The Power of Built Form in Promoting Cross-Cultural Performance

I’m truly inspired by the lyrics of an ever-popular song from the movie Pocahontas, which shares the reality of what we have and continue to experience.

“You think you own whatever land you land on, The Earth is just a dead thing you can claim, But I know every rock and tree and creature, has a life, has a spirit, has a name, you think the only people who are people, Are the people who look and think like you, but if you walk the footsteps of a stranger, you’ll learn things you never knew, you never knew”

Built form with indigenous cultural influences can significantly facilitate in bringing people together from various diverse backgrounds. My honors research looked at my experience as a South African of Indian descent who was on this quest of knowing the self through my passion of music and art, I realized that through understanding myself and my heritage, built environment played an extremely important role in putting into context people with place and vice- verse. I wanted to create a place of exploration, enquiring, expression and understanding of both Indian and African Art and culture, a place that allowed for people to indulge in indigenous cultures of South Africa and India.

I found that this type of built space is much needed especially within the creative arts fraternity. We need places that foster cross cultural collaborations, that ignite conversation and more so ever our love for art. I believe that the Indo- African Art and culture village would bring people together, where we would learn from our cultural differences and celebrate in the similarities that keep us connected, after all we are all one sharing different perspectives of the same truth, which makes it even more intriguing. The built environment has to undoubtedly be considered together with the creative arts as a means of unifying people both in sharing their thoughts, expression, emotions and understandings, which would help us create a progressive society that embraces everyone. Art as a shared experience dissolves stereotypical, subjective, bias opinions and authority which confine us to dogmatic colonial thinking and making. Humanity wants to be heard, understood and felt therefore collaboration in cultural venues and built spaces allows for people to break these created boundaries. Indo-African art, culture and architecture has strongly influenced my thinking through my awareness of being part of a greater progressive movement that enables many to explore different possibilities, so in walking the footsteps of a stranger we learn new things about who we really are and celebrate the shared experience of others in the same space. Each and every being is significant and has an import role to play in the unfolding of a progressive society through built environment.

Mr. Kerolin Govender

Published in SAIA-KZN Journal 2022
Decolonial Thinking and Practice

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