This Worker’s Day we take a moment to reflect on the role of labour, whose voice is heard, and how different forms of labour are characterised as valuable. At the Javett-UP, we fundamentally believe in the emancipatory potential of the arts. With youth unemployment at record highs, we need new spaces to refuse, resist and repeat.
Worker's Day became an officially recognised public holiday in South Africa only after the democratic elections of 1994. Despite this, May Day had been celebrated unofficially in South Africa during the 1980s in recognition of the role played by trade unions, the Communist Party and other labour movements in the struggle against Apartheid.
Apartheid policies were designed to subjugate our country’s Black populations. These, however, was not to be the case, because Black people found strength within communities and were resilient in overcoming structural racism despite the odds. Denied quality education and resources, we had to dig deep in our abilities to resist injustices. Even though this brought conflict with authorities, it was the only weapon we possessed against the system. The March 1960 Sharpeville Massacre, which saw police open fire on the crowds outside the police station in Sharpeville township, was one such example. Police killed at least 69 Black people and injured more than 180, leading to thousands of people were arrested under new emergency regulations.
This precipitated a cultural movement that was marked by trade union support. Unions began organizing a series of strikes for higher wages and for improved working conditions. At the same time, student organisations such as the Black Consciousness Movement (BCM), led by Steve Biko, raised the political consciousness of many students while also appealing to Black people to take pride in Black culture. Protests emboldened people to join the mass movement.
Posters became a
tool to broadcast political messages, especially when the South African
government severely censored all communication. By the 1980s, the
anti-apartheid movement had grown to include thousands of organizations across
South Africa fighting toward a common goal of democracy. These groups ranged
widely, including trade unions, women’s organizations, and committees of
detainees, the “end conscription” campaign (which opposed the military draft
imposed on all white men), faith-based organizations and student movements. The
messages on the posters encouraged people to dare to be heard, to march, strike
and be defiant. Most of the artists had no formal training and risked
imprisonment for their work. As the printing technology was simple, cheap and
fast, they could be made with very little resources.
This medium was just one of many forms open to the resistance movement to communicate to the public. Other widely used forms included songs, chants, dance (the toyi-toyi), clothing, banners, flags and graffiti, all calling for people to participate in making freedom a reality.