Human Rights Day in South Africa

By Thireshni Sanasy


Today marks 51 years since the massacre in Sharpville, Johannesburg, where 69 innocent, unarmed, protesters were gunned down by police men and more than 300 others were injured. 


The massacre occurred after protesters appeared outside the Sharville Police station on the 21 March 1960.  Thousands of people gathered together in the aim to ban pass laws which made black South African's have to carry around a pass book, known as dompass (Dumb pass).  The dompass was a restraint on the black South African's movements.  However, the innocent protest became an incident South African's would never forget. After 35 years, the South African Human Rights Commission was launched in the aim to never allow any citizen of South Africa to relive such a tragedy due to the inequality of a human being.  

Nelson Mandela, a Man who made a difference.

Former President and Activist, Nelson Mandela in 1996, said, "21 March is South African Human Rights Day. It is a day which, more than many others, captures the essence of the struggle of the South African people and the soul of our non-racial democracy. March 21 is the day on which we remember and sing praises to those who perished in the name of democracy and human dignity. It is also a day on which we reflect and assess the progress we are making in enshrining basic human rights and values."

"Hurt" by South African Artist Jan Jordaan,
part of the UDHR IPP 

Today we not only take this day to commemorate those who fought for the freedom of the people of South Africa, but also to reflect on our own transition through time into a new era where we all SHOULD know our Rights.  

Art for Humanity aims to propagate Human rights through art, and school workshops are held to educate our future leaders on the importance of our Rights. 

AFH also has a portfolio which focuses on Human Rights. Universal Declaration of Human Rights International Print Portfolio (UDHR IPP).  

Most importantly US Human Beings have the Right To Know.... So know your Human Rights. go to: http://www.un.org/en/documents/udhr/index.shtml 

info gathered from: http://www.jacarandafm.com/kagiso/content/en/jacaranda/jacaranda-news?oid=599316&sn=Detail&pid=6182&Why-we-celebrate-Human-Rights-Day---The-Nelson-Mandela-Foundation
http://www.ddp.org.za/events/the-right2know-campaign-celebrates-human-rights-day
http://www.un.org/en/documents/udhr/index.shtml
http://www.sahrc.org.za/home/

Japan you are in our thoughts...

To read more on whats happening in Japan click here

Below is an artwork done by Tatsuo Ebina from Japan,. The artwork entitled "Ear" is apart of the DAC Print Portfolio which was done by AFH in 2009. 

"Ear" by Tatsuo Ebina

Artist Statement:

(We are very happy to be able to participate in this art charity project. To all the staff who gave us this great opportunity we are extremely grateful. Our work has been created with characters from different alphabets that are used somewhere in the world. It is likely that characters that are foreign to you appear as simply patterns in black, however each and every character has meaning and a long history attached to it. It takes so many years of blood, sweat and tears to reach each character’s current form, and so many different characters have disappeared through the ages. When we approached the work, we realized the characters are the hope to communicate to others, the will to connect the past to the future, and of civilization. This project is a great opportunity to enjoy and appreciate the strength of art, and for many people, a good chance to learn of other people’s cultures. We hope that peaceful dialogues can be achieved among civilizations through soccer and art to name but a few, in South Africa and indeed all over the world.

UDHR Print Portfolio Exhibition at the BAT Centre

The Bat Centre’s Menzi Mchunu Gallery is to host the Universal Declaration of Human Rights -International Print Portfolio. The UDHR Print portfolio was published in 1999 by AFH.


The Exhibition runs from the 16 March to April 5.


Read More...

For more information contact:  031 332 0451/2079

MOMA Exhibition

If you are New York between March and August, you should stop by the Museum of Modern Art (MOMA).

Artworks from the "Break the Silence" portfolio are currently on exhibition at the MOMA. 

Below is South African Artist, Trevor Makhoba's artwork entitled, "God wants his People" from AFH's "Break the Silence" Portfolio which is one of the artworks currently being exhibited.

"God Wants His People" Trevor Makhoba

Click Here for more Break the Silence Artworks.