The document outlines the background to both the Art Toward Social Development exhibition and the Culture and Resistance Symposium. The exhibition was a culmination of two years work by South African artists who lived in Botswana. The idea came out of a number of individual exhibitions that were held by South African artists at the National Museum and Art Gallery in Gaborone. The holding of the Culture and Resistance Symposium and arts festival was developed for artists and cultural workers to meet and share different ideas. The objectives of the symposium are to expose South African cultural workers to a wide range of cultural work, to expose South African cultural workers to South African cultural developments and to produce a book on South African culture.
In this paper, Keorapetse Kgositsile argues that art and culture play a role in the struggle against Apartheid. Kgositsile, a poet and acclaimed writer, regards literature as being a key site of struggle. He suggests that literature "must serve the interests of the people in their fight against a culture which insists that they should be robbed". Kgositsile reflects on the contributions of literature to the struggle which he believes are both artistic and "functional" to the needs of the people.
In this paper, Barry Gilder argues that it is impossible for musicians to be separate from the struggle against Apartheid in South Africa. He suggests that musicians have two options; to be part of the struggle against Apartheid as "revolutionaries who make music" or as musicians who participate in the "revolution as musicians". Musicians can fight Apartheid through holding benefit concerts, creating their own record labels, organising into a collective musical organisation and boycotting the Apartheid state. These methods of resistance and artistic expression, the author argues, will all contribute to a necessary and genuinely popular and progressive musical culture.
Culture and liberation are intimately related. Life, according to the authors, is a process of struggle to reach higher levels of civilisation, a process in which art is deeply embedded. The struggle against Apartheid and different forms of colonial violence is one which is intertwined with culture and artistic expression. Even once equality is reached within society, a further cross-pollination of cultural ideas and forms will occur leading to a richer, popular and more universal culture.
The black writer holds a key position in liberating South Africa. Richard Rive believes that black writers personalise individual experience and that this plays a role in showing what society was, what it is and what it is heading towards. Rive argues that black writers owe allegiance to their own writing, their society and to their humanity.
What is a progressive song? In this paper entitled "Song and Struggle", Muff Andersson argues that musicians (primarily lyrical musicians) should write songs that "keep the cogs of the struggle moving on". This can be done through writing progressive songs or ensuring that a communities' consciousness is reflected in a song and its ideas.
General meetings of Medu consisted of all Medu members; they were held ever 3 months. The general meetings addressed policy, Medu orgnisation and election of officials, and issues arising from specific units.
These are two documents of the meeting minutes for the Medu executive. The discussions are over-arching about finance, equipment and the state of work done by the different Medu units. Also included is a meeting between the Medu executive, Jonas Gwangwa and Dennis Mpale.
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.
