Historians seldom document the large 1976 student uprisings that took place in the Western Cape, electing rather to focus on Soweto.
But a new exhibition at Iziko Slave Lodge will try to change this.
The exhibition, Aluta Continua, commemorates the uprisings in the Western Cape and consequent wave of grassroots resistance organisations that fought apartheid.
The exhibition features photographs, T-shirts, clothing, paintings, banners, pamphlets and art pieces to tell the story of the youth protests.
Curated by Lynne Abrahams, the exhibition was named Aluta Continua to pay homage to the role the Western Cape played in the youth uprising and continues to play in modern society with movements like #FeesMustFall and #RhodesMustFall.
“The idea first came about in 2016 and during that time it was the 40th anniversary, but due to a limited budget and resources we weren’t able to get it together,” said Abrahams.
She came across a list circulating on Facebook of 129 names of people who died during the protests between July and August 1976, which formed the outline of the exhibition.
“I saw these names and decided to reach out on social media and asked people to share their stories from that time and send pictures and artifacts.”
The exhibition features a final list of 148 names of people who died
during the period, but Abrahams acknowledged that the number could be far higher.
Abrahams said she wanted the Western Cape story told because many activists from the 1970s and 1980s had died and the history of the province could be lost with them.