As is often the case, there were a number of programme elements in 1995 that beautifully showcased the arts’ unique ability to encapsulate moments of history and culture. One such installation was the work of that year’s Standard Bank Young Artist for Visual Art – Jane Alexander. Working primarily in plaster, Alexander was interested in socio-political integration and issues of inheritance. Her work probed the question of how “self-awareness impacts on integration and the establishment of a new society,” while encouraging the viewer to observe without judgement.

Another special piece of work was the play Marabi at Graeme College. Written and directed by Malcolm Purkey and designed by Sarah Roberts, it was an adaption of the novel Marabi Dance by Modikwe Dikobe. As Malcolm Purkey wrote in a moving introduction to the play:

“Modikwe Dikobe wrote Marabi Dance in 1963 when he was working for the Johannesburg City Council as a night watchman. He says the job gave him time to think and remember. At work he would make notes about his memories and during the day he would write. The result was the first novel about working class life written by a black man in South Africa.”