Soweto

Greg Leeker

Blog Post 2

Soweto is a vibrant community of art and culture.  Soweto earned its names as a form of abbreviation being the south western township in Johannesburg and is also one of the largest townships in South Africa. We specifically saw several examples of great apartheid art and I will discuss the ones that stood out to me.

 

We visited the Walter Sisulu Square in Kliptown in the heart of Soweto.  At this site Walter Sisulu wrote The Freedom Charter and presented it to the people on the 26 of June in 1955.  This was also the site of the congress of the people, which was later named the ANC, which was a major nationalist party representing those oppressed by apartheid.  The art at this site represents the oppression felt by people and the meaning of the Freedom Charter.  One of the works of art was a queue of black silhouettes waiting for something that is unseen.  Then quoted on  the platform is “Waiting for a change, Waiting for a miracle”.  This quote signifies that what the people are waiting is unseen because it was intangible and considered nearly impossible to the oppressed people.  Although these people had bloodlines that could be traced back to the natives of this country, they were treated as outsiders who were stripped of their rights. Moreover, this work displays the principle of Ubuntu because these individuals were treated so poorly, but the understood that they were all people and they needed to stand together against apartheid if they were ever to reach this “miracle” and with the undying unity displayed there they were able to overcome this oppression.  This 2015 statue is a great representation of the lack of hope that the oppressed people had in their native land, and the fact that this piece can portray all those emotions without the use of words is a great example of the success of art in South Africa.  The Freedom Charter is based off ten principles some of which have been successfully implemented and some have not.  Each principle had a corresponding statue in the square atop a pillar.  The principles are:

 

The people shall govern 

All national groups have equal rights 

The people shall share in the country’s wealth

The land shall be shared among those who work it 

All shall be equal before the law 

All shall enjoy equal human rights

There shall be work and security

The doors of learning and culture shall be opened

There shall be houses security and comfort 

There shall be peace and friendship

 

Next was the Hectar Peterson Memorial which its named after a 13 year old boy that was shot and killed by the police for protesting being taught in Afrikaans with his classmates on June 26, 1976. This memorial is dedicated to Hectar Peterson and all young heroes who gave their lives in struggle for freedom and democracy for all.  The dynamic part of the monument is Running water across the ground to display the tears of all people who lost young ones. Finally, The monument is surrounded stone walls that signify all of the lives lost in this struggle as it is African culture to put a stone on the grave of your loved ones.

 


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