Human rights are a basic need, and the right to recreation is an essential element to human biology.
Constitution Hill, in partnership with the human rights and social justice fraternity, will be bringing the inaugural Human Rights Festival to Joburgers this weekend.
“It’s an opportunity to celebrate the gains we’ve made,” said Constitution Hill chief executive Dawn Robertson, “but more importantly, the festival highlights the action still required to realise social justice in South Africa, on the African continent and globally.”
The festival programme includes debates, art, culture, exhibitions, books, poetry, comedy, film and music, alongside a food and designer-makers market.
A tribute to Hugh Masekela has also been added to the line-up, titled The Boy's Doin' It: A Celebration of Hugh Masekela's Life &Music and will happen on Sunday at 4pm.
“The Human Rights Festival commemorates Human Rights Day, which pays homage to those who lost their lives in the fight for democracy, particularly during the Sharpeville Massacre of March 21, 1960.
“It also highlights the work of social justice organisations and underlines the importance of civic activism and the values and principles enshrined in the constitution - equality, justice, freedom and dignity,” said Robertson.
Dubbed “three days of activism”, the festival will “celebrate, promote and defend human rights”.
HUGH TRIBUTE:The Boy's Doin' It: A Celebration of Hugh Masekela's Life & Music, has been added to the weekend’s lineup of music, film, poetry and exhibitions. Picture: Brett Rubin
It opens tomorrow at 6pm with a documentary exhibition by Section27 about Grade R pupil Michael Komape, who fell into a pit toilet at Mahlodumela Primary School in Limpopo in 2014.
There will also be a street photo exhibition of 700 portraits of Eritrean and Sudanese asylum seekers who are to be expelled from Israel.
This will be exhibited outdoors on the precinct. The asylum seekers’ photos were the culmination of a project by a group of independent photographers in Tel Aviv.
There will also be exhibitions by Artist Proof Studio and a child art exhibition by the Lalela Education Arts Centre.
The Aids Healthcare Foundation is partnering with local artist Lady Skollie and the Ntethelelo Foundation in an art project working with 20 girls from the Ntethelelo Foundation’s youth programme in Stjwetla informal settlement near Alexandra.
Lady Skollie has run three workshops to help participants connect their lived experiences with the rights enshrined in the constitution and then tell those stories through art.
The Bua Speak Out Poetry Fest, “We Write to Salute You”, will be a tribute to Keorapetse William Kgositsile.
The TriContinental Human Rights Film Festival, dedicated to issues of social, political and human rights on the continent, will also kick off tonight, with a screening of Inxeba. Other films include Winnie, Not in my Neighbourhood, Voetsek and Radiance of Resistance.
The book fair will include the likes of The Empowered Native by Letepe Maisela and The Land is Ours by Tembeka Ngcukaitobi.
To lighten things up, a concert featuring some of the country’s top acts, including Tresor, Reason, Stogie T and Shek- inah, will be held on Saturday.
The festival is free to the public, but registration is required for the music festival and the We the People Walk. More details are on the Constitution Hill website at www.constitutionhill.org.za