African National Congress
103rd Anniversary
Background
The African National Congress (ANC) is the Republic of South Africa’s governing social democratic political party. It has been the ruling party of post-apartheid South Africa on the national level, beginning with the election of Nelson Mandela in the 1994, and the first election after the end of apartheid. It remains the dominant political party in South Africa, having won every election since 1994.
The South African Native National Congress was founded on 8 January 1912, and later became the African National Congress. At that time its primary mission was two-fold, to end apartheid and provide voting rights for black and mixed race Africans. The ANC originally attempted to use nonviolent protests to end apartheid, however, the Sharpeville massacre that resulted in the deaths of 69 black Africans contributed to deteriorating relations with the then South African government.
On 8 April 1960 the ANC was banned and the party was forced to leave South Africa. After the ban, the ANC formed the Umkhonto we Sizwe (Spear of the Nation) dedicated to fight against apartheid. Their primary methods were guerrilla warfare and sabotage. Many ANC leaders underwent trial and later sent to prison, among them was Nelson Mandela.
On 3 February 1990, State President F. W. de Klerk lifted the ban on the ANC and released Nelson Mandela from prison on 11 February 1990. Two years later, by referendum passed on 17 March 1992, voters effectively ended apartheid. This allowed the ANC to run in the 1994 election, and Nelson Mandela was elected president of post-apartheid South Africa.
The Project
I decided to undertake a photojournalism project to document the African National Congress (ANC) 103rd anniversary celebration held at the Cape Town stadium on Saturday, 10 January 2015. ANC supporters arrived at the stadium from all around the country and expected to exceed the capacity of the 52 000 seat stadium. Therefore, special arrangements were made to receive the crowd-overflow in areas specially set aside for the purpose.
The Challenge
With so many people expected to arrive I had no idea of arrangements made by stadium personnel to seat those attending, or ways in which the local authorities planned to handle such a massive amount of people. I would have to draw upon my previous experience as a freelance photographer when I documented large meetings, conventions, public demonstrations, special activities, and breaking news events. This would be an interesting undertaking.
Rainbow Nation of diversity
People & Culture
“South Africa is often called the ‘Rainbow Nation’, a term which was coined by the former Archbishop, Desmond Tutu, and neatly describes the country’s multicultural diversity.”
Rebuilt From the Inside Out
The original ‘locals’ – Black South Africans make up around 80% of the population and belong to a variety of ethnic groups.
Extensive Demographics
Based on the 2011 census the demographics of South Africa encompasses about 56 million people of diverse origins, cultures, languages, and religions.
*Click on photos to enlarge.
01 My plan was to arrive at the Cape Town Stadium not later than 6:00 AM. This would allow time to reconnoiter the situation and come up with an idea on how to gain access to the venue, and once inside exactly where to acquire strategic positioning. An early arrival would also provide me with opportunities to photographically document event preparations in progress.
02 As it turned out, I experienced no problems with coverage or with gaining entrance to the stadium. The police and others willingly provided me with information, and because a ticket was required to gain entrance, one individual with several tickets (he had observed my plight) offered to give me one.
03 “Because of its colonial past, South Africa has a large number of Afrikaans- (descended from Dutch settlers) and English speakers (the British began colonising the region in the 1800s).”
“French Huguenots, Germans and Portuguese arrived from the 1600s and brought many slaves from India and modern-day Indonesia. Islam and Hindu traditions and culture are also therefore prominent.”
“Among native black South Africans, there are many different ethnic groups and nine officially-recognised local languages. The Zulu and Xhosa speakers are the two largest groups – accounting for nearly 40% of the population – with Pedi, Sotho, Tswana, Tsonga, Swati/Swazi, Venda and Ndebele speakers making up the rest.”
‘In the Southern Africa Cape, Coloureds is the name given to an ethnic group composed primarily of persons of mixed race. They are a minority group within South Africa; however, they are the predominant population group in the Western Cape.’
04 This was a highly anticipated event because within the South African (Western Cape) political arena, and based on its relationship with the ruling ANC, there were deep divisions that often sparked open conflict within party chambers. So, in this respect, those arriving for the anniversary celebration were elated because they felt as if recalcitrant territory was finally being conquered. Politics aside, lets continue.
05 One can well appreciate the splendid ethnic and cultural diversity of the people attending this event. Truly, it makes modern day South Africa a unique experience in the annuals of history.
A selection from: Courage – it takes more
“The best of us are rivers who give themselves to oceans,
rivers who throw themselves over cliffs into oceans
rivers who never look back never regret what they’ve given
and the more they give the more flows out -”
A poem by Phillippa Yaa de Villiers
06 Highlighted at this event were performances by several Cape Town minstrel groups, known locally as The Coons, seen here in their classic colorful uniforms. They are an important aspect of the identities of the coloured population intertwined with the popular culture of the city. They host a yearly festival and make appearances at various meetings and social events. The Coons as well as Malay and local Choirs continued to appear at official functions in and around Cape Town, and they are recognized as an essential part of the city’s culture.
Gallery
Venue: The Cape Town Stadium
The Cape Town Stadium was built for the 2010 FIFA World Cup, located in the Cape Town suburb of Green Point and formally known as the Green Point Stadium, it is also close to the Victoria & Alfred Waterfront, a popular tourist and shopping venue. It replaces the old stadium previously on the same property, coincidently, situated directly behind Treston Lodge (57 Beach Road) where I resided during my first visit to South Africa from 2003-2005. The Cape Town Stadium is the home ground of two Premier Soccer League clubs: Ajax Cape Town, and Cape Town City—and since 2015 has hosted the South Africa Sevens Rugby Tournament. A newly completed 60-hectare urban park now surrounds the stadium.
Green Point Common
In the 18th century the Green Point Common was known by the Dutch as ‘De Waterplaats’ (The foreshore), and during the South African War of 1899-1902, Green Point common was used by the Military as an encampment for a large number of British troops as well as a camp for Boer POWs. In 1923 as vested land it was granted to the City of Cape Town for public recreation and sport fields. It continues in this capacity to this day as home to the Cape Town Stadium, a golf course, and a public park.