Black Sash: Seven Stories over Seven Decades, Exhibition
Venue: Albany History Museum
Next walkabout: 29 June 14:00
Interview
By Langelihle Elsie Skade
The Black Sash began as a political protest organisation founded in 1955 to oppose apartheid government policies and to protest against the segregation of South Africans. In commemoration of 70 years of activism, the Albany History Museum has mounted an exhibition honouring the Black Sash.
Yesterday Rosemary van Wyk Smith and Gus McDonald, two former Black Sash women who stood at its heart, visited the exhibition. Van Wyk Smith, originally from England, arrived in South Africa at the height of apartheid. Encountering the segregation here, she found herself immediately opposed to it. After hearing about the Black Sash she decided to join it in solidarity against apartheid. With black sashes draped over their shoulders, the Black Sash consisted of a camaraderie of women including teachers, nurses, social workers and librarians. Even though Van Wyk Smith’s parents were against her getting involved in this way she still felt the need to fight for change.
“My parents said I was neglecting my children by joining this ‘radical organisation’, but we had a strong feeling that we needed to do something. At least my husband was supportive.”
As a movement known for its non-violent and silent protest, the Black Sash worked towards equality and freedom alongside black South Africans. They also worked with churches and embarked on education campaigns such as teaching citizens how to participate in the voting process.
“The Eastern Cape was an area where there was a huge number of detentions, and so this was where we focused a lot of our work, because when people were detained their families didn’t know where they had gone to. So, we did a lot of work helping with the churches to find out how people were oppressed and tortured.”
The movement established creative ways of teaching South Africans how to vote by inventing a short play which was taken to remote farms. They also had a dedication to history and organised tours in then-Grahamstown to educate people. “We wanted them to know that there are also black gravestones in this town and not just white gravestones.”
From the beginning, the Black Sash women worked towards revolution and freedom. Van Wyk Smith believes that they made a huge impact and contributed to the lives of South Africans. Many events which happened during the apartheid era are still untold, but the Black Sash continues to stand its ground, still proud of the efforts it made.
“Joining the Black Sash was one of the best things I ever did in my life. I am very proud of it,” she said.
