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.. 0."E DOORS OF CULTURE WILL BE OPENED" .. 0."E DOORS OF CULTURE WILL BE OPENED" REP 0 R T of the Conference THE CULTURAL VOICE OF THE RESISTANCE" DUTCH AND SOUTH AFRICAN ARTISTS AGAINST APARTHEID AMSTERDAM, DECEMBER 12-18, 1983 ,Organisatie: Anti-Apartheids Beweging Nederland, politiek kultureel centrum De Populier en de Nederlandse Organisatie voor Internationale lOntwikkelingssamenwerking - NOVIB Sekretariaat: AABN, Postbus 10500, Organised by the Dutch Anti-Apartheid Movement, 1001 EM Amsterdarn telefoon 020-237335 political-cultural centre De Populier and the Dutch Organisation for International Co~peration NOVIB. This report is published under auspices of the foundation CUU ?'AL ALTERNATIVE SOUTH AFRICA (CASA) in coperation with Dutch AAM, Populier and NOVIB. Adress: CASA, c/o Dutch AAM, P.O. Box 10500, 1001 EM Amsterdam, Netherlands. Tel: 020 - 237335 / 257952 ----------------------------------------------,----.-----"I am delighted at initiative of Anti-Apartheid Movement and other Dutch organizations in conveningconference on cultural voice of resistance - Dutch and South African artists against apartheid. Apartheid like nazism is enemy of culture - stop but South African people have managed to develop their cultural creation despite all repression - stop - indeed struggle for freedom has given birth to resusgence of cultural activity - stop by boycotting apartheid and developing links with culture of freedom in South Africa artists of the world can make significant contribution to liberation and international cobperationo I wish your conference all success and may it encourage artists of other countries to emulate your example. Alhaji Yusuff Maitama-Sule, Chairman Special Committee against Apartheid, United Nations. TABLE OF CONTENTS Page INTRODUCTION Background of the conference "THE CULTURAL VOICE OF THE RESISTANCE" Speech of Conny Braam, Chairlady of Dutch AAM STATEMENT OF THE AFRICAN NATIONAL CONGRESS, by Barbara Masekela, Secr. Cult. Dept. ANC. 9 ADRESSES Tuesday: Culture and resistance 15 Wednesday: Cultural imperialism and resistance Thursday: Solidarity andthe cultural boycott Friday: Alternative cultural agreement DISCUSSIONS Tuesday: Culture and resistance 23 Wednesday: Cultural imperialism and resistance Thursday: Culture and solidarity; the cultural boycott Friday: Alternative cultural agreement CONCLUSIONS 37 WORKSHOPS Literature: language as oppression, language as 41 liberation Fine arts Theatre Photography Film Music Women FINAL SESSION "The first white pages..." 49 FINAL DECLARATION A. The cultural boycott 51 B. Alternative cultural agreement List of South African participants 55 List of Dutch participants List of spectators Index of conference papers delivered 57 (incl. video's) A photographic report on the conference was publishedseperately under the title "THE DOORS OF CULTURE WILL BE OPENED", as a special section of the Dutch AAM's magazine 'Zuidelijk Afrika Nieuws'. -i- In front of you is the report of the conference "THE CULTURAL VOICE OF 4E RESISTANCE - Dutch and South African Artists Aqainst Apartheid". The report covers the discussions and programmes of this onference, which took place from Decenber 13 to 18, 1982, in the theatre 'De Balie' in Amsterdam. It was organised by the Dutch Anti-Apartheid movemrent (AABN), the nolitical-culture centre'De Pomulier' and the Dutch Organization for International Co-operation As a result of continuous camaigning fram 1976 against cultural relations with the apartheid regime, the Dutch governaent in 1981 finally terminated the Cultural Agreenent with South Africa. AABN, Populier and NOVIB organised this conference together with a large nuTber of Dutch artists in order to give content and form to an alternative to the terminated Cultural Agreement as well as foster relations, contact and co-operation with South African artists in resistance. During the week duration, dozens of Dutch artists together with more than 50 South African artists-in-exile (from the Netherlands, Enhgland, East and Webst Germany, Botswana, Ziirbzbwe, Kenya, Angola, Sweden and Tanzania) discussed the cultural co-operatin, the boycott of South Africa, the role of language (especially Afrikaans), concrete forms of assistance to artists and the significance of art and culture in the strength of the resistance. Over 150 Dutch artists participated in the various workshops in which experiences were discussed and a start was made towards further co-operation between Dutch and South African artists. In the evening progranres more than 7000 people were granted the opportunity to learn about theatre, noetry, music, dance and fine arts fran South African artists-in-exileThe public at large saw how fruitful a possible cultural exchange with regard to South Africa could be in 5 public evenings in 'Da Balie', melkweg and Paradiso, and especially in th3 final nasse-partout prograre in 'De Balie'. Outside Amsterdam perfo-mnces took place at schools and manifestations in Groningen, Wageningern and Rotterdam. The cultural programes, the sorretirres heavy discussions, the quiet emotional workshops, the expositions and the information 'market' laid the basis for new cultural relations with South Africa. Cultural relations with and through the resistance movenent, the African National Congress. The opening of the conference by Elderman Walrave on behalf of the City of Amsterdam, the official reception at the City Hall, the presencs of high-ranking civil servants of the Ministry of Culture, the act-de-presence of Minister Brinkman of Cultural Affairs, the interest shown by thousands of visitors, the extensive redia presence and coverage -- all helned especially to inspire the South African artists to continue and intensify their resistance against the - ii - apartheid regime and the further deva-lonmant of their culture. For the Dutch participants it mant an excerience which intensified enthusiasm to strengthen solidarity work in the Netherlands. The conference finally drew up a nuaber of conclusicns in the form of reccumendations on which new cultural relations should be based. In order to put these recommendations into practice a ccntinuation cannittee was formed - the Cultural Alternative Comittee South Africa (CASA) under whose auspices this report is oublished. The report of the conference contains the text (part verbatim, part summarised) of the various introductions and an overview of the discussions including their ccnclusions, one chanter deals with the workshops and the recomiendations which came out of them. The annexes contain the final declaration, the participants list and a list of all the conference papers. Apart frm this report, a photo-record was published as a special section of the Dutch AAM's magazine Zuidelijk Afrika Nieu.qs, and some video tapes of the conference were produced. All this material can be obtained through CASA, P.O.Box 10500, 1001 0M Amsterdam, telo (020)237335. This also applies to any other information on the confarence or its follow up. M Sackground of the conference "THE CULTURAL VOICE OF THE RESISTANCE" Speech of Conny Braam, chairlady of Dutch AAM )n behalf of the Netherlands Anti-Apartheid Movement, the Populier and the NOVIB I wish to extend a hearty welcome to all of you. But before I explain why we have entitled this conference "The Cultural Voice of Resistance" I want to extend a special word of welcome to all the South African guests. They have come from a variety of places - open and secret- all over the world and travelled to Amsterdam to participate in this conference. Among them there are writers, poets, painters, singers, photographers and musicians. They all have something in common- they are all artists and fighters against apartheid. And this last is something that is shared by all of us here. This is the particular reason to you to participate in this conference, a conference about the role of art and culture as well as the role of artists in the struggle against the apartheid regime. A great deal has happened since the first initiative we organised in 1976, and I want to remind the meeting tonight about "Artists Against Apartheid". At that time we were-still campaigning for the severance of the cultural treaty between the Netherlands and the apartheid regime. Now, I'm happy to say, we have made a great deal of progress. After a period in which official cultural links were frozen they were finally ended altogether in 1981. Today, there is almost no cultural contact. But it is still necessary - as always in politics- to keep a close eye on developments. For was it not just last autumn that the propaganda of the apartheid regime reached the Netherlands in the cultural disguise of 'Ini Tombi'. It was gratifying to see then how many peonle, in many many places, from Groningen in the North to Sittard in the South took part in pickets and strongly rejected this product of Apartheid'. Hundreds of people called for a boycott of the show and the theatres in question became places of fervent political controversy as the discussion with the potential theatre goers began and grew. In Amsterdam, in the Meervaart, the. Ii Tombi programme was cancelled as a result of these anti-apartheid activities, and the show was a complete commercial disaster. But more important (for us) was the main point-.that the propaganda efforts of Pretoria had met energetic opposition. The campaign against Ini Tombi has several results. On the one hand the question was raised- "How can we orga- nise a consciousness raising follow up to this boycott campaign?" The importance of this question was underlined by the ending of the formal cultural agreement. At the same time many individuals and organisations felt the need for a better and closer acquaintance with real South African culture. Our dilemma was- on the one hand clarity about our disgust at and refection of the official lies about South African culture and the devious cultural exoorts of Pretoria, on the other hand great ignorance of and curiosity about the real culture of the people of South Africa. From this, the logical next step was to think the problems over, in a conference. We discussed this idea with South African and Dutch people and the reaction was very positive and enthusiastic.