Cape Town - An iconic mural celebrating the life of unsung heroine and Struggle activist, Dulcie September, will be unveiled at the Dulcie September Hall in Athlone today, 22 February.
The work was commissioned by Enver Samuel, director of award-winning and much-acclaimed documentary “Murder in Paris" about September who was an icon in the fight against apartheid.
Samuel had approached arts organisation Baz Art which specialised in street art, for assistance and one of South Africa's best and prolific street artists, Dbongz Mahlathi, was recommended to carry out the work.
Mahlathi did extensive research on September and using spray paint, worked off a photograph of her, completing the mural in two days.
Formerly know as Athlone Civic Centre, the site was chosen for the mural, not only because it was named after September, but also because she grew up in Athlone and attended at Athlone High School.
September was a teacher in Athlone, which was a hot bed of resistance during the Struggle years and it was here where she cut her political teeth.
She was forced into exile in 1972 when she left for London. September’s path would lead her to Zambia and then France where she was assassinated in Paris on March 29, 1988, while she was the ANC’s chief representative in France.
The mural is part of a campaign of the film set up to bring September’s story and name “alive”.
The campaign also includes school screening of the documentary combined with an educational guide on September and the 'Justice for Dulcie' campaign to assist the family to get the case reopened in France.
“To a certain extent Dulcie’s legacy has been erased, and the reason for her murder has never been uncovered.
“It is our hope through the documentary and various impact activations like this, that we can counteract that erasure, and finally gain recognition for her valuable contribution to her Struggle against apartheid,” Samuel said.
Mahlathi said: “It has been an honour to work on this mural. I love that we are able to communicate through art what language can’t.
“Street art has the ability to resonate with everyday lives, and vibrate mundane spaces, to encourage ongoing optimism in young minds, to boost confidence and eradicate doubt and fear in human brains and inspire patience and persistence, and can happen, one artwork at a time.”