Men, women, the youth and children from all sections of the South African society, from all colours, through various activities, this year, stated clearly their rejection of the racist republic. This edition of Medu adds artistic expression to the struggle against Apartheid through the poetry of Mongane Serote and James Pitse. Pitse's poem entitled "Writing on the Wall" speaks about an event in 1981 when a white women shot and killed a black worker. The poem's constant refrain "writing is on the wall" speaks to the absolute fury that people have towards Apartheid and the collective clarity that it should be destroyed. This edition also reflects on the role of culture in the struggle through articles by Judy Seidman and Robert Moloi as well as through book reviews by John Donne and Mongane Serote. Front page graphic by Gordon Metz on lithograph.

What is the place of artists, cultural activists and writers in the struggle against Apartheid? This edition of the Medu Art Ensemble newsletter, the last of 1981, shares experiences of artists and their range of cultural activities. The issue consists of poetry, articles, short stories and book reviews. The first poem is about the silences imposed by Apartheid, composed by John Donne. Ngugi Wa Thiong'o's article on "Education for a national culture" focuses on the importance of understanding your background and culture, particularly in the context of a liberation struggle. It is certain that artists have a role to play in this process! A short story about "The New Place" by Mongane Serote focuses on an experience of forced removals and resettlement that many black South Africans faced. Front page graphic by Mike Kahn on silkscreen.

This edition of the Medu Art Ensemble newsletter contains poetry, articles, book reviews, play reviews and letters. It contains several articles, critical essays and play reviews and seeks to engage in some "hard talking about the position of culture in our society at this time". This "hard talking" is present in a number of critical articles, notably by Ngugi Wa Thiong'o and Judy Seidman. Albie Sachs writes a fascinating letter to Medu which reflects on how much of the literary and artistic work is "agonized". His experience of being in exile in Mozambique has led him to believe that artists are trying to "outshout" the oppressor. He sees value for artists in "building up liberated zones" inside themselves and creating images outside of the context of the oppressor. Front page graphic by Thami Mnyele on silkscreen.

This is the first issue of 1983. This edition, the first since the Culture and Resistance Conference, aims to prioritise the work of local artists. The edition consists of Medu Art Ensemble interviewing John Selolwane, a guitarist for the band Kgalagadi in Botswana, who has a wide experience of playing music in various parts of Africa. John Donne's poem, "After Maseru", follows the Maseru Raid on 9 December 1982 where 42 people suspected of being activists and members of the ANC were killed. Donne gives a sense of the ignorance and apathy of many South Africans to this gruesome massacre by the Apartheid government. There is also a review of the photographic exhibition "Art Towards Social Development" by Tim Williams. He showceses photographs that capture the "cultural reality of Apartheid" and "the vulerability of South African fascism". A second photographic exhibition "Portrait of people", a graphic record of the South African liberation struggle, is reviewed in this issue. It is explained that history of the people is incomplete without pictorial records of the people who made that history. Another interesting piece is an article about culture and resistance in South Africa by Keorapetse Kgositsile. The author explains that the determination and commitment to life which is reflected in arts and cultural resistance is not as new a development in South Africa as some people might think. Front page graphic by Mike Kahn on silkscreen print.

What can our art be used for? Used by Whom? This edition of Medu explores the importance of art and its inextricable relationship to community. Two interviews, one with playwright Maki Mapogo and another with Musician Johnny Clegg, explore their artforms and the relationships these artforms have to community and activism. The Zimbabwe Writers'Workshop, chronicled in this edition, had extensive discussions on the political responsiblities of writers, includes delegates like Dambudzo Marechera and extracts from writers like Emmanuel Ngara, Micere Mugo and T.T. Moyana. The edition is concluded by Mongane Serote's in-depth article on the Politics of Culture in southern Africa. Front page graphic by Miles Pelo.

Medu declared the year 1983 as the "Year of Women", placing an image of a women with a gun on her back on the front cover of this edition. The first section of this edition covers cultural work both about women and by women. This includes poetry and articles. One poem by Victor Matlou, titled "The Breath of August 9th" engages with the importance of women in the struggle for freedom, starting with his title which refers to the march of women to the Union Buildings on 9 August 1956 to oppose pass laws. The second section of this newsletter explores "Medu's work and progress", with a particular focus on community oriented art projects. This an exploration of the Ngwedi graphic unit by Mognane Serote, the Community Band-Bond by Mandisa and projects undertaken by the Itumeleng Film Unit. Front page graphic by Miles Pelo.

Artists: Thami Mnyele

The opening remarks of Art Towards Social Development Exhibition were delivered by Thami Mnyele on 9 June 1982. He gave an idea of the structure of the exhibition; a collection of paintings, sculptures and photographs would be displayed. The second part will be a symposium/festival held on the 5 July to the 9 July 1982. He also mentioned that symposium/festival would be dealing with literature and performing arts such as music, film, theatre and dance. This exhibition is a step towards being hopeful and practical about creating an alternative for artists in South Africa. The main question posed at the exhibition is: how to cultural workers and artists partake in the struggle for national liberation and self determination?

Original silkscreen printed folder for the Culture and Resistance Symposium/Festival in 1982, Gaborone, Botswana. Artwork by Thami Mnyele.

Artists: Judy Seidman and Thami Mnyele