100 years of history through the eyes of local artists

"We hope that by launching these narrative memorials we will evoke a sense of curiosity or emotion, unlock memory and inspire a sense of national identity in the South African public. We believe these 'story sites' will add a valuable stitch to the fabric of our communities, animating the past in ways we can make sense of now," says Charlotte Bauer, director of the Sunday Times Heritage Project.

The first installation, a bronze of South Africa's undisputed queen of pop, Brenda Fassie by Angus Taylor, was unveiled outside The Bassline in Newtown on Thursday, 9 March 2006. The project will be rolled-out nationally during 2006 and 30 more permanent memorial installations are planned for Cape Town, Durban and the Eastern Cape. The emphasis will be on selecting stories that make sense locally as well as on commissioning artists from the area.

The 'trail' of memorials will mark extraordinary moments in the lives of several extraordinary South Africans, including the country's first black advocate, Duma Nokwe; Raymond Dart, discoverer of the Taung skull; "Tsietsi" Mashinini, a leader of the Soweto uprising; and Lilian Ngoyi, a famed liberation orator. The multimillion rand initiative will also commemorate some of the events and places that, painfully or proudly, "that in our journalistic opinion, helped shape the South Africa we know today," explains Bauer.

"The stories portrayed in these installations are lifelike rather than heroic, attention-grabbing rather than epic. They may represent some of the dominant news narratives of the 20th century, but they are all stories with real people at their heart."

These include the first ever pass-burning protest led by Mohandas Gandhi at Hamidia Mosque on Jennings Street in Newtown; the birthplace of the Orlando Pirates soccer team and Johannesburg Central Police Station, previously John Vorster Square, where seven people died in police custody between 1971 and 1990.

Artists have been selected according to carefully considered criteria, which includes prior experience in making public art; strong conceptual and technical skills; and sometimes their existing knowledge, involvement or special interest in one of the specific stories or sites. The artists commissioned for the Joburg stories are: Sam Nhlengethwa, Usha Seejarim, Angus Taylor, Johannes Phokela, Kagiso Pat Mautloa, Marco Cianfanelli, Stephen Maqashela, Theresa-Anne Mackintosh, Lewis Levin and Karl Gietl.

States Bauer, "This is our way of bringing the popular past to life and to show that today's news is tomorrow's history. We believe that these stories will resonate with the public long after the candles have been blown out on the Sunday Times' birthday cake."