Silent Events SA was approached by the Robben Island Museum to collaborate by organising a picnic and silent disco party on the island later this month. After receiving messages of condemnation following the announcement, both collaborators decided to cancel the event and issued an apology for any offence that the idea may have caused.
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In the statement announcing the event’s cancellation, Silent Events SA said:
“The concept of the event, as suggested by RIM, was to promote a positive future perception of the island: a diversely attended celebration of racial unity and freedom, which would produce funds for the ecological work that is sorely needed there.”
The company also stated that the collaboration would be accepted provided that there would be no negative impact on the island’s sensitive ecology, that the history of the island would be respected, and that a large portion of the profits would be donated to its indigenous tree planting programme.
Despite the organiser’s good intentions, many condemned the idea, seeing it as disrespectful to the memories of political exiles imprisoned on the island. Others hoped that, given the island’s history, the event would be cancelled.
The museum informed thesouthafrican.com on Sunday that the advertised event had been cancelled until further notice, with the delay allowing RIM to consult with all necessary stakeholders.
Robben Island Museum spokesperson Melany Kuhn said the museum is redeveloping its post-COVID business model to be more agile, responsive and relevant; however, “repurposing infrastructure must not and will not be done in a way that detracts from the museum’s core mandate or in a manner that disrespects the legacy of those who gave their lives for South Africa’s liberation struggle.”
Kuhn also reportedly stated that it is important to note that RIM does host a variety of events on the island, ranging from corporate events to cultural and educational ones, repurposing the island and, most importantly, providing access to more South Africans.
Silent Events SA’s statement cancelling and apologising for the event:
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