On December 4 at 17h30 for 18h00, Adams
Musgrave Centre will launch Once Upon a
Time by Franco Frescura (UKZN School of Architecture) in association with
Barbara Maude-Stone (co-author with Yvonne Miller of Dear Old Durban published 1998)
Durban
Once upon a Time is an exploration on a number of
levels of Durban during the post-colonial era. It is a collection of romantic
images from a time gone by which, together with the memories of a number of Durban’s
early residents, paints a picture of when life was conducted at a more
leisurely pace. A life populated by shopping trips to West Street, milkshakes
taken at the Model Dairy on Ocean Beach, dressing up for the July and sailing
to England on a stately mail ship.
Or, for those who choose, it begins to
explain why early Durban developed close to The Point, how the lower part of
West and Pine Streets remained for many years “the preferred habitat of several
species of waterfowl” or why the Borough of Durban was perpetually bankrupt in
its pioneering years.
Readers can discover the fables, myths and
social perceptions that colour that history of Durban and give context to the
memories of its old residents. The book seeks out the silences inherent in the town’s
early days, most particularly during the first years of the 20th century, and
gives them voice. In the process, it reveals the presence of a very large, very
real elephant that still inhabits Durban’s living room.
Once
Upon a Time is published by The Archetype Press ISBN 978 0 620 56706 0. Recommended retail price:
R295.
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