Ahmed Kathrada Exhibition honours activism

IN HONOUR of the 93rd birthday of Struggle veteran, Ahmed Kathrada, an exhibition of his contribution to the fight for freedom and activism against racism is being opened at Constitutional Hill, in Braamfontein, Johannesburg, today.

He was born on 21 August, 1929 in the town of Schweizer-reneke.

The exhibition, opened by the Ahmed Kathrada Foundation, was funded by the National Lotteries Commission as well as the National Heritage Council and was designed by Dreamfuel – a creative company which has done similar liberation exhibition work across the country.

At its inception, the foundation set up an archive that collected material related to Kathrada. These included personal items that he had left behind to the foundation to preserve. The exhibition traces various facets of Kathrada’s life – from his early life to his revolutionary activism, ultimately his time on Robben Island, his contribution to building a new South Africa and his role as an elder statesman.

The categories of his life are told through photographs, text, and artefacts. Also included on display were several copies of his letters, and a replica of the Robben Island cell that Kathrada occupied for about 18 years.

Neeshan Balton, Executive Director of the Ahmed Kathrada Foundation, said the cell allowed people to get a sense of the space, but also of all the other prisoners with who Kathrada shared his 18 years on Robben Island.

“Their names are inscribed there as well and it is an amazing list of people from across different political parties, and I think for the first time is being displayed in this way,” Balton said.

“There are audio-visuals that will play in two parts of the exhibition – some of which tell Kathrada’s stories but will also reflect on the more than 300 visitors he took to Robben Island. On the walls is his speech from the funeral of Mandela as well as his letter to former president, Jacob Zuma.”

The exhibition was positioned on a section of Constitutional Hill that looked like a prison – giving people a sense of what prison life would have been like – from the floors to the architecture of the building.

“It’s worth noting that Kathrada did spend time at the Old Fort Prison as an awaiting trial prisoner and a treason trialist in 1956. People will leave with a sense of understanding of who Kathrada was, his contributions and those he had worked with.

Speaking on the exhibition’s relevance in 2022 and beyond, Balton said the exhibition talked to Kathrada’s activism and his politics, and it would be for those involved in politics today to see if it was relevant to them.

“Kathrada’s stance on racism is shown in the exhibition. What is happening in terms of racism in the country should not take us by surprise but as a country we need to develop the process of dealing with it and that is what we are working on with the national plan,” said Balton.