Rivers of the World, an art project involving more than 2 000 young people around the world, is now on display at the Botanic Gardens in Durban, South Africa.

A Thames Festival project delivered in partnership with the British Council and sponsored by HSBC Global Education Trust, the exhibition was officially opened at the Botanic Gardens this June. The local curator is Cape Town photographer Paul Grendon.

The exhibition was produced in partnership with the British Council’s Connecting Classrooms initiative with the aim of linking schools around the world through a common theme: their city’s river.

The exhibition was created by learners from schools and education centres in London (UK), Shanghai (China), Kolkata (India), Cairo (Egypt), São Paulo and Recife (Brazil), the state of Veracruz (Mexico) and Cape Town (South Africa).

These learners worked with artists to create a series of magnificent large-format artworks inspired by their city’s rivers. These rivers are River Thames (London), Capibaribe River ( Brazil), the Hooghly (India), the Huangpu ( Shanghai), the Liesbeek (Cape Town), the Nile (Cairo), the Papaloapan (Mexico), the Tiete (Sao Paulo) and the Seine.

Accompanied by a narrative, the artwork is being displayed in an innovative touring exhibition which is travelling to riverside locations in each of the participating cities.

According to the Rivers of the World website, each year students from up to 34 London secondary schools are linked with schools in Africa and other countries. They study their river with the help of professional artists and produce artworks for public exhibition.

‘The artworks created by all the schools involved in Rivers of the World are exhibited along the banks of the River Thames as part of The Mayor’s Thames Festival. Artworks are also displayed in high-profile locations in each of the participating cities.’

The Mayor’s Thames Festival is a celebration of London and its river. During the festival bridges and roads in the city centre are closed so that people can enjoy cultural performances, boat races and other carnival displays and activities.

Director British Council South Africa, Shoba Ponnappa says the success of the exhibition in Cape Town was the reason why the British Council saw it fitting to have it up in Durban.

‘The British Council is a worldwide organisation, our job is to create links all over the world so in order to reach more people and make them aware of what we do, we decided to have it at Botanic Gardens.’

For the British Council the exhibition raises awareness about issues of the environment and climate change.

‘We want to reach modern young people and give them an understanding of the environment as well as knowledge about the rivers of the world.’

According to the press release marking the opening of the exhibition, British Council Chief Executive Martin Davidson says the artworks demonstrate different perspectives and an international dimension in education which serves to enrich young people’s learning and ultimately their futures.

‘The British Council is delighted to be supporting this project,’ Davidson says.

Durban’s Deputy Mayor, Logie Naidoo, also attended the opening and praised the British Council for bringing the exhibition to Durban.

‘The project is a wonderful one and it will attract many people and educate the visitors to the gardens, especially the children.’

Depending on the weather it is expected that the exhibition will be up in the Durban Botanic Gardens for at least three months.

The gardens are open seven days a week. Entry to the gardens is free and all are welcome. School groups are encouraged to visit the Durban Botanic Gardens website: click here. For more information, visit the exhibition website. To find out what’s been happening in Africa visit our news in Africa section. To see upcoming events visit our events page. To find out where we are in Africa, visit this page.