Cultural Ecology, City Tourism, Future Scenarios: A Great City in the Making

Abstract

African cultural elements became deeply absorbed into the Art Deco Movement. The African impact on a widening artistic milieu was felt across the globe. Influences appear in the form of zigzags, masks, sunbursts and geometric shapes. Taking a cue from the eclecticism of the Art Deco Movement, a new genre emanating in the form of Deco Nouveau Afrique (DNA) ignites the energy of Africa into techno-organic arts, ecology and humanity. In the coastal city of Durban, South Africa, the Green Heart Movement seeks to foreground a ‘heart in eco-art’ experience that heightens cultural consciousness by weaving wind, wave, sun and fuel cell technologies in support of the expanding clean-green philosophy. The DNA aesthetic blends African indigenous knowledge systems into creative activations that offer the world an alternative direction in human achievement and social cohesion. The aim is to engage the multicultural citizens in the branding of Durban as ‘Green Heart City’ with a view to positioning the city at the forefront of the green economy. At the heart of the initiative is the placemaking potential of the eco-city to inspire citizens to collectively reimagine and reinvent public spaces. A key element in the City Identity Project is the BunnyKat puppet doll made by indigenous crafters in a peri-urban valley on the outskirts of the city. The BunnyKats are ‘social heroes’ and act as cultural signifiers of Green Heart City. The puppet dolls have South African flags and green hearts on their hand-crocheted jerseys. BunnyKat costuming is green-themed blended with brightly coloured attire. The BunnyKats have a diversified appeal that enables them to leap across boundaries of geography, ethnicity and age. The BunnyKat motto is: ‘Read Write Draw … X-plaw!’ emphasising the values of learning, curiosity and artistic responsiveness. Central to the DNA aesthetic is ‘Africa Rising’ and the promise of the Great Continent awakening to a bright and bustling future. Inclusive processes that unify people, environment and landscape are harnessed at the crossroads of eco-arts, industry, design and the African spirit of Ubuntu. The entrepreneurial fervour of DNA extends into ‘unplugged’ board games set in Green Heart City Durban intended to focus on urban settings while fostering linkages with rural villages in the mechanics of the Maker Movement and tabletop gaming.