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Still We Rise: Ifa Lethu Foundation and SABC Celebrate Art, Resistance and Resilience
30 October 2025 – 23 November 2025
The Ifa Lethu Foundation of South Africa is proud to spearhead another landmark event in the country. This October, it partners with the SABC to present Still We Rise — a major exhibition of artworks created during South Africa’s Apartheid years. Opening at the Atrium, Keyes Art Mile on 30 October and running until 23 November 2025, the exhibition coincides with the G20 Summit, the first ever hosted on African soil.
Rooted in memory, resistance, and resilience, Still We Rise brings together artworks made between 1948 and 1994, with select post-Apartheid pieces included for their reflective power. These works, many created in exile and later repatriated, highlight the courage and creativity of artists who continued to produce under censorship and oppression. Together, they form a poignant testament to South Africa’s artistic defiance and cultural survival.
The exhibition’s title echoes Maya Angelou’s 1978 poem Still I Rise — reimagined here as a collective statement of unity and strength.
“This is a story of South Africa told through the eyes of artists who were silenced at home but found recognition abroad. As we welcome the world to Johannesburg for the G20, we want visitors to understand South Africa beyond the headlines — to see the resilience and creativity that define who we are.”
says Dr Narissa Ramdhani, Director of the Ifa Lethu Foundation
As Johannesburg hosts the historic G20 Summit, Still We Rise resonates even more deeply. It not only commemorates the past but also calls for ethical leadership and solidarity in the present. The launch event on 30 October aligns with the W20 ministerial meeting, welcoming women leaders from across the globe.
The Ifa Lethu Foundation Collection
Founded in 2005 through a partnership between the Australian Government and South Africa’s Ministry of Arts and Culture, the Ifa Lethu Foundation stands as the country’s largest heritage repatriation organisation. Its origins trace back to Australian diplomats Diane Johnstone and the late Bruce Haigh, who, during the 1970s and 80s, supported Black South African artists by exhibiting their works in defiance of Apartheid laws.
Their collections, later donated back to South Africa, became the nucleus of the Ifa Lethu Heritage Collection — now housing over 550 works repatriated from 16 countries. Beyond preservation, the Foundation champions youth empowerment, human rights education, and creative entrepreneurship, training over 2,400 young South Africans and facilitating the creation of 800 small creative enterprises across rural and township communities.
Over the years, Ifa Lethu has represented South Africa on global platforms such as the 2010 FIFA World Cup, London Olympics 2012, and French Seasons in Paris 2014, among others. As it marks its 20th anniversary, the Foundation will launch new initiatives including the Ifa Lethu Annual Lecture and a Creative Digital Ecosystem, strengthening cultural links with regions such as the U.S., India, the Nordics, and Chile.
The SABC Art Collection
The SABC Art Collection is among South Africa’s most vital public art holdings. Initially shaped by the exclusions of the Apartheid era, its post-1994 vision has sought to redress this imbalance, foregrounding Black artists whose voices were long silenced.
As custodian of this national treasure, the SABC celebrates art as a living record of social history — capturing the contradictions, emotions, and triumphs of the South African experience.
“A lineage of feeling, thinking, making and resisting unfolds here, from the artists’ hearts to ours. May we continue to rise against injustice and never forget. Art reminds us to feel, to see, and to love.”
says Koulla Xinisteris, Curator of the SABC Art Collection
A Timely Reminder at a Pivotal Moment
In a world grappling with growing inequality, political tension, and environmental crisis, Still We Rise reminds us of art’s timeless power to connect, heal, and inspire. These works affirm that creativity endures even in the darkest moments — that expression itself is an act of freedom.
“News cycles often highlight South Africa’s challenges. But this exhibition tells a different story — one of triumph and resilience. It shows a nation that has survived, adapted, and continues to create. That is the message we are proud to share with the world.”
says Dr Ramdhani
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