speak of long traditions of storytelling, still vital and alive in the Karoo. More recently the CCA has engaged Patrick Hanekom, nature conservator and experienced interviewer from Algeria, to record narratives from Porterville, Citrusdal, Clanwilliam, Algeria, Wupperthal, Calvinia and surrounds. A wealth of stories – some echoing the voices of the long dead, others stories of individual experiences – are being collected from people who have lived in these places for many years. Legends of Dirk Ligter and Jan Thomas, stories of Jantjie se Ram and the water creatures living in dams and rivers are shared, along with family histories. Their accounts speak of both personal struggle, and of achievement, and reflect on some of the history and spirit of the area stretching along the Groot Winterhoek and Cederberg.