Bruce
Haigh served as a diplomat in Apartheid South Africa from 1976-1979.
Unlike many of his diplomatic colleagues he made close contact with
Black groups and individuals. Some were artists, writers and poets.
Because of the separation of the races enforced by the White minority
government, Black South Africans were not allowed to exhibit their paintings
in White galleries.
Bruce and his predecessor Di Johnstone allowed Black artists to exhibit
at their homes which enjoyed diplomatic privilege. As a result Bruce
and Di bought a number of paintings which they took around the world
with them on successive diplomatic postings. These paintings were much
admired over the years.
After Apartheid ended in South Africa, Bruce and Di decided to give
their paintings to the people of South Africa; Di’s collection
went back first and curatorship was undertaken by the Pretoria Art Museum.
Subsequently Bruce went to South Africa in 2003 and put together an
organisation with a Board to curate the joint collection and to oversee
the return of other Black works sold and taken out of the country by
visitors, diplomats and other temporary residents of South Africa.
Members of the Board were all people known to Bruce from his time in
South Africa and from when he ran a training program for Black South
Africans in Australia from 1990-1993. Dr. Mamphela Ramphele, the former
Vice-Chancellor of the University of Cape Town and a Director of the
World Bank agreed to chair Ifa Lethu, which means healing through heritage.
Bruce met Mamphela, one of the few Black female medical doctors, in
February 1977 shortly after she had given birth to Steve Biko’s
baby, Hlumelo. At the time she was forced to live in a small rural town
by the authorities because of her political activities.
The works of art were known as Struggle Art and represented an important,
if dark, period in the struggle against Apartheid for Black South Africans.
Publicity and exhibitions of the works has seen the collection grow
to 300 works of art. So much interest has been generated that a heightened
cultural awareness and pride in past achievements has developed. This
has been fostered by Ifa Lethu into education projects for young Black
South Africans. The vibrancy of the works has been translated into a
fashion label with designs drawing inspiration from the collection now
featured on clothes manufactured and sold around South Africa.
The Australian connection is an important and acknowledged one and will
lead to further projects including with the Aboriginal community.
This year marks the twentieth anniversary of the release of Nelson Mandela
from prison. Mandela was held for 26 years because of his political
activities in trying to bring an end to Apartheid. Nelson Mandela came
to Australia in September in 1990 and Bruce was invited to a Lunch held
in Mandela’s honour in the Great Hall of Parliament House, Canberra,
on 23 September 1990. Bruce was lucky enough to meet with Nelson Mandela
and have a chat with him.
Another aspect of Bruce’s work in South Africa was portrayed in
the Richard Attenborough film “Cry Freedom”
IFA
LETHU AT THE PRETORIA GALLERY
