October 3, 2006
By Lucille Davie
INDIAN Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Johannesburg Executive Mayor Amos Masondo together opened an exhibition on Monday afternoon, 2 October marking the beginning of Mahatma Gandhi's Satyagraha or passive resistance movement 100 years ago.
The event took place in a marquee on Constitution Hill, with wind and dark clouds swirling outside. The 100-or-so guests included the high commissioners of India and South Africa, chief justice Pius Langa, local councillors and other dignitaries. The exhibition, called "Gandhi: prisoner of conscience", will be a permanent feature of the displays in the Number Four prison.
Gandhi formulated and refined his Satyagraha philosophy while living and working in Joburg.
"Mahatma Gandhi would be elated at this exhibition," Singh said. "It is a noble initiative and exhibition."
Interior of the "Gandhi: prisoner of conscience" exhibition
Singh arrived in the country on 30 September and has since followed in the footsteps of Gandhi, taking a train trip from Durban to Pietermaritzburg in KwaZulu-Natal, where 100 years ago Gandhi was thrown off the train for refusing to move to a "non-white" coach. He visited Phoenix in Durban, a settlement initiated by Gandhi, and then went to Pretoria on Monday, where he met President Thabo Mbeki at the Union Buildings.
"For me this visit is very emotional, and it is a spiritual moment to be in a country that transformed Mahatma," Bua News reports Singh as saying.
Just before he entered the marquee, a very short rain shower pattered against the billowing roof. The event host, Nandi Mayathula-Khoza, the member of the mayoral committee for community development, commented that in African culture rain was a sign of good luck.
"It is an honour to reflect on the contributions that Gandhi has made," Langa said about being invited to speak at the event. He spoke about the great leader's "personality, unwavering determination and leadership", and how he "never lost his humanity".
Peace, dignity and democracy
The chief justice said that the transformation of the despised prison site was similar to the transformation of the country; both were now a symbol of "peace, dignity and democracy". He concluded by calling Gandhi "this great freedom fighter of our country".
Then Masondo took the podium. "There is no greater honour and better privilege than, together with fellow South Africans and all the eminent personalities present here today, marking the 137th anniversary of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi."
He explained that the exhibition was in recognition of the positive effect that Gandhi had had on Indians and South Africans. "There is no argument to the fact that Gandhi is one of the pre-eminent leaders of the twentieth century."
Masondo gave Singh a commemorative medal, reflecting the unveiling of the Gandhi statue in downtown Joburg in 2003.
The entourage then went to visit the exhibition, in the south-western edge of the No 4 courtyard, where they lit several candles, symbolic of a new beginning with enlightenment and purification.
Masondo and Singh also unveiled a plaque commemorating the centenary of Satyagraha.
Singh said the Indian government would be giving Archbishop Desmond Tutu the 2005 Gandhi Peace Award in recognition of his contribution to the government of India.
Lighting a flame of peace: Indian prime minister Manmohan Singh and Joburg's executive mayor Amos Masondo
(Photo: Enoch Lehung, City of Johannesburg)
The exhibition focuses on the years Gandhi spent in Johannesburg, from 1902 until 1914, when he was 46. During this time, he was transformed from a shy lawyer into an extraordinary leader.
On 11 September 1906 he chaired a meeting of more than 3 000 people at the Empire Theatre in the town centre, in protest against the Transvaal Asiatic Law Amendment Ordinance, which required Asian people to carry passes and to live and work in restricted areas.
Gandhi and his fellow Satyagrahis resolved to go to jail rather than to submit to the new law. In all, he had two spells in jail, and found the experiences to be an important element of his education. "I am not in the least thankful for having been released. I preferred the solitude and peace of prison. It gave me the opportunity and time for meditation," he said.
Transformation
The exhibition details the experiences that shaped his development by means of photographs, quotes, artefacts and audio material. It is housed in the former visitors' centre of Number Four. Gandhi's transformation is symbolised in the changes in his attire – from a besuited lawyer to wearing rough prison garb to a simple cotton tunic on his departure for India in 1914 – as shown in the exhibition.
Johannesburg executive mayor Amos Masondo gives Indian prime minister Manmohan Singh a commemorative medal
(Photo: Enoch Lehung, City of Johannesburg)
Gandhi said of his experiences in South Africa: "Truly speaking, it was after I went to South Africa that I became what I am now. My love for South Africa and my concern for her problems are no less than for India."
Nelson Mandela is quoted on the walls as saying, "The spirit of Gandhiji may well be a key to human survival in the 21st century."
Visitors are invited, by means of a pencil and notepad, to record their feelings and reflections about the exhibition. Singh wrote: "Mahatma Gandhi used to say that his life was his message. Each one of us has an obligation to live up to the ideals and ideas which were so clear to the Mahatmans, even though it is not always easy to pursue this virtuous path."
Langa wrote: "Mahatma Gandhi was the prime example of the principle that the pursuit of peace and reconciliation is a worthy objective. In doing so, we do not lose our dignity but we are enriched because we retain and enhance our humanity."
The exhibition was commissioned by the City and has been supported by the Gandhi Centenary Committee.
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