Umzabalazo Collective, a Joburg based enterprising group of young artists regroups to put up first exhibition after Covid-19

Participating artists in this exhibition titled Collective Exhibition: Celebrating the Resilience and Creativity of Black South African artists are Terry Mnaphi, Slovo Mamphaga, Neo Nkalo, Matthews Tshuma and Sicelo Nene.

By Edward Tsumele, CITYLIFE/ARTS Editor

The role of art and artist in the struggle for liberation and for social justice is well documented in the history of South Africa. Musicians such as Miriam Makeba, Hugh Masekela and Jonas Gwangwa and others of that generation are known to have added their voices of disapproval to the system of apartheid in South Africa, and so were poets and visual artists, including Mongane Wally Serote, Themi Mnyele and Dumile Feni, for example. They were forced into exile for using art to fight injustice.

But now freedom has been attained and South Africa is a democracy, and therefore one would imagine that artists are now free to do what they know best, and that is to create work in an environment free from discrimination and limitations based on race. But is that so really?

Well, there is currently a collective of young artists based in Johannesburg, whose name Umzabalazo evokes the memory of the struggle of liberation in South Africa, which culminated in the 1994 elections that brought democracy to the country.

This collective of young artists however has seen it fit to call themselves by that name, and it is not because they do not know what the name they decided to go by has a rich historical heritage of liberation connotation. They actually do, and it must have been intentional on their part to come up with such a name for an artist’s collective in a country that is now a democracy.

That however is a story for another day.

Well, I first came to know about this collective over 10 years ago in Johannesburg through a number of exhibitions that they organised themselves, with no funding and hardly with resources to count on. But they subverted the issue of sponsorship and funding by using spaces that mostly were either neglected by city authorities or were technically speaking white elephants. They pulled up their sleeves, cleaned up the places, readying them for their exhibitions whose thrust has always been engaging and thought provoking at these non-art conventional exhibitions spaces. I must have attended more than three such exhibitions by Umzabalozo. However, without sponsorship or budget to speak of, the collective always pulled it off in a remarkable display of thinking outside the box, where art intersected nicely with innovation.

For example they held a successful exhibitions at a building, Newtown, Helen Joseph Street. The building is a former temporary home of Market Photo Workshop.  Owned by the City of Johannesburg, the building currently houses Umhabathi, a collective of photographers and studios. That exhibition was a success after the collective cleaned it up and put up their show, which was well attended. Another notable exhibition organised by the collective in those years was at the Workers Library, also in Newtown. Again, but it too was well attended.

The collective also had exhibitions and working space at Johannesburg Libraryin the CBD.  But when Covid-19 hit, all that good work and innovation suddenly was wiped off the map of Johannesburg’s busy art and exhibition calendar. A brilliant idea staved off the opportunity to flourish.

However, the good news is that the members of the collective have regrouped, and are reignited the drive they had before they were disrupted by the pandemic. They are back to their good old days of putting up exhibitions in marginal, unconventional city spaces, in a way not only making their art ideas and art object accessible to the public, but also adding value to such spaces, just like they have done in the past.

The five members of the collective, Terry Mnaphi, Slovo Mamphaga, Neo Nkalo, Matthews Tshuma and Sicelo Nene are back in action, putting up an exhibition at the Johannesburg Library this month. The library itself reopened only a few months ago, after being closed for five years. Renovations are still on going, but it has reopened nevertheless, and Umzabalazo is ready to utilise this public facility to put up their first exhibition after regrouping.

Aptly titled Collective Exhibition: Celebrating the Resilience and Creativity of Black South African Artists, the exhibition opens on 27 November.

The point is the Umzabalazo Collective exhibition brings together a powerful group of Black South African artists whose work reflects the ongoing struggle, resilience, and triumph of creative expression in the face of adversity. Opening on 27 November 2025 at the Johannesburg Library.

“This exhibition serves as both a celebration and a critical reflection on what it means to create art amidst social, political, and economic challenges. The word “Umzabalazo”, meaning “the struggle” in isiZulu, anchors the exhibition in a deep historical and cultural consciousness. It recalls the legacy of the Black liberation movements and the artists who used their voices and visual language to confront injustice and affirm identity. The collective continues this tradition — navigating contemporary South Africa’s realities while imagining new futures of freedom and visibility for Black creatives. Through painting, photography, digital art, sculpture, and mixed media, each artist contributes to a shared narrative of endurance and hope. The exhibition highlights how creativity becomes both an act of resistance and a tool for healing — a space where artists can speak truth to power while reclaiming their stories from the margins. The Umzabalazo Collective stands as a testament to the ongoing role of art in social transformation. It invites audiences to engage with the artists’ lived experiences, to reflect on the power of community, and to recognize the creative spirit that persists despite systemic barriers.

 “The Johannesburg Library, with its rich cultural history, provides a fitting venue — a space of knowledge, dialogue, and collective memory. This exhibition reminds us that the struggle continues not only in the streets and institutions but also in the imagination — where Black South African artists continue to fight for recognition, equity, and freedom through their art. Event Details: Date: Thursday, 27 November 2025 Time: 16:00 – 20:00 Venue: Johannesburg Library, Johannesburg CBD For media inquiries, interviews, or exhibition details, please contact the Umzabalazo Collective team,” the curatorial note about the forth coming exhibition reads.

Exhibition details

Collective Exhibition: Celebrating the Resilience and Creativity of Black South African Artists

Date: 27 November 2025 

Time: 16:00 – 20:00

Venue: Johannesburg Library, Johannesburg CBD