Over the next four months, the Johannesburg Art Gallery is exhibiting the work of artists in exile, who used their talent to put apartheid on the world's conscience: The Thami Mnyele and Medu Art Ensemble Retrospective Exhibition.

There goes a man … sad and deep in sorrow like a river underground (1972)

SOUTH Africans in exile are the focus of a four-month retrospective at the Johannesburg Art Gallery (JAG) - "probably one of the major highlights of the year" for the gallery, according to the head curator, Clive Kellner.

The Thami Mnyele and Medu Art Ensemble Retrospective Exhibition opened on Sunday, 30 November; it runs until Monday, 30 March 2009.

On show are the graphic artworks of Thamsanqa "Thami" Mnyele. An anti-apartheid stalwart, Mnyele was murdered by the apartheid government more than two decades ago.

It is a tribute to the exiled South Africans who formed the Medu Art Ensemble in Botswana. "We want to pay homage to them for having used their courage, vision and artistic creativity to fight apartheid," explains Kellner. The exhibition is an extraordinary account of an artistic community in exile that used its talent to speak of the conditions in their country.

Struggle
Along with works by Mnyele and other visual artists, there are poems and music. A big exhibition, it records the struggles we had to go through in striving for a better nation, Kellner says.

Mnyele was born in Alexandra, in northern Johannesburg; growing up in the township, he used art to voice his concerns about South Africa's political landscape. He was a third of five children; his father was a minister and his mother was a domestic worker.

Because of his active role in politics, Mnyele was exiled to Gaborone, in Botswana. He was killed in 1985 during a cross-border raid orchestrated by the South African Defence Force (SADF). He died less than a day before he was due to relocate to Zambia. He was 37.

A large collection of his art, created while in exile, was packed into a portfolio, which the SADF confiscated. The collections were later screened on SABC television by the SADF officer, Craig Williamson, as part of evidence of Mnyele's "terrorist" activities. Those works have never been recovered.

Medu
While in Botswana, Mnyele worked with the Medu Art Ensemble, which was co-founded by his friend, Mongane Wally Serote, and was dedicated to the anti-apartheid struggle. Later, it redirected its focus to music, theatre, graphics and cinema.

An untitled piece from 1972

Deputy President Baleka Mbete and musicians Hugh Masekela and Jonas Gwangwa were schooled here. Medu's active involvement in politics led to the ensemble being targeted by the apartheid security units.

In 1984, in his unpublished autobiography, Mnyele wrote: "For me as craftsman, the act of creating art should complement the act of creating shelter for my family or liberating the country for my people. This is culture."

He added: "Our work hasn't yet developed above the mere stage of protest. We're still moaning and pleading. And even that we do with inferior craftsmanship and insincerity. We must partake actively in the struggle to paint sincerely."

Discussions
The JAG retrospective also featured a public discussion on resistance art, education and freedom of speech. The conference started at the Hector Pieterson Memorial and Museum, in Soweto, on 2 December, before moving to the JAG today, and Constitution Hill, in Braamfontein, on 4 December.

The Thami Mnyele and Medu Art Ensemble Retrospective Exhibition comprises several rooms, each dedicated to a specific medium; these include drawings, graphics, fine arts, biographies, posters, paintings, sculptures, newsletters, documentary films, photographs, and conference papers, among others.

It opened at the JAG on Sunday, 30 November and runs until 30 March 2009. The Johannesburg Art Gallery is on King George Street in Joubert Park; it is bordered by Wolmarans and Noord streets and is open to the public from Tuesday to Sunday, from 10am to 5pm.

Written by Lesego Madumo  

For more information about The Thami Mnyele and Medu Art Ensemble Retrospective Exhibition, or to enquire about the art conference, telephone Khwezi Gule at the gallery on 011 725 3130 or  KhweziG@joburg.org.za