To commemorate Africa month, African Art Centre invited selected artists to participate in an exhibition
themed I AM AN AFRICAN.
Africa month is an opportunity to celebrate the arts and culture of our country and continent. As South
Africans we are Africans and part of the diversity of cultures of this continent, but our home province of
KwaZulu Natal is naturally a distinctive thread in the works on display, featuring artists such as Sifiso Ka-
Mkame, Jabulani Cele, Zakhele Hlabisa, Sabastein Pillay, Welcome Danca, Sibusiso Duma, Joseph Manana
and Major Ndlovu amongst others.
This exhibition hopes to create colourful awareness of our various social and cultural identities and
simultaneously provoke thinking about what it means to be African. It touches on unresolved questions
pertinent to our society, the challenge of xenophobia for example. “Establishing acceptance, tolerance,
cooperation and unity amongst our respective cultures and communities is crucial for the growth of Africa,
and for our lives as Africans. That is the spirit which underlies the invitation to a group of artists to
participate in the I AM AN AFRICAN exhibition,” says Magdalene Reddy, Director of the African Art Centre.
The public can expect to see works in a range of mediums from oils to watercolours to pencil drawings. I
AM AN AFRICAN will be opened on Thursday the 11th of May at the African Art Centre, 94 Florida Road,
Durban.
For additional information, please contact the African Art Centre on 031 303 4634, africanartcentre@afriart.
co.za or visit at 94 Florida Road, Morningside.
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About the African Art Centre:
The African Art Centre is a fine art and crafts centre with a gallery and a retail outlet. Our core work
focusses on artist development, showcase and growing the creative economy.
The African Art Centre was initiated in 1959 by the Natal Region of the South African Institute for Race
Relations.
Role of the African Art Centre during the Apartheid Era:
• Medium of communication in a divided society
• Worked towards bringing people with common interests together
• Public showcase of African artists and crafters
In 1984, the African Art Centre was registered as a non profit section 21 company
AAC Recognizes and addresses:
• The problems of unemployment
• The socio-economic consequences of South Africa’s history
• The need for all people to have the opportunity to work and earn a living
• The intrinsic value of human dignity achieved through being able to work
• The need to kindle and stimulate self-motivation through acquired skills
• The need for personal gain and development to be linked as directly possible to personal effort -
self-sustaining and economically
Vision
Creating an enabling environment for the sustainable development, promotion and preservation of African
arts and crafts with special focus on KwaZulu-Natal.
Mission
• To provide a platform for training and development
• To provide an outlet for promoting and selling works done by KZN artists and crafters
• To create jobs and a sustainable income for KZN artists and crafters
• To provide a professional space for young and established artists and crafters to exhibit
• To discover, encourage and nurture works of creativity, originality and the highest quality
• To communicate and document traditional and contemporary trends in local arts and crafts
• To preserve our cultural heritage
