THAMI MNYELE AND MEDU ART ENSEMBLE RETROSPECTIVE

THE JOHANNESBURG ART GALLERY OPENED THE THAMI MNYELE AND MEDU ART ENSEMBLE EXHIBITION IN THE LAST MONTHS OF 2008 UNDER THE CURATORSHIP OF THE GALLERY'S DIRECTOR, CLIVE KELLNER. JACANA IS PROUD TO PRESENT THAMI MNYELE & MEDU ART ENSEMBLE RETROSPECTIVE, A BOOK WHICH BRINGS TOGETHER THE MYRIAD ARTWORKS EXHIBITED AND THE STORIES OF THE ORIGINAL MEMBERS OF MEDU WHO CREATED THEM IN A GENEROUSLY ILLUSTRATED WORK. IN THE AFTERMATH OF THE SOWETO UPRISINGS AN ASSOCIATION OF EXILED ARTISTS WAS FORMED IN BOTSWANA WHERE ITS MEMBERS FELT SAFE TO PRACTICE THEIR CRAFT OUT OF REACH OF THE APARTHEID GOVERNMENT IN A TIME WHEN VIOLENT MILITARY ACTION WAS THE ORDER OF THE DAY IN SOUTH AFRICA. THE GROUP OF ARTISTS, WHO PREFERRED TO CALL THEMSELVES "CULTURAL WORKERS" DUE TO THE POLITICAL FRAMEWORK OF THEIR CREATIVE SKILLS, BECAME KNOWN AS MEDU, THE SEPEDI WORD FOR "ROOTS". WITHIN THIS INFORMAL COMMUNITY OF POLITICAL EXILES THE CONDEMNATION OF APARTHEID THROUGH IMAGES AND POETRY WAS A COMMON MEANS OF EXPRESSI