30th Anniversary of Springbok tour protests

30th Anniversary of Springbok tour protests

*“More than 50 New Zealand, South African, Israeli and Palestinian photographers celebrate 30th Anniversary of Springbok tour protests with international human rights exhibition”*

*Concerned Citizens*,* *a New Zealand-wide community of artists and photographers, are collaborating with prominent South African, Palestinian and Israeli photojournalists this week to present an international exhibition highlighting the power of photography as a vehicle for social change.

The* Unrecognised* exhibitions will launch in Wellington this Friday (August 19th) at the Garrett Street exhibition space. The event, which draws attention to the upcoming UN decision on the recognition of Palestinian Statehood, will take place in six cities around New Zealand, and at the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University in East London, South Africa.

*Unrecognised* commemorates the 30th Anniversary of the widespread anti-Apartheid movement against the 1981 Springbok Tour of New Zealand.

The *Unrecognised* exhibitions will showcase striking photographs from South Africa under Apartheid, from the 1981 anti-Apartheid movement in New Zealand, and from Occupied Palestine today.

*Unrecognised* will feature a collection of works from the Afrapix photography collective, considered the most influential group of photographers in the South African anti-Apartheid movement in the 1980s. These will be exhibited alongside images from prominent local photographers, who documented New Zealanders’ support of the anti-Apartheid movement during the 1981 Springbok tour.

In addition, a series of work from acclaimed Israeli/Palestinian photography collective ActiveStills will shed light on the current state of affairs in Occupied Palestine.

More than 50 other photographers, artists, and public figures are also contributing work to the Unrecognised exhibition, including South African photojournalist and film-maker Mark Fredericks, veteran human rights campaigner John Minto, musician Imon Starr, controversial “Dole Artist” Tao Wells, and prominent freedom fighter Tāme Iti.

* *Spokesperson Ben Knight says, “Concerned Citizens is a creative community-based means of promoting social justice. It provides a platform for ordinary people to vocalise their concerns about social and political issues in a positive way.”

*Concerned Citizens* previously organised an arts event in support of the Urewera 18 arrestees in the “State Terror Raids” of October 15, 2007. * Unrecognised* is the group’s first international collaboration.

“This is an exciting opportunity for likeminded artists from different parts of the globe to work together to promote international human rights. We’re showcasing local artistic talent on the world stage” says contributing artist and exhibition organiser Richard Dennis Bartlett.

Knight says “The Unrecognised exhibitions remind us that New Zealanders were proud to speak out against injustice in South Africa in ‘81, and that we can speak out against injustice right now. Encouraging Mr McCully to recognise the basic rights of the Palestinian people in the UN in September is vital for continuing New Zealand’s proud legacy of standing up for international humanitarian justice.”

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