FREE & EXTENDED: Reversing the Legacy of the 1913 Land Act Exhibition

The free exhibition will run for a further two days and will be open free to the public from 9am to 5pm on both Saturday (June 21) and Sunday (June 22).

An evocative multi-media exhibition on South Africa’s history that’s well-worth your Saturday or Sunday afternoon.

Spend a morning or afternoon at an historical exhibition that will have you appreciate our democracy anew. The evocative Reversing the Legacy of the 1913 Land Act, currently on at the Cape Town International Convention Centre, chronicles our history from past to present. It will run for a further two days and will be open free to the public from 9am to 6pm on both Saturday (June 21) and Sunday (June 22).

The exhibition starts from the pre-colonial era, using various props and installations to represent 13 themes that capture the history of the oppression of black South Africans and current efforts to reinstitute land to those dispossessed during apartheid.

The exhibit creates a living impression of what life was like under the various acts instituted to disenfranchise black South Africans. The Acts themselves are represented on huge monoliths that convey the severity of Apartheid’s racist policies. A traditional kraal marks the relatively peaceful pre-colonial period whereas a pick axe and barbed wire gateway mark the dramatic transition into the Apartheid era.

SOME HIGHLIGHTS

A Sophiatown jazz club provides an idea of how people tried to relieve the stress of Apartheid oppression through music and dancing. Twenty-seven text plinths outline relevant historical information throughout the exhibit and also mention specific cases of successful land restitution claims settled by the Department of Rural Development and Land Reform.

An old Bedford truck loaded with furniture represents forced removals and an installation which freeze-frames the destruction of property, suspends debris into a walkthrough tunnel. Besides several old TV’s showing original footage of the dire situations created by Apartheid officials, there is also a mini-movie theatre with wireless headphones that shows old videos of the more provocative moments experienced during forced removals and the protests that inevitably ensued.

Towards the end of the exhibit is a stage for performers to express their current sentiments surrounding South African culture and what it means to be a citizen of this country.

There are actors playing the roles of protesters, jazz club patrons, officials checking pass books and evicted people waiting at the side of the road, to bring a tangible context to the history of the Natives Land Act. The roles of officials and ordinary people affected by Apartheid bring the exhibition to life as visitors often find themselves amongst the characters.

The modern age is represented by two massive digital screens that show how far land restitution has come since 1994. At these screens, the public is invited to sign a pledge in an effort to publicly commit to never be a party to legislation that leads to misery for their fellow South Africans.

More information

100 years have passed since the injustice of the Apartheid government's Natives Land Act of 1913 took control and ownership of land away from native South Africans. The onset of colonialism brought about several years of native land dispossession as governing forces

at the time sought land for agriculture and eventually mines. Forced removals displaced locals from rural areas and game reserves withdrew crop sharing rights. A few years on and even more restrictive legislation caused further displacement of locals. Bulldozers were sent into urban areas as forced removals gained momentum. This Apartheid policy created a mass movement of rural dwellers into urban environments speeding up the spread of urban slums. A natural resistance to Apartheid's draconian policies was beginning to take shape as the Armed Struggle. By the early 1990's the Apartheid structure was beginning to crumble and South Africa's transformation period began. Since our first democratic elections in 1994, South Africa has passed several Acts designed to counter the effects of the 1913 Native Land Act.

Since the repeal of the Native land Act in 1991, various legislation written into law has enforced the restoration of communities dispossessed of their land during Apartheid. Most land and reimbursements are awarded to groups representing several families or entire communities. Where the original land claimed was unavailable, an equivalent Rand value of the land under claim was paid to claimants. The Department of Rural Development and Land Reform has facilitated the payment of R5.6 billion in financial compensation and

R12.6 billion in land purchases in land claim settlements since 1994. In that time more than 77 000 land claims have been successfully settled. The Department of Rural Development and Land Reform aims to create awareness around land claims through programmes designed to advance rural communities and promote agricultural and rural development.

The bottom line:

Go and visit. Just do it.

The exhibitions open at 9am each day, and they will be open until 6pm. 

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Take a look at a few of Nelson Mandela’s greatest moments caught on tape in honour of the father of South African democracy.

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