01 November 2022
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Story Pat Lamusse
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Photo Kaleidoscope Studios
Guests attending the Odeion String Quartet’s performance on the Quartet of Peace included Prof Bonang Mohale, Chancellor of the UFS; Prof Francis Petersen, Rector and Vice-Chancellor of the UFS; Mr Vincent Spera, Consul General of the United States in South Africa; Dr Pieter du Toit, President of the UFS Convocation; and Prof Brian Figaji, former Principal and Vice-Chancellor of the Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT).
The Women’s Jail at Constitution Hill in Johannesburg was the venue for an event that the University of the Free State (UFS) presented in partnership with the Quartet of Peace Trust on 20 October 2022. The Odeion String Quartet played on the instruments that the Quartet of Peace Trust placed in the custodianship of the UFS since 2021. The invited audience included representatives from the Council and senior leadership of the UFS, the diplomatic and legal fraternities, as well as partners and alumni of the UFS.
Important pillars of our constitution
The event was enriched by the symbolism of the venue – a living museum that is observing the founding principles of our country’s constitution in 2022. A retrospective exhibition of tapestries by the Keiskamma Art Project in the foyer, curated by Azu Nwagbogu, added additional depth to the experience. The tapestry series, titled ‘Our South Africa’, expresses the artists’ interpretation of important pillars of our constitution, namely equality, freedom, and human dignity.
The artworks, richly coloured, intricate, and thought-provoking, are a symbolic narrative that was echoed by the performance of the Odeion String Quartet. The instruments of the Quartet of Peace, manufactured by luthier Brian Lisus, comprise two violins, a viola, and a cello. He dedicated each to one of South Africa’s four Nobel peace laureates – Albert Luthuli, Desmond Tutu, FW de Klerk, and Nelson Mandela – and called them respectively Freedom, Peace, Reconciliation, and Hope.
Members of the audience could immerse themselves in a personal interpretation of the music and the intimate and intricate tapestries, against the backdrop of the historical venue.
A significant partnership
In her introduction to the instruments of the Quartet of Peace, Prof Anmari van der Westhuizen Joubert highlighted one of the most important principles of our democracy, namely freedom of speech. In her words, “South Africa’s Constitution recognises 11 official languages, but where words fail, music speaks. Music is an international language and an important form of human expression. Music is one of the most powerful means of expression that transcends cultural differences and unifies and strengthens communities.”
In his address,
Prof Francis Petersen, UFS Rector and Vice-Chancellor, acknowledged the partnership of the university with the Quartet of Peace Trust. He also spoke about the significance of the Faculty of Law at the UFS and its historical connections with the legal systems that govern our country.
The final words were spoken by violinist and trustee of the Quartet of Peace, Zanta Hofmeyr, who commended the Odeion String Quartet for their performance and remarked on the symbolic significance of the resolution of musical tensions in the final item of the programme, a piece representing Nelson Mandela – the Capriccio-Fugue from Four Pieces for String Quartet by Felix Mendelssohn.
As life imitates art, South Africans confront many challenges, but we are resilient and resourceful, and will weave together the threads of our young democracy to create a harmonious future.