5 September 2006 Gandhi's 9/11 11 September 2006 is a date loaded with different memories and meaning. The co-incidence of anniversaries is striking - the 5th anniversary of the 2001 terrorist attack on the World Trade Towers in New York, as well as the Centenary of Gandhi's peaceful struggle which began in Johannesburg in 1906. Here one hundred years ago Mahatma Gandhi created a new form of peaceful protest which he applied to powerful effect against the white rulers in South Africa, and later the colonial masters in India. Known as Satyagraha (truth force or Passive Resistance), this new style of politics empowered Gandhi followers to resist injustice in non-violent ways that demonstrate the superior morality of the protesters. Satyagraha was launched on the 11 September 1906 at an historic mass meeting chaired by Gandhi at Johannesburg's old Empire Theatre. Over 3 000 Indians protested furiously against the introduction of passes for 'Asiatics', taking a solemn oath to resist by all peaceful means. Gandhi rejected the politics of hatred and terrorism, forging a method of struggle that sought to build bridges with an opponent while at the same time refusing to accept injustice. These ideas raised Gandhi to the status of international moral icon and champion of human rights. A hundred years later, Gandhi's ideals of non-violence and mutual respect have lost none of their relevance in a world wracked by division, war and terror. A common feature of many modern political cultures has been to demonise people who are different in one way or another - so opening them up to what's held to be 'legitimate' attack. Dialogue and debate with the 'other' is avoided, lest it compromised the resolve to destroy. Driven by the spirit of hatred and revenge, terrorist attacks have added to the spiral of violence, while discrediting the very causes in whose name they are carried out. The import of the 100-year anniversary has not escaped peace campaigners in the US and elsewhere in the world. To mark the other 9/11, New Yorkers for a Department of Peace (NY-DOP), in partnership with the MK Gandhi Institute for Nonviolence, have organized nationwide screenings of the 1982 movie, Gandhi. Venues include the Regal Cinema, Battery Park in New York City just outside the World Trade Center, where the film will be screened throughout the day. Closer to home, the City of Johannesburg has an impressive cultural programme to mark the Centenary of Satyagraha. Two key City events have been lined up: A series of public lectures to be held at the University of the Witwatersrand and at Constitution Hill. The launch of the Gandhi Prison Exhibition at the Old Fort's Section 4 Prison. Public Lectures on the theme ' Gandhi in his Time and Ours' have been organized by Wits University in partnership with the City of Johannesburg. Running from 21 to 24 September 2006, the programme features lectures by well-known local and international scholars. An exhibition to tell the story of the prison experiences of Gandhi and his fellow Satyagrahas will open at Constitution Hill in October. Displays will be mounted in the Section 4, the notorious ' Native Gaol", which was Gandhi's first prison. Enquiries: Eric Itzkin Tel 373-7516 erici@joburg.org.za Yours sincerely Sue Reddy Deputy Director: Communications & Marketing Directorate: Art, Culture & Heritage Services Telephone: (011) 373 7504 Facsimile: (011) 373 7512 Cell: 082 776 7309 Email: suered@joburg.org.za