It’s now Spring in Durban

Spring has definitely arrived in Durban. At the Durban Botanic Gardens, the reemergence of the magical Snake Lily or Red Paintbrush (Scadoxus puniceus) - reportedly used traditionally for the treatment of coughs and gastro-intestinal complaints - has marked the change of the seasons. See the photos below taken by Di Higginson Keath. Our mild winters will soon give way to the subtropical summer during November. To find out more about Durban’s weather check out http://www.weathersa.coza/

Housekeeping for Congress registration day (Sunday 1 November)

From 12 Noon: Durban Botanic Garden guides will be available for an introductory tour of the Africa’s oldest surviving botanic gardens.  If you are interested in a tour of the Gardens, please contact Cet e-mail est protégé contre les robots collecteurs de mails, votre navigateur doit accepter le Javascript pour le voir   Please note that transport to the Durban Botanic Gardens is for your own account. The physical address is the Durban Botanic Gardens Visitors complex, 7A Sydenham Road, opposite Greyville Racecourse.

14:00: We are planning to hold a concert in the amphitheatre at the Durban Botanic Gardens on the Sunday 1 November at 2pm prior to registration. More about this in a later newsletter.

15:00 - 17:00: shuttle services will be running between the official hotels and the Gardens.  If you are not staying at one of the official hotels, you will need to arrange your own transport for your own account. Please use the above Visitors complex address if calling a local taxi.

16:00 - 18:00: registration at the Gardens Visitors complex Hall followed by a guided tour of the gardens.

18:30 - 20:30: cocktails and Welcome Reception.

20:30: shuttles depart the Gardens for official hotel drop off.

Registration

Please note that the Early Bird registration has now closed. If you have not as yet completed and submitted your registration form to Conference Call please do so by e-mailing Nicky at  Cet e-mail est protégé contre les robots collecteurs de mails, votre navigateur doit accepter le Javascript pour le voir .

Accommodation at official hotels

If you have not as yet made a reservation with Conference Call to stay at one of the official hotels, please contact Nicky Dixon, Cet e-mail est protégé contre les robots collecteurs de mails, votre navigateur doit accepter le Javascript pour le voir urgently to avoid disappointment on rates.

Supporting local communities for the Congress

Our permaculture team at the Durban Botanic Gardens recently completed a 5 day hands-on permaculture food garden training programme for 30 caregivers who provide support for people living with HIV/AIDS in the Ixopo area (2.5. hour drive west of Durban). Woza Moya provides a range of community support services to the local community. You will no doubt be pleased to know that we have arranged for Woza Moya to make all the delegate bags for the congress. To find out more about the wonderful work visit their website http://www.wozamoya.org.za/

Wednesday workshop update

The final programme for the workshop will be posted on the congress website soon. Make sure you check the website regularly for updates. Local teachers will be joining us for the Wednesday workshop. This is a way of supporting the development of environmental education in South Africa. John Roff who is running the workshop entitled ‘Arts for the Earth’ is asking delegates to bring along a musical instrument that is typical and representative of your home country, and preferably an instrument(s) made from plant product e.g. wood, calabash, seeds, pods etc.

Visiting Durban – a US intern student’s perspective

As a Cornell University graduate student studying public garden education and outreach, I had the privilege of interning with Durban Botanic Gardens over the past two months. This was my first time to Africa, and thanks to the hospitality of my home-stay host, Di Higginson-Keath and my work with the dedicated education staff, I felt very much at home in Durban. So much so that, at the end of my internship, I was reluctant to say goodbye.

My primary graduate research goal is to understand how public gardens connect with and engage with local schools, and my internship with DBG offered multiple vantage points to investigate this arena. My first week involved participating in a schools’ Environmental Education Week programme hosted by the Gardens. The pace never slowed, and from there I participated in: a Kitchen Garden Course, an intensive eight-day Permaculture Design Course, an Advanced Interpretation Course facilitated by DBG and environmental education partners Entabeni Education Centre and UShaka Marine World, and had the privilege of developing with Gabriel Mngoma the first Permaculture school programmes at DBG. The programmes were so lively and the learner and educator feedback so enthusiastic, I cannot help but suppose permaculture is one of the most effective garden-based learning tools in (or rather not in!) public gardens today.

In addition to my work and learning with the DBG education programme, some highlights of my time in and around Durban include: a walk through the Muthi Market at Warwick Triangle (with a local guide), breakfast at St. Clements Garden Café, ‘The July,’ the Fever Tree, cappuccinos at Europa, game drives at Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Game Park and a night game drive at iSimangaliso Wetland Park (a world heritage site still widely known as St. Lucia), Bean Bag Bohemia, Woza Moya, the Aloes, astronomy night at the Gardens, the Drakensberg, yoga with Sandy at the Breathing Space, taking in local art, music and cultural events, and meeting wonderful, life-long friends.

Professionally and beyond, my time in Durban was well-spent, and my experiences will be with me for a long, long time. I plan to be back for the Congress!

Erin Marteal
Cornell University, US

We look forward to seeing you in Durban in November

Best wishes,
The Organising Committee

Spread the word!

There has been a great response to the congress so far, with people signing up to this update and submitting great ideas for presentations. If you know of anyone who would like to participate, please pass this email on.

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Let’s communicate in IsiZulu (Part 2)

We hope you enjoyed Di’s guide to our local indigenous language isiZulu in the previous newsletter. Please see part 2 below and add to your phrase book.

Part 2 Phrases:
What is your name? - uBani igama lakho? (phonetic, oo-barni eeguma lahkor)
My name is… - Igama lami u… (ee-guma lahmee oo...)
My surname is… - Isibongo sami u… (issy-bongoor sarmi oo…)
Today - Namhlanje (num-shlarn-jee)
Tomorrow - Kusasa (koo-sah-sah)
Have a nice day - Usuku olumnandi (oo-soo-koo oloom-nundee)

Part 1 Phrases:
Hello to more than one person - Sanibona (sunny bor na)
How are you? - Ninjani? (nin jar ni)
We are fine - Sisaphila (seesa peela)
Thank you - Ngiyabonga (ngeeya bonga)
I come from... - Ngiphuma (ngee poorma; in Zulu, "ph" is pronounced "p")
Yes - Yebo (year bo)
No - Cha (click sound on "c" behind the teeth as if annoyed, in this case !t aa)

Keep practising these phrases, there’ll be more next month. Sala Kahle.