#10 Green Camp Gallery: Cultivating My Identity

Cultivating My Identity

Xolani Hlongwa

We caught up with Xolani at Parc Café in Durban, where Green Camp Gallery (referred to as Green Camp from now on) currently sell their fresh produce and products every Saturday. At face value, Green Camp Gallery is a project that is all about encouraging the growth of urban gardens and organic farming practices however, a conversation with Xolani, showed that there is so much more depth and breadth to what he is building.

Organic Farmers Market @ Parc Cafe

After spending a few years in Europe, Xolani wanted to apply the knowledge he obtained to make a difference in his own context. In fact,  the new knowledge, accompanied by a number of negative circumstances are what drove Xolani to start the Green Camp. One of which is that upon his return from Europe, he found himself homeless in the city, in Umbilo. For the first 2 years, in what is now the Green Camp Gallery, Xolani lived in a tent and started to plant the first seeds of this project, where he is ultimately working to change the fate of his own bloodline as well as those of black people and share unique knowledge based on the philosophies of African thinkers.

The birthplace of Intelligent Design. Entrance to Green Camp Gallery in Umbilo

Now I suppose you are wondering what Green Camp is and what exactly it does. Green Camp falls under an umbrella organisation called Intelligent Design (ID) and is the first project under ID. This project has 3 components, namely, the urban farm, the art gallery and the museum. It is designed to cater to all levels of the individual in terms of mind, body and soul (spirit). Firstly, it is a healing centre where much of the work is focused on healing the mind and the spirit. Secondly, it is an economic vehicle that will be used to build wealth and consequently dispel the belief that black people are poor. Furthermore, Green Camp is currently laying the foundations of a strong brand. For instance, Green Camp is being visited by professors from other countries who are interested in the experiences and knowledge generation occurring at grassroots level. This is valuable data that can be shared with universities and vice versa. Xolani has built a brand that is being considered and examined by academics, that is rooted in indigenous knowledge systems (IKS). IKS refers to knowledge that is generated by a given culture or society, is unique to that culture or society and has sustained people and livelihoods over many centuries.

A lot of our discussion was focused on rebuilding the identity of Africans, realigning ourselves and finding our place in the world. So when asked how the urban food garden connects with identity, Xolani summarised it in the following way; Green Camp is a 10 year project (started in 2014) that is being used to develop a template for a South Africa solution, a tool that will be used to master integration at a local and global level. First phase of the project was recycling, both externally and internally - Green Camp as mechanism to liberate the mind, to understand that there is value in things that are broken, value in dirt. The second phase, which is the current phase is focused on rehabilitation - rehabilitating debilitated spaces through farming, music and other arts. And then finally, stimulation - stimulation for growth. At the end of this 10 year period, Xolani will write an evaluation book.

Residents of Green Camp Gallery

As they grow, Green Camp is looking for partners that are of the same frame of thinking in terms wanting to produce high quality products and partners who are passionate about indigenous knowledge systems. But as a start, why not head down to their site in Umbilo? You will be greeted by many friendly faces, the chickens, dogs and cats, and visitors are always welcome. Another way to get involved is by buying into the principles of Green Camp and becoming a member.

See what they are up to on instagram or facebook:)