CAPE Africa Platform's domain will expire on 1 April next, unless someone manages to change the minds of the current CAPE directors and its chairman.

The Section 21 company with PBO and NPO status, CAPE, has suffered considerable difficulties in its 7 years of existence. The unproduceable Transcape was one, the extreme late payment by National Lotteries Board (12 and 24 months late!) was the second, and a rather immoral court case by Transcape's artistic director was the most recent. Knock-on effects of these difficulties have been felt in the arts community and of course within the CAPE team.

Achievements despite these difficulties have been: Sessions eKapa 2005, CAPE 07, incl. X-CAPE, Sessions Luanda, Sessions Maputo, Sessions eKapa 2008, CAPE 09, a revolutionary new Young Curators Programme and an ongoing Arts Awareness Programme engaging primary and secondary schools.

Since the Jantjes vs. CAPE trial in October 2009, CAPE's directors have declared themselves "tired of swimming against the stream", and announced their wish to voluntarily liquidate the Section 21 company. CAPE's team have been opposing this action. Four months later, now, nothing has actually happened. CAPE has not moved backwards nor forwards. The chair person and directors may have overestimated their powers to liquidate an organisation that was built up largely with public funds and which serves a large community of artists on the African continent.

Through this medium I would like to ask your feedback on the situation.


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