“We must consider our African churches as part our heritage,” said local bishop Mpumelelo Beyi, at the opening of the 'Amabandla Ama-Afrika: Independent Churches of Soweto 1969-71' photographic exhibition at the Albany Museum last Wednesday. The exhibition was well attended by provincial government officials, museum staff, former museum workers and members from local churches.
“We must consider our African churches as part our heritage,” said local bishop Mpumelelo Beyi, at the opening of the 'Amabandla Ama-Afrika: Independent Churches of Soweto 1969-71' photographic exhibition at the Albany Museum last Wednesday. The exhibition was well attended by provincial government officials, museum staff, former museum workers and members from local churches.
The opening ceremony began with the rhythm of beating drums, songs and prayers. Bishop Beyi, of the Heroes of God Catholic Church in Zion church in Joza, addressed the crowd and said that their heritage had never been celebrated at the Albany Museum before. “It's good that the museum has organised this heritage event, that shows how Zion is important to the history of South Africa,” Beyi said.
The museum's communication and marketing officer, Zongezile Matshoba, informed the crowd that the exhibition was previously at the University of Cape Town's library and it was brought here to Grahamstown for Heritage Month.
“This is the history of our churches before churches were registered with government,” said Matshoba. He added that the photos on display are the works of Emeritus Professor Martin West, who was doing his PhD in social anthropology at UCT at the time they were taken. “In the Eastern Cape he only found a church in Alice,” Matshoba said. He also explained that because of apartheid's segregating laws at the time, West had to go out of his way to get permission to take the photographs in non-white areas.
Cecil Nonqane, chairman of the Albany Museum Board and a former museum employee, couldn't contain his excitement about the content of the exhibition and how South Africa has changed since the photographs were taken. He said that he is very happy that the freedom of today allows Zion churches to bless marriages, whereas Zionist bishops were previously not permitted to do so during apartheid.
“I worked for more than thirty years at this museum, and in all of those years I never saw Zion's people visiting,” said Nonqane.
The museum's manager, Patricia Mafu, encouraged Christians to visit museums in order to research and discover the history of their faith and their genealogies.
