October 6, 2004
By Lucille Davie
THE recently completed Gerard Sekoto mural 'Sekoto in Sophiatown', painted on the northern exterior wall of the Anglican Christ the King Church, was unveiled at a ceremony in the suburb on Tuesday.
The mural, depicting Archbishop Trevor Huddleston walking the dusty streets of Sophiatown, with two children pulling at his cossack, as well as Sekoto's famous 'Yellow Houses', was painted by 12 apprentice artists, under the patronage of the Gerard Sekoto Foundation.
This is the seventh mural to be painted, all copies of his works, in memory of him, with the aim of giving training to young up-and-coming artists, and sponsored by the De Beers Group. Other murals have been painted in Westdene, a neighbouring suburb of Sophiatown, Mamelodi West, outside Pretoria, and Polokwane, in Limpopo.
The 12 artists in front of the mural painted by them
Guests of honour were Sally Motlana, activist and former resident of Sophiatown, now living in Soweto to which she and her family, along with many Sophiatown residents, were removed in the 1950s and '60s; Gary Ralfe, MD of De Beers Group; and Marie-Héléne, wife of the French ambassador, Jean Felix-Paganon. Sekoto spent most of his life in France, having left South Africa in 1947, never returning to his motherland.
Sekoto lived in Gerty Street in Sophiatown for a short while, and painted his 'Yellow Houses' in 1940.
Motlana described with nostalgia and affection her time in Sophiatown, recalling Huddleston, the fiercely anti-apartheid stalwart, and how fondly he was looked upon by its residents. He greeted Sophiatowners with "Hello, creature", because he said "everyone was created by God".
Ralfe said he felt lost for words after listening to Motlana, but recounted how as a young man he had read Huddleston's autobiographical "Naught for your comfort", and how moved he was by Huddleston's affection for the residents of the suburb. He ended his speech with: "Sophiatown forever, viva Sophiatown", which was greeted with enthusiastic nods by the crowd of around 60 people.
Father Andrew Norton from the Community of the Resurrection in Rosettenville then blessed the mural, and Motlana was asked to unveil a plaque, which will be positioned alongside the mural. It contains a quote by Sekoto: "There was always the movements of comings and goings and all sorts of happenings. Many little children mixed with the old people visiting the yellow houses. The yellow sun turned the ground and rolling stones into many different colours."
One of the artists, Ras Esop Tshovu Tshovu, was called in to paint the figure of Huddleston, when other artists were struggling with the depiction. Tshovu Tshovu, who teaches art in Fourways and does commissions for corporates, specialises in portraits and said he found Huddleston "easy to draw".
"This project made me feel special. I was surprised to feel accepted by the Sophiatown community, who I thought would be a cold community," he says.
Each artist was given a certificate and a book on Sekoto, written by Barbara Lindop, executive trustee of the Gerard Sekoto Foundation.
"I will frame the certificate, and treasure this book," said Tshovu Tshovu, clutching his book closely.
Besides an artist and writer, Sekoto also composed music. Lindop has spent two years bringing to fruition the recording of his music and songs, to hit the music stores in November this year. The music has been recorded by a group of Soweto musicians, who call themselves 'The Blue Heads', a reference to a set of paintings of that name by Sekoto. Lindop says the songs were discovered two years ago in his papers.
Sekoto died in 1993 and is buried in Paris.
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