Mail & Guardian reporter
Women’s Day, August 9, marks the anniversary of the 1956 march on the Union Buildings in Pretoria by more than 20 000 women of all races protesting against the pass laws. As a visible tribute to South Africa’s women, the government has decided to place a monument at the site where the women demonstrated 43 years ago.
The memorial will be built to the design of the winning entry of a public competition organised by the Department of Arts, Culture, Science and Technology.
The department has called for all interested artists to submit a model or maquette that will “symbolise the role of women in the history of struggle that has shaped South Africa”. Closing date for the receipt of entry forms is October 30 1999 and the final date for receipt of the completed model is November 30 1999. The competition is open to all artists resident in South Africa. Entry forms can be obtained from the department.
The winner of the competition will be awarded a prize, and the department has budgeted for the execution and erection of the monument, materials, transport and site preparation.
The women’s march memorial project, part of the government’s national legacy project, will pay tribute to “the women of South Africa who have contributed to the struggle against colonialism and apartheid, and who have fought to enable a better life for all South Africans”.
In the early 1950s the government planned to extend passes – already imposed upon black men – to black women as part of its apartheid plans to control, and eventually remove, all urban blacks. On August 9 1956 activists Lilian Ngoyi, Helen Joseph and Sophie Williams led a march by thousands of women to present petitions at the Union Buildings to object to the plan and the pass laws.
The petition included these words:
“We, the women of South Africa, have come here today. We represent and we speak on behalf of hundreds of thousands of women who could not be with us. But all over the country, at this moment, women are watching and thinking of us. …We come as women united in our purpose to save the African women from the degradation of passes.”
Women involved in the anti-pass campaign of the 1950s were inspired by a song composed by Florence Mkhize and her Durban branch of the Women’s League. The words demonstrated the female determination to resist oppression:
“Wathint’ abafazi
Wathint’ imbokodo
Uzokufa
[You have tampered with the women
You have tampered with a grinding stone
You will be crushed]”
The grinding stone is an apt image as it is an important traditional tool – useful, nurturing and strong – which is used by women.
Contact Alicia Monis, (012) 337-8513, for more competition information
ENDS