Germinating the seed, climbing a mountain, swimming in an ocean, and running a gruesome comrades marathon: reflections on the 2017 ASAPA conference

摘要

It was back in early 2015 when the seed of intending to bid for the 2017 ASAPA conference was planted in me. I recall selling the idea to my colleagues who were initially wary of the steep 'mountain' I was asking them to climb. Yet, I did not lose interest. More importantly, I recalled how painful it was not to attend what would have been my first Association of Southern African Professional Archaeologists (ASAPA) conference in 2002 hosted at the University of Cape Town. Back then it was still called the Southern African Association of Archaeologists (SA3) conference. My non-attendance was for reasons beyond my control. I was extremely devastated after I learned that my bus ticket had been cancelled and I could not travel to Cape Town anymore. Reflecting on this experience, I did not want to add the 2017 ASAPA conference as the seed that I did not allow to grow. I wanted my being to be the fertile garden giving a 'home' to the seed that had been laid inside me. My aim was thus to go to the 2015 ASAPA conference and successfully present University of Pretoria as the next destination for our archaeological gathering, thus allowing the seed to germinate until it grows to full potential in Pretoria. After successful ASAPA conferences had been held in Mbabane eSwatini (2011), Gaborone in Botswana (2013), and Harare in Zimbabwe (2015), it was time for the University of Pretoria (UP) to add its name to the many hosts of this conference since 1970.