September was crazy for Ba re e ne re. I landed at OR Thambo airport to represent this wonderful dream you founded at the inaugural PAN!C meeting/conference and Jo’burg Art Fair from 5-13 September and the first soul I connected with was Kadiatou. She knew you from Cape Town and we shared stories. Her aura pulsated intelligence and roots firmly set in the ground. Much like how I knew you. I felt the same energy I sensed during our handful of interactions and I whispered gratitude to the universe. This would be a great week and you were present.
PAN!C was fantastic! It felt like being a comic book nerd in an observatory filled with the characters that are gifted with his favourite powers. I have lost count of the number of times I felt you ought to have been there instead of me. For one thing you were far better informed and exposed to the kind of settings I found myself in. The conference was intense yet easy to take in. Mutuality and reciprocity flowed consistently throughout all our interactions and multiple connections were born. The dinners and art fair were a little more complex; between managing eclectic crowds and my reclusive self, they were the perfect recipe to crumble my comfort zone. I was getting oriented into the art world and its idiosyncrasies, it was all exhilaratingly petrifying.
Back home in Lesotho, the camp GLOW (Girls Leading Our World) event in Butha-Buthe put everything into perspective. The girls came from Mokhotlong, Leribe, Berea and Butha-Buthe and Ba re was invited to talk to them about pursuing creative careers. They were inquisitive and eager to engage, their youthful eyes dense with stories. For me it was a raw reminder that kids in rural Lesotho are famished for books and resources that hone the imaginations. Memory sucked me back to the little bits of your research about Lesotho that I had gained access to and camp GLOW reinforced the existence of Ba re e ne re.
Motivated by the needs you identified, your foresight and the legacy you set the foundation for, it is our mission to do you and the ancestors of this land justice. All of Ba re e ne re’s collaborative efforts and other activities are toward bettering the life of the Mosotho child. Thank you for sharing such an honour!
Ba re e ne re | Arts Education 