A historic space beneath St George’s Cathedral in central Cape Town has reopened to the public, bringing renewed attention to one of the city’s defining moments in the struggle against apartheid.
The Crypt Memory and Witness Centre, which has been closed since 2017, now houses a new exhibition reflecting on the September 1989 Cape Town Peace March, a mass demonstration that brought together thousands of people calling for an end to apartheid.
The reopening and exhibition were highlighted in a report by EWN, which noted that the space now features Glimpsing for hope, marching for peace, an installation comprising photographs and artworks documenting the historic gathering.
Held on 13 September 1989, the Peace March was led by then-Archbishop Desmond Tutu, alongside other prominent faith leaders, including Dr Allen Boesak, and then-Cape Town mayor Gordon Oliver.
An estimated 30 000 people took part, gathering in opposition to apartheid and calling for a more inclusive South Africa.
The demonstration followed the infamous Purple Rain protest, during which apartheid police used purple dye to mark and disperse protesters who had attempted to march towards Parliament along Burg Street.
The 1989 march took place during a significant period of political change, as it followed the death of former president PW Botha and his resignation from office, with FW de Klerk subsequently taking over as president.
Although the apartheid government had outlawed the march, people from different religious communities and backgrounds came together around a shared call for peace and equality.
The new exhibition uses photographs and artworks to document the people, events and messages associated with the march, offering visitors an opportunity to engage with the history through visual records.
Father Terry Lester, Dean of Cape Town and rector of the cathedral, said Tutu and other faith leaders had played an important role in organising the demonstration.
Reflecting on the diversity of those who participated, Lester said: ‘There were imams here, people of other faiths, people of no faith who believed in the same thing: the year of humanity to live as fellow South Africans in a country that benefited all, not only some’.
He added that the exhibition aims to tell a story of faith and hope through powerful images.
St George’s Cathedral, situated in Cape Town’s city centre, has a longstanding association with the anti-apartheid movement and the role played by religious leaders in opposing the apartheid government.
The crypt’s reopening restores public access to a space dedicated to preserving and sharing that history. Its latest exhibition places the 1989 march at the centre of the experience, connecting the events captured in the photographs with the people and collective efforts behind them.
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Picture: Ivan Pavlov / Wikimedia Commons
