The Ifa Lethu Foundation of South Africa is spearheading another landmark event in the country. The foundation will partner with the SABC as they unite to present Still We Rise, a landmark exhibition of artworks made during South Africa’s apartheid years.
Opening at the Atrium, Keyes Art Mile on October 30, the exhibition will run until November 23, coinciding with the G20 Summit, be the first to be hosted on African soil. This partnership bridges the G20’s global significance with South Africa’s unique cultural voice.
The exhibition’s title plays on Maya Angelou’s 1978 poem Still I Rise, a manifesto of defiance and dignity that resonates deeply within the South African context. In this rephrasing, the emphasis on ‘we’ recognises the collective spirit of resistance, solidarity, and shared survival that underpinned the struggle for liberation.
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Rooted in memory, resistance, and resilience, Still We Rise showcases artworks created between 1948 and 1994, with a few works from the post-apartheid period included for their piercing retrospective gaze.
Together, these works highlight the courage and creativity of artists who persevered despite censorship, oppression, and the violent realities of apartheid. Many of the works on show were created in exile and later repatriated, making their return to South Africa a poignant reminder of cultural survival against the odds.
“This is a story of South Africa told through the eyes of artists who were silenced at home but found recognition abroad,” noted Dr Narissa Ramdhani, director of the Ifa Lethu Foundation.
“As we welcome the world to Johannesburg for the G20, we want visitors to understand South Africa beyond the headlines. These works remind us of the resilience of our artists, their determination to rise above adversity, and their refusal to be silenced.”
As Johannesburg hosts the G20 Summit this year, Still We Rise takes on an added resonance. The international spotlight is fixed on South Africa, and this exhibition is both a commemoration of the past and a call to ethical leadership in the present.
The launch event, on October 30, coincided with the W20 ministerial meeting, bringing women leaders from across the globe to Johannesburg.
The Ifa Lethu Foundation Collection
Founded in 2005 through a partnership between the Australian Government and South Africa’s Ministry of Arts and Culture, the Ifa Lethu Foundation is today the largest heritage repatriation organisation in the country.
Its roots stretch back to two Australian diplomats, Diane Johnstone and the late Bruce Haigh, who, in the 1970s and 80s, acquired artworks from black South African artists working under repression, opening their homes for exhibitions in defiance of apartheid law.
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Years later, Johnstone and Haigh donated their collections back to South Africa, forming the nucleus of what is now the Ifa Lethu Heritage Collection. Today, more than 550 works from 16 countries have been returned, encompassing paintings, drawings, sculptures, carvings, and prints.
Over the past two decades, Ifa Lethu has extended its mission beyond repatriation to cultural entrepreneurship, human rights education, and youth empowerment.
More than 2 400 young South Africans have been trained in creative business, resulting in over 800 small enterprises established in rural and township communities.
Its global footprint includes multiple exhibitions, including the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa, Africa Day in Australia in 2011, the London Olympics in 2012, the French Seasons in Paris, and the Lord Mayors FTSE 100 Event in London in 2014, to name a few.
The foundation begins its 20th anniversary celebrations this year, with programmes running through 2026.
Plans include the launch of the Ifa Lethu Annual Lecture, a new creative digital ecosystem, and partnerships spanning the United States, India, the Nordic region, and Chile.
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