The British High Commission, in collaboration with Windybrow Arts Centre (The Market Theatre Foundation) and London Artists Projects presents This Is Who I Am Johannesburg – a powerful project of visibility that brings the voices of Hillbrow residents to Constitution Hill’s Human Rights Festival.

 Launched as part of the G20 Cultural Ministerial in South Africa in October, “This project is a unique artistic channel for intercultural dialogue,” says Dr Sarah Meisch Lionetto, MBE, Public Diplomacy Lead at the British High Commission. “It explores what it means to be human and creates an innovative opportunity for underrepresented voices to speak from the truth of their lived experiences and challenge unconscious bias.”

 Created by Jeremy Goldstein for London Artists Projects, This Is Who I Am Johannesburg has its roots in community storytelling.  It marks ten years of an ongoing socially engaged artistic practice inspired by the political and philosophical beliefs of Nobel Prize-winning playwright Harold Pinter and his inner circle The Hackney Gang who included Goldstein’s late father Mick Goldstein and poet Henry Woolf. The Hackney Gang remained firmly on the side of the occupied and the disempowered and believed in speaking their truth to power. 

This Is Who I Am Johannesburg was developed through an artist-led process with Windybrow Arts Centre and ten Hillbrow artists and participants who were invited to write a deeply personal 500-word monologue in response to the project title. In their powerful real-life stories, private memory has met personal testimony in live performances at The Market Theatre in October, video monologues at Joburg Film Festival in March, and now at Con Hill, intimate photo portraits and the video monologues combine to create a moving installation where themes of voice and shared humanity, align with mutual commitments to dignity, dialogue and justice. 

“There is an enormous collective power in the accumulation of untold stories and social histories. Telling my story as I did in 2016 has enabled me to connect with over a thousand revealing portraits of identity from people from all over the world. Seeing this deeply collaborative work come to life at Constitution Hill for this year’s Human Rights Festival is an immense privilege” says Jeremy.

Running through until 9 April, This Is Who I Am Johannesburg opens as part of our Human Rights Festival 26-29 March, so please come and say hi and meet the participants, some of whom will be with us in person. 

Hillbrow artists and participants:

Gcebile Dlamini, Simphiwe Dube, Reneilwe Leopeng, Tshiyeya Kalombo, Minenhle Masina, Hlengiwe Masondo, Thabang Matsaung, Sandiso Mbatha, Tyson Nkala, Caleb Nyanguila

Artistic team:

Created by Jeremy Goldstein for London Artists Projects

Photo portraits by Roger Machin and Quintin Mills

Video monologues co-directed by Jeremy Goldstein and Jaden Mmokwa Oratile Mosadi with an original score by DYSKINETIC; and media editor Flick Harrison

Dramaturgy and Workshop Facilitation by Stacy Hardy (Creative Writing, Wits University)

Production by Presley Mpofu and Sandile Daniel Radebe (Videography) Tumelo Mosenogi (Sound Recordist) Kopano Lebotse (Additional Photography)

Script Consultant Chris Thompson