Summary of the impact

This research has had a significant influence on: (1) cultural life, through a major exhibition at the National Library in Cape Town and promotion of forgotten French cultural heritage in the Cape; (2) civic life and public discourse, through a major series of talks, as keynote speaker at a public event organized by the National Library of South Africa (NLSA) focused on cultural memory, commemoration and reconciliation, press coverage and radio broadcasts in the UK and South Africa; (3) education, through visits to secondary schools; and (4) economic prosperity, through the promotion of tourism in the Eastern Cape of South Africa.

Underpinning research

The research was carried out by Dr D.J. Culpin (in post since 1995), Reader in French at the University of St Andrews, principally in Special Collections at King's College London and the NLSA in Cape Town between October 2009 and January 2012. The underpinning research relates to the discovery of an important but forgotten French text, the Narrative of the Shipwreck of the Eole by C.E. Boniface, originally published in Cape Town in 1829. The narrative is concerned with the equally forgotten shipwreck of a French vessel in the Eastern Cape earlier that year, and tells the story of the survivors' walk, barefoot and without food, through 200 miles of unknown territory until they reached Cape Colony, and it is completed by a description of their reactions to life in Cape Town.

In 2009 South African academics, recognizing Culpin's expertise on the reception of French literature in 19^th-century anglophone colonies, suggested that he examine early South African collections now in the Special Collections of the NLSA. In 2010 an exploratory grant (R2a) made possible initial research at the NLSA during which Culpin unearthed 5 of the 9 extant copies of the Boniface text. His attention was drawn to the document due to the fact that it was published in French in Cape Town in 1829, at a time when the official languages were English and Dutch, and that no copies were held in the British Library, the Bibliothèque Nationale and other major international libraries. On the strength of these indicators, a larger grant (R2b) allowed further research in 2010, and Culpin began learning Afrikaans in order to read the few scholarly works dedicated to Boniface written in that language. This research showed that: (1) this is the first French book and the first travel narrative to have been published in South Africa; (2) it is one of a very small number of texts to describe encounters between Europeans and the indigenous African population; (3) it offers a rare and very early portrait of locations in South Africa that, in 1829, were recently founded settlements but are now major centres; (4) it provides a unique commentary on important political changes introduced by the English government in the 1820s into the administration of the Colony; and (5) it includes biographical information about the French author who was a leading figure in the literary and musical life of Cape Town in the 1820s, and gives an insight into the literary and intellectual culture that underpins this text and his other writings. Research continued in 2011 (R2c & R2d) when Culpin prepared a critical edition, incorporating an English translation of the text, plus notes and scholarly apparatus. In 2011 The NLSA decided to publish the book [R1a] because it made available for the first time this important piece of South African history and culture. The original French version was republished shortly thereafter in January 2013, with Culpin's French translation of his critical apparatus (R1b) by the Modern Languages Research Association, thus making available a valuable addition to the vast travel literature of the early 19th century, only about 7% of which deals with Africa.

Additional material about Boniface that Culpin unearthed during his research is made freely available on the internet on a St Andrews webpage, WordPress, YouTube, SoundCloud and Facebook. This includes important but forgotten musical items written by Boniface, notably his collection of Ariettes, which expand upon the musical references included in the shipwreck narrative.

References to the research

2. The following external grants for the underpinning research were awarded to Dr Culpin:

(a) January 2010. Carnegie Trust: £1000 to carry out research on `French Books in the private libraries of nineteenth-century Cape Town' that led to the discovery of this text.

(b) July 2010. British Academy: £2,025 to carry out research in Cape Town in order to verify the authenticity of the events described in the narrative.

(c) April 2011. Carnegie Trust: £1000 to carry out research in Cape Town and to read other travel narratives consulted by Boniface in order to establish the originality of his text.

(d) August-October 2011. Carnegie Trust: £1000 to carry out research in Cape Town and in particular to examine other extant works by Boniface.

Details of the impact

Media coverage of Culpin's English translation and critical edition of Boniface's Narrative of the Shipwreck of the Eole began even prior to the publication and launch of the book, in November 2012, having previously featured in articles in the Daily Maverick (3/8/11,estimated daily readership 237,000), and the South African Sunday Times (14/11/11, estimated weekly readership 3.2 million) [S5]. These articles disseminated interest in the story so that, by the time the book was launched, Culpin's willingness to engage with the public enabled the book to have considerable cultural, public and economic impact both in South Africa and, to a lesser degree, in Scotland.

1. Impact on Cultural Life

Prior to the launch of the book, Culpin was invited by the French Institute in South Africa to present the book at the Open Book Festival in Cape Town as part of the `French Season in South Africa' in September 2012. He participated in a public discussion at the Fugard Theatre and a presentation at Belville Library before audiences of about three dozen on both occasions. The book launch itself took place at the National Library in Cape Town on 1/11/2012 before an invited audience of about 200 people from across South Africa including media, individuals from education, the arts and the world of libraries and museums (including the Deputy Head of the NLSA). At the launch, two professional South African musicians (guitarist and soprano), performed a selection of the music from Boniface's Ariettes not heard since the early 19th century [S6]. In consequence of this discovery Boniface's music also became the basis of a research project into `Domestic Music in Cape Town in the 1820s' by the Head of Musicology at the University of Cape Town'. The book launch saw the opening of a major exhibition at the National Library in Cape Town entitled `Boniface and His World: the Cape and Beyond in the 1820s', sponsored by the NLSA. Culpin wrote the exhibition guide, and chose the exhibits, including manuscript letters and original music arranged by Boniface. In parallel, the South African Museum organized an exhibition about the French explorer François Le Vaillant, and visitors to each exhibition were directed to the other, thereby enhancing exposure of the research to the general public. The Boniface exhibition ran from 1/11/2012 until 31/3/2013, during which time the Library attracted 14,184 visitors. The French Consul at Cape Town writes that Culpin's project `brought about in a masterly way the rediscovery and promotion of French culture in South Africa [and] made it possible for a large number of people in South Africa to discover the French vision of that pre-colonial period, but also to transform their perception of the French presence at the Cape in the nineteenth century' [S1]. The Deputy National Librarian of the NLSA writes of the book that `It did not only reveal the literary treasures within in our documentary heritage, but succeeded in enriching our history', adding that `The translation of the book into English was a major breakthrough'. Her letter concludes, `Dr Culpin has left an indelible mark in the field of research and a sense of pride in National Library and Information Services'. The interest generated by the book launch and exhibition created opportunities to reach wider audiences in different parts of South Africa. A second launch of the book was held at the Cory Library, part of Rhodes University in Grahamstown, which is the national centre for research into the history of the Eastern Cape and is located in the area where the events surrounding the shipwreck of the Eole took place.

In Scotland, an exhibition based on Culpin's research was also mounted in St Andrews at the Museum of the University of St Andrews (MUSA), organized jointly with Special Collections at the University Library, situating Boniface's Narrative in the context of travel writers in the long 18th century. The exhibition ran from January until March 2013 attracting 3,049 visitors during winter opening times of only 16 hours per week. In association with this exhibition, Culpin gave two lectures at MUSA, one to a combined meeting of the St Andrews and Perth branches of the Franco-Scottish Society, the other to the general public in a lecture series organized by MUSA.

2. Impact on Civic life and Public Discourse

Culpin's extensive research and immersion into South African life allowed him to capture public interest and reveal the relevance of this story to modern South Africa, particularly on issues of cultural memory, reconciliation and social justice. The book was well received and reviewed in the regional and national South African press, including The Herald (estimated readership 256,000), and a full-page article (`Gained in translation. Rare account of life at the Cape in the 1800s') in the Cape Times [S6] (estimated readership 316,000). In order to extend the discourse to Afrikaans speakers, Culpin gave a 25 minute interview, partially in Afrikaans, on the programme `Skrywersen Boeke' (`Writers and Books') broadcast on 5/12/2012 on Radio Sonder Grense (RSG), the national Afrikaans station (estimated audience 2 million) [S7]. Culpin also gave the keynote speech launching Library Week on 19/3/2013 at the NLSA in Pretoria. The event focused on the role of libraries in ensuring freedom of information. Approximately 320 people were present for this event, including diplomats from various African countries, lawyers specializing in human rights, representatives from libraries across South Africa, and pupils from local schools. The Deputy National Librarian of the NLSA writes that Culpin's work is important in the context of South Africa's `painful history of oppression where land was taken from its original inhabitants' [S2]. She adds that, following the publication of this book, `The Amaxhosa can actually use this narrative as further proof that their forefathers lived and owned land in that area on the 1800s'. Finally, the Chair of the National English Literary Museum writes `Having been involved in a variety of South African academic and research networks, and with various institutions, I can make an unqualified claim: very few scholarly discoveries, and their elaboration have been brought to a public's attention as widely and significantly as the Boniface narrative.' [S3]

The primary significance of the book was felt in South Africa, but in Scotland it was not without interest. According to questionnaires filled in by the audiences attending the talks and visiting the exhibition in St Andrews (see above), 100% of respondents agreed that they had been made to think differently about the issues discussed, and for 82% this change was significant [S8]. The events also attracted an interview with the Arts Correspondent of BBC Scotland resulting in an item featured in three radio programmes on Tuesday 12 February 2013, namely: Good Morning Scotland (BBC Radio Scotland); the John Beattie programme (BBC Radio Scotland); and Kingdom FM news. Finally, the project's websites had been accessed by more than 1500 visitors from 34 countries on every continent by 31/7/2013 [S9]. Culpin's work also corrected a major error in existing biographies of Boniface, which suggest that one of the survivors of the Eole had a child by Boniface's slave, whereas this child was Boniface's own. Through these sites Culpin was contacted by the great-great-great grandson of that child, and has been able to act as a focal point for passing on genealogical details to other descendants of the author [S10].

3. Impact on Education

In 2013 Culpin gave a series of 20 educational talks at a variety of venues. The audiences included historical societies (the Cape Town Bibliophiles and the Van Plettenberg Society), branches of the University of the Third Age (at George and Plettenberg Bay), the Institut Français (in Port Elizabeth and Johannesburg), and Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University. In addition, and in part within the schools outreach programme organized by the National English Literary Museum in Grahamstown, Culpin addressed pupils at two French Lycées (Cape Town and Johannesburg), two Afrikaans-speaking schools (in Pretoria), one English-speaking High School, and one Xhosa-speaking High School in a township (both in Grahamstown). This opportunity was particularly valuable because, since the change of government in 1994, history teaching in High Schools has focused on the apartheid years. Colonial history has only recently returned to the syllabus and teachers were therefore grateful for input in this field. According to the Chair of the National English Literary Museum in South Africa: `Historical manuscripts, no matter how important, are difficult to publicize and disseminate. The time that Prof. Culpin has spent in South Africa has been immeasurably important in this regard. Accompanied by the Museum's education/outreach officer, he visited one of the underprivileged schools outside Grahamstown, and spoke to a large group of learners. Apart from this occasion Prof. Culpin has spoken to six other schools. These are diverse in their constituencies, ranging from the most established and best known South African schools, to some in emerging areas. A conservative estimate would be that he addressed [...] about 1500 South African learners between the ages of 13 and 18. Given the limited readership of an academic article, this public - especially in a context in which redress is so significant - suggests a considerable and unique endeavour on Prof. Culpin's part.' [S3]

4. Economic Impact

Proceeds of the book sales go to the NLSA, and the Deputy National Librarian writes: `The bookshops and the general public have shown great interest. We continue to receive orders from [...] as far as Netherlands. Arrangements are underway to sell the book online.' [S2]. Economic impact has also been achieved through the promotion of tourism in the Eastern Cape since, after 18 months of research, Culpin was able to identify the site where the Eole was shipwrecked, at Sandy Point. Subsequently, in conjunction with the Wavecrest Hotel (which overlooks the spot where the shipwreck occurred), he obtained permission from the Provincial Government of the Eastern Cape to erect a commemorative monument at the site. This was unveiled on 11/6/2013 by the French Consul at the Cape on behalf of the French Ambassador to South Africa, in the presence of the Deputy-Head of the NLSA, chiefs of the local Xhosa community, the Methodist bishop of the Eastern Cape, representatives of the Department of Parks and Tourism (who are featuring the site in their international promotional material), and the press, leading to full-page articles in the Weekend Dispatch (readership 148,000) and The Witness (readership 171,000) which cover the entire eastern half of South Africa [S11]. The Wavecrest Hotel now gives prominence to Culpin's research on its website and the economic impact is confirmed by the hotel's Assistant Manager who writes: `When I [...] learned from Dr Culpin that the site of our hotel [...] was within sight of the spot where the Eole was wrecked I immediately saw the commercial opportunities that this offered, and was keen to associate the Wavecrest Hotel with the project' [S4]. He confirms that officials of the Provincial Government of the Eastern Cape `also recognized the importance of this project', adding: `We have already had keen interest shown by guests that have visited, who have [...] read articles in the newspaper. These articles have directly translated into some accommodation bookings already.' Visitors to the site can enjoy an Eole on Rocks, the cocktail (named in honour of the wreck) that is now served at the hotel [S2].

Sources to corroborate the impact

S1. The French Consul at Cape Town confirms the promotion of forgotten French historical culture.

S2. The Deputy National Librarian, National Library of South Africa verifies the cultural, educational and economic impact of the research in South Africa.

S3. The Chair of the Council of the National English Literary Museum corroborates the intellectual and cultural reach in South Africa, especially in the school sector.

S4. The Assistant Manager of the Wavecrest Hotel corroborates the impact to local tourism.

S5. Articles in the Daily Maverick (3/8/11) and the Sunday Times (South Africa), 14/11/2011, corroborate the extent of the impact of re-discovery of Boniface's text on Civic Life and Public Discourse.

S6. Article in the Cape Times, 7/12/2012 corroborates impact achieved by the book and the exhibition on Civic Life and Public Discourse.

S7. Radio Sonder Grense (national Afrikaans station): interview (partially in Afrikaans), 5/12/2012, corroborates the impact of Culpin's research on Civic Life and Public Discourse in diverse linguistic groups.

S8. MUSA questionnaires provide feedback on public lectures and corroborate impact on Civic Life and Public Discourse in Scotland.

S9. Google and Wordpress analytics provide statistics and demographic spread of visitors to project websites (1/8/2012-31/7/2013) and corroborate impact on Civic Life and Public Discourse.

S10. Boniface family tree corrobortes impact on Civic Life and Public Discourse.

S11. Economic impact corroborated by articles in Weekend Dispatch, `Shipwreck Story breathes new life in translation' (15/6/13) and The Witness (13/6/13), `Mad, Bad and dangerous to know'.