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Photographs exploring the xenophobia that
exploded in violence across South
Africa in 2008 are just one of several
exhibitions at Constitution Hill.
CONSTITUTION Hill, the home of the Constitutional Court,
on top of the hill linking Braamfontein and Hillbrow, also houses an array of
exhibitions, both permanent and temporary.
Never again
Many daily tours are offered around
Constitution Hill that take in the exhibitions. The presentations include
photographs on xenophobia, brief descriptions of imprisoned individuals at
Number Four, a look at a communal cell, and a glimpse of Gandhi's time in
prison.
Xenophobia, never again...
At the entrance to the administration block, there's a quote on the wall by
Albert Luthuli: "There remains before us the building of a new land, a home for
men and women who are black, white, brown, from the ruins of the old narrow
groups, a synthesis of the rich cultural strains we have inherited ... it will
not necessarily be all black; but it will be African."
Entitled Xenophobia, never again... the
exhibition consists of photographs taken by Alon Skuy depicting the
unforgettable pain that began on 11 May 2008. "This exhibition does not contend
with any ideological approaches. It provides an overview of what unfolded
during these vicious attacks on other fellow Africans," noted Skuy.
It portrayed what happened when citizens
became vicious and lost sight of each other's human rights, he said. In South Africa,
it was when citizens lost sight of the Constitution they fought so hard to
achieve.
He created the exhibition so that the
country could come together as a nation based on fundamental values of dignity
and respect that certain members of society never committed such attacks of
discrimination.
The Men Imprisoned at Number Four
This exhibition comprises pictures of nine prisoners and one warder. The
photographs contain their names, reasons for their detention and the years they
spent in prison.
On the inside
Among some of the more notable prisoners at
Number Four in its early days was Nongoloza Mathebula, who was detained for
robbery, attempted murder and the attack of a warder. He was in and out of the
prison between 1899 and 1908.
Mahatma Gandhi was another prisoner at
Number Four; he was arrested for leading the passive resistance movement
against pass laws for Asians and for refusing to carry a pass. He spent a total
of seven months and 10 days incarcerated at Number Four between 1908 and 1913.
Khehla Shubane, a member of and recruiter
for the ANC, was first detained in August 1967, and repeatedly again until 1983
for "terrorist" activities.
Communal Cells
Across from the Number Four inmates display, is an exhibition dedicated to the
communal cells in which prisoners were kept, showcasing the overcrowding and
appalling conditions of the prison.
This was a constant problem at Number Four,
where the communal cells often housed twice the number of prisoners for which
they were designed. There were strict hierarchies that divided the prisoners: a
white prisoner would receive two sleeping mats, a mattress and a pillow, three
blankets, four sheets, two pillow cases and a bedspread. Non-white prisoners,
however, got two sleeping mats and three blankets only.
The room is filled with blankets shaped
into bodies lying on the floor, where the prisoners slept. There is a toilet in
the corner of the room, which was shared among the inmates. A projection shows
footage of the inmates in a communal cell.
The Gandhi Exhibition
The Gandhi Exhibition is housed at the Number Four visitors' centre. When it
was used as a prison, it was divided into three passages - one for the
prisoners, the middle for the warders to patrol and another for visitors.
Remembering Gandhi
The Gandhi Exhibition encapsulates the cell
in which he and 12 other people were kept. Quotes line the exhibition: "The cell
in which we were kept was legally capable of holding 13 prisoners, so that
there was, naturally, sufficient accommodation to start with," according to
Mahatma Gandhi.
It includes a pile of rocks and a spade, showing
some of the work the prisoners were expected to do. But Gandhi used his
philosophy of passive resistance in dealing with the hardships of prison: "We
will carry buckets and suffer kicks. We will regard this as an expression of
our nobility. Satyagraha consists in not forsaking what we know to be truth, in
enduring any suffering for its sake, no matter even if we die in the process."
Pictures line the walls, such as images of
the Old Fort Prison and Gandhi's fellow Satyagrahis - Ahmed Mahomed Cachalia,
Thambi Naidoo, Leung Quinn, Swami Nagappen Padayachee and Valliamma Munusamy.
Objects are displayed around the room, consisting of Gandhi's sandals, cap,
prison uniform. There is even a section showing his desk and typewriter and an
old map of Johannesburg.
Power and Punishment
The Power and Punishment exhibition focuses on documentary film footage of
former inmates describing their recollections of Number Four.
Resistance and Resilience also focuses on
past prisoners, using prison blankets to make sculptures. Posted on a
storyboard at the entrance of the exhibition is a quote signifying the
importance of the sculptures.
"Every Sunday, officials carried out inspections
of cells in Number Four," it reads. "These blanket sculptures in this cell -
flowers, couches, tanks and stools - are typical of the objects that prisoners
made for these Sunday parades. Prisoners with the most creatively decorated
cell would win privileges for a week, for example an extra piece of cake or an
extra slice of bread."
Besides the exhibitions focusing on the
prison and its prisoners across Constitution Hill, the Constitutional Court has a fine
collection of fine art, with several pieces displayed on its walls.
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