“Dear Mr Sobukwe”, an installation at The Market Theatre’s Lindelani Buthelezi Gallery, celebrates the centenary of the birth of Robert Mangaliso Sobukwe, one of the founding members of the Pan Africanist Congress (PAC).
The interactive installation, Curated by Sinethemba Q. Zwane and Sankara Rodwell, is open until Sunday 08 December, and engages the viewer in the opportunity to write a letter to Mr Sobukwe and put it up in the installation, read about the life of Mr Sobukwe or watch a 20 minute film made by renowned South African film maker Kevin Harris, entitled Remember Africa Remember Sobukwe. The installation also carries footage from the acclaimed documentary SOBUKWE, made by award winning film maker Mickey Dube.
The Installation runs parallel with The Market Theatre production in the Barney Simon Theatre, LALA NGEXEBA – Of Love and Revolution which sets out to portray Sobukwe’s love-centres response to oppression and social injustice. It examines love as a driving force of the revolution and a way of practicing freedom while in bondage. The brand new play is written by award-winning playwright Monageng ‘Vice’ Motshabi and directed by Palesa Mazamisa. The production runs until Sunday 08 December.
Installation Curator Sankara Rodwell’s choice to focus on letter writing mirrors the profound and poignant letters written by Robert Sobukwe, most notably while he was imprisoned on Robben Island. Sobukwe was incarcerated in solitary confinement for much of his sentence, a brutal form of isolation. However, Sobukwe’s letters, many of which were written to his wife, Veronica, his family, friends, and political comrades, reveal his enduring intellectual and moral clarity. His correspondence is marked by a deep commitment to the liberation struggle, an unwavering belief in African self-determination, and a commitment to education as a form of resistance. These letters have become an important part of his legacy, offering insight into the mind of one of South Africa’s most powerful pan African anti-apartheid leaders during one of the most harrowing periods of his life. This instillation intends to mirror this aspect of his legacy.
For Head Curator, Sine Zwane the installation is placed at the heart of family and history, “I imagine what it would be like to invite this giant into my grandmother’s house. With this installation, there are hopes to conjure the warmth of home and the whispers of stories shared over tea. The space explores what we might say or write to Sobukwe, the questions we’d ask, and the dreams he’d inspire in that intimate setting. Through this lens, the installation becomes a dialogue about untapped possibilities while still inviting visitors to consider the power of ordinary spaces to birth extraordinary conversations.”
Don’t miss this celebration and tribute to a towering figure of resistance, placed in the home, a place he was denied him for so much of his life.