Johannebsurg - If you are a Soweto resident or have some kind of history with the township, this one’s for you.
This year, Soweto marks its 91st anniversary and the MMC for Community Development, Lubabalo Magwentshu, is encouraging Joburgers and Sowetans in particular to attend and support the community-based exhibition to mark the anniversary of the founding of Soweto.
The exhibition, Orlando@91, will be launched at the historic Orlando communal hall, exposing a rich cultural, political and sporting history.
Magwentshu said the exhibition would recognise a host of outstanding achievers who had risen from this area.
“Orlando boasts many firsts in the history of Soweto. It birthed many icons, sporting legends and a football team just to name a few.
“Our history has no blank pages and it must be celebrated for the legends that it has produced. I hope you will join us as we go down memory lane and view this emotional but profoundly proud history of Orlando,” said Magwentshu.
With a trove of photographs spanning nine decades of history, the exhibition brings together material from Museum Africa, Wits University, and personal collections gleaned from Orlando East residents. Also featured are images from outstanding local photo-journalists Jacob Mawela and Nonhlanla Kambule.
The subject matter ranges widely, touching the highs and lows of township life, from apartheid planning and administration and resistance politics to church history and everyday life, and not forgetting sporting history in this heartland of South African soccer and home of Orlando Pirates.
The venue chosen for the exhibition, the Orlando communal hall, is itself steeped in history, and has for many years stood at the centre of community life. The venue and display space become part-and-parcel of the unique and profound exhibition experience that is Orlando@91.
Orlando, established in 1932, had no parks or sports grounds in the early years, although an important community centre was provided by the council, namely the communal hall. Built in 1933, the hall was the only such facility at the time. Soon it became known as a venue for community occasions, political gatherings, concerts, ballroom dances, wedding receptions and film shows.
Seminal meetings of the ANC Youth League were held here around the late 1940s. Also, in the 1940s and 1950s, the hall became the annual meeting place for the Transvaal Region of the ANC. In November 1958, Africanists within the ANC were ejected from a meeting, and six months later they met here again to form the Pan Africanist Congress. During the 1976 upheaval, many municipal buildings and government offices were destroyed; yet, significantly, the communal hall was left untouched.
Orlando can claim many other “firsts”, like the first public library for African people, which opened its doors in 1950. Before that, in 1939, Orlando High School began as the first high school in Soweto. Great educators who graced the school include the famous writer Es’kia Mphahlele, Zeph Mothopeng, Godfrey Pitje and others like Issac Matlhare, Peter Raboroko, Phyllis Maseko and Thamsanqa Wilkinson Kambule.
They are among a range of exceptional people honoured at the exhibition, with the legacy of squatter leader James Sofasonke Mpanza, often called the Father of Soweto, always looming large over the area.
Orlando Stadium opened in 1959 as the first soccer stadium in Soweto. For almost 50 years, this was a famous home of soccer, associated with legendary players including Kaiser Motaung, Jomo Sono, Patrick “Ace” Ntsoelengoe and Ephraim Shakes Mashaba. In June 1976, Orlando Stadium was a planned destination of protesting students, but police prevented marchers from reaching the stadium.
Landmark structures gain attention in the displays, not least the iconic twin towers of the Orlando power station, which was decommissioned in 1998. Planning and construction of the Orlando power station started in 1935 and it was completed in 1955. It was due to the proximity of a reliable water supply and a railway line that ensured a smooth delivery of coal that the site was chosen.
A fascinating spin-off recalled at the exhibition is the coal merchant business that the power station gave rise to. The Orlando community and Soweto, although within reach of the gigantic power station, did not have electricity until around the 1980s. Coal merchants used donkey and horse carts to sell coal, and many households invested in a coal stove.
The power station became a source of livelihood for some, as it also employed a few Sowetans. Early in the morning and evening when shifts changed, a siren would sound, filling the atmosphere around Orlando. Children knew that by the second siren, which was around 7.45am, they had to be at school or nearby, as most schools started at 8.00am.
Displays for Orlando@ 91 were developed by the City Directorate of Arts Culture and Heritage. Curator Jacob Lebeko worked in concert with a group of researchers and heritage enthusiasts based in Orlando East, who brought a wealth of local knowledge and passion.
The Orlando@91 exhibition will be launched at the Orlando communal hall today (July 15) at 2pm. The exhibition will be open for public viewing until August 9.