During times of pain, trauma and disempowerment, the creative field of fine art affords an opportunity
for communication and self-empowerment. In the 1980s, which was one of the most turbulent
decades in South Africa’s political history, art students from the University of Durban-Westville
used their creativity to engage with these struggles. The artworks presented here are a small sample
extracted from a broader corpus of work, approximating 1 000 pieces, which have been identified
over a research period of four years and which have yet to be located within a more inclusive space
in the art history of our country. This article attempts to engage with this marginalisation in our art
history and intends to bring into the dialogue those South African artists who have been consigned to
invisibility. This dialogue and narrative are vital nationally as South Africa embarks on the process of
regeneration and affirms both national and cultural pride in the South African histories and heritage.
Further, at a time when the South African Indian community has just celebrated their 150th year in this
country, the space has arrived through the post-colonial discourse to write back to the centre those
who have been consigned to the peripheries of our society.
In tye wanneer pyn, trauma en ontmagtiging ervaar word, bied die skeppende gebied van die
beeldende kunste geleentheid vir kommunikasie en selfbemagtiging. In die 1980s, wat een van die
onstuimigste dekades in Suid-Afrika se politieke geskiedenis was, het studente van die Universiteit
van Durban-Westville hulle kreatiwiteit gebruik om tot hierdie stryd toe te tree. Die kunswerke wat
hier verteenwoordig is, is ‘n klein keur uit ’n groter werkskorpus van ongeveer 1 000 kunswerke
wat in die loop van vier jaar se navorsing geïdentifiseer is en waaraan daar nog ’n meer inklusiewe
plek in ons land se kunsgeskiedenis toegeken moet word. Hierdie artikel het dit ten doel om met
hierdie marginalisering in die geskiedenis van ons kuns in gesprek te tree en die Suid-Afrikaanse
kunstenaars wat tot onsigbaarheid gedoem is, te betrek. Hierdie gesprekvoering en narratief is van
nasionale belang noudat Suid-Afrika met die proses van hernuwing begin het, en bevestig sowel
die nasionale as die kulturele trots op die Suid-Afrikaanse geskiedenis en erfenis. Buitendien, op ’n
tydstip dat die Suid-Afrikaanse Indiërgemeenskap pas hulle 150ste jaar in hierdie land gevier het,
is die ruimte danksy die postkoloniale diskoers geskep om diegene wat na die randgebied van ons
samelewing uitgedryf is, weer terug te bring na die middelpunt daarvan.
