07/09/2026
On Wednesday, 2 September, NIROX hosted Justice Albie Sachs, Dr. Phokeng Setai, Khanyi Mawhayi (Zeitz MOCAA), and Ithateng Mokgoro (Yvonne Mokgoro Foundation) for a discussion on the subject of Ubuntu in law, art, and politics today.
Moderated by Sven Christian, this discussion drew parallels to Justice Albie Sachs’s “Preparing Ourselves for Freedom” (1989), in which he argued that, through “repeated incantation,” art as a “weapon of the struggle” had lost some of its elan and energy. This panel focused on whether, over the past twenty years, Ubuntu’s overuse/oversimplification has created a similarly “shallow and forced relationship” between the term and its values.
The aim was to reinvigorate Ubuntu within the public imagination, drawing on its use by Justice Sachs and Justice Yvonne Mokgoro in applying South Africa’s Constitution; most notably in 1995, when Justice Mokgoro introduced the philosophy in the first case heard by the ConCourt. Centred on capital punishment, Mokgoro’s introduction of this philosophy helped bring an end to the death penalty in South Africa, opening the way for the recognition of indigenous values as integral to constitutional law.
The discussion was conceived as a bridge between “Spring is Rebellious: The Art & Life of Albie Sachs” at Zeitz MOCAA (curated by Dr. Phokeng Setai) and the forthcoming “I AM, WE ARE: Ubuntu as a living heritage” (curated by Ithateng Mokgoro and Sven Christian). It marked the first public activation of “I AM, WE ARE” — an opportunity to preview artworks produced during a recent workshop, “Reimagining Democracy,” held in collaboration with Fine Acts and OWoN as part of their SPRINTS program, as well as KuMo&Co and the Kromdraai Impact Hub that will culminate in an exhibition at NIROX from 19 September – 1 November 2026.
Participating artists include:
Johnny Allison
Apollo
Musonda Kabwe
Wes Leal
Naledi Tshegofatso Modupi
Rendani Nemakhavhani
Ndumiso Nyoni
Lisolomzi Pikoli
Huston Wilson
