30 January 2014
South Africa’s 20 Years of Freedom celebrations get under way in Gauteng province on Thursday when the live, interactive Building the Legacy: 20 Years of Freedom exhibition opens at the Tshwane Events Centre in Pretoria.
One of the biggest exhibitions of its kind undertaken in the country, the exhibition is unique in that it offers the public an interactive view of the last 100 years of South African history since the 1913 Natives’ Land Act was passed.
In addition to the 12 truckfuls of artefacts, expo material and props that make up the exhibition, the public will be informed and educated by a team of professional actors and performers who bring the past alive – complete with anecdotes of forced removals and other injustices under apartheid – while highlighting the progress the country has made since 1994.
The exhibition builds on the Reversing the Legacy exhibition created last year by the Department of Rural Development and Land Reform to mark the centenary of the 1913 Natives’ Land Act.
Chief Land Claims Commissioner Nomfundo Gobodo, speaking to SAnews last week, said the exhibition would give people an opportunity “to walk through the history of South Africa and actually feel like you were there … to experience life [as it was] before colonialisation, during the apartheid era and through the dawn of democracy to where we are currently celebrating Nelson Mandela’s legacy.”
“Through this exhibition … we will be showcasing what we’ve achieved since the dawn of democracy in 1994,” Gobodo said. “We know that we still have a lot of work to do ahead of us, but for now we are celebrating our 20th anniversary.”
The exhibition runs in Pretoria until 9 February, after which it will travel to other provinces. It runs from 9am to 5pm daily and is free to the public.
SAnews.gov.za and SAinfo reporter
