With the dawn of democracy, Grahamstown became the new home of a special cultural centre. It had started in Tanzania in 1986 as part of the African National Congress’s (ANC) initiative to create opportunities for vocational skills in various crafts. It was called Dakawa project and it was at the base camp which was 60 kilometres north of Mazimbu, home of the famous Solomon Mahlangu Freedom College for South African youth who went into exile.

The smallpox epidemic is one that has raged the world over, killing countless numbers of people and wiping out entire ethnic groups and cultures, such as many hoekhoe and Native Americans. This disease has plagued humankind for thousands of years as one of the deadliest known to us.

The Beginning

Q: How did we get a place called Grahamstown?

A: Before there was a town, the place was called Egume by the local people. Then the British came and named it after their military hero, John Graham.