Nkosi Sikelel’ iAzania

About the Exhibition

Nkosi Sikelel’ iAzania is a multidisciplinary exhibition examining the history and enduring legacy of apartheid in South Africa, with a focus on land, spatial injustice, cultural resistance, and the unfinished business of liberation.

Apartheid was a system of state-enforced racial segregation imposed by South Africa’s National Party from 1948 to the early 1990s. Built on earlier colonial and segregationist laws, it classified the population into rigid racial groups, Black, Coloured, Indian, and White, each subject to different rights and restrictions. These laws governed nearly every aspect of daily life, from where people could live and work to access to education.

While apartheid subjugated the Black majority, it also provoked sustained resistance within South Africa and internationally. This struggle included pivotal events such as the 1956 Women’s March, the Sharpeville Massacre of 1960, the Soweto Uprising of 1976, and Nelson Mandela’s release from prison in 1990. The democratic elections of 1994 marked the formal end of apartheid, but its legacy continues to shape South African society.

The exhibition title draws together histories of struggle, faith, and political imagination. Nkosi Sikelel’ iAfrika, meaning “God Bless Africa,” is a hymn that became a liberation anthem. Azania, a name adopted by anti-apartheid activists and Black Consciousness movements, symbolised African ownership of the land, the rejection of colonial naming, and Black self-determination. In activist usage, Azania is often described as “the land of the Black people” or “Africa for Africans.” Together, these references highlight the exhibition’s focus on resistance, resilience, and the ongoing pursuit of justice.

Through visual art, archival materials, and performance, Nkosi Sikelel’ iAzania traces apartheid’s colonial foundations, its mechanisms of segregation, and its lasting social and economic consequences. Artworks such as Gerard Sekoto’s evocative pre-apartheid Three Men at a Railway Station and Jürgen Schadeberg’s documentation of Sophiatown amplify voices from these eras. Archival materials and artefacts loaned from various institutions create a dialogue between personal memory and collective history. Installations such as Lazi Mathebula’s To Have a Home is Not a Favour examine the ongoing impact of segregation and South Africa’s post-apartheid economy.

Nkosi Sikelel’ iAzania brings together diverse voices across generations and mediums to confront apartheid’s harsh realities and South Africa’s struggle for justice and equality. The exhibition celebrates South African creativity and resilience. In a global context marked by ongoing struggles around race, power, and inequality, the exhibition invites reflection on how histories of injustice continue to shape the present, and how culture remains central to resisting oppression and inspiring hope.