The women's march to freedom at fnb art joburg 2026

For the 2026 edition of Art Joburg, Manor was proud to be a media partner for Women’s March to Freedom, an exhibition presented by the Alf Kumalo Estate in collaboration with MBR Projects, Jonathan Ball Publishers and Exclusive Books. Curated to commemorate the historic 1956 Women’s March to the Union Buildings in Pretoria, the exhibition drew on the archive of legendary South African photographer Alf Kumalo, whose images documented some of the defining moments of the country’s 20th-century history.

On 9 August 1956, approximately 20 000 women marched to the Union Buildings to protest the extension of apartheid pass laws to Black women. Led by Lilian Ngoyi, Helen Joseph, Rahima Moosa and Sophia Williams-De Bruyn, the marchers delivered petitions bearing more than 100,000 signatures. Alf Kumalo was there to document the day, creating photographs that have since become an enduring part of South Africa’s visual memory. Women’s March to Freedom returned to this archive as both a historical record and a living legacy, inviting renewed appreciation of the acts of resistance captured within it.

The exhibition was in honour of the 70th anniversary of the 1956 Women’s March and the women’s sustained struggle against apartheid, through the lens of Alf Kumalo. Using this historic event as a point of departure, the exhibition followed the story of women in the apartheid era and their centrality to the long “march to freedom.” Through Kumalo’s images, the exhibition traced the emotional depth and vibrancy of their struggle. “His photography is more than art,” wrote Dr. Mamphela Ramphele (one of the celebrated figures who appeared in the exhibition) of Kumalo’s work. “[His] eye was ever alert to opportunities to capture an unforgettable moment.”

The Women’s March To Freedom brought together some of Kumalo’s most iconic photographs alongside march leaders Ngoyi, Joseph, Moosa, and Williams-de Bruyn. The exhibition profiled the lives of Albertina Sisulu, Ruth First, Frances Baard, Bertha Gxowa, Winnie Madikizela-Mandela, Miriam Makeba and other women whose activism shaped the liberation movement, from the factory floor to the trade union hall to the front lines of political resistance.

The exhibition was presented at the Jonathan Ball Publishers and Exclusive Books booth (INK SECTION, booth #1) alongside Manor, where a curated selection of books accompanied the exhibition. The exhibition was also accompanied by a panel discussion on Saturday, 5 September, from 13:30 to 14:30 at the Sandton Convention Centre. The panel brought together academic and writer Hlonipha Mokoena, Nonhlanhla Kumalo, daughter of Alf Kumalo and spearhead of the Alf Kumalo Estate, and Christa Dee, formerly of Goodman Gallery and now Head of Programming at Pro Helvetia. The conversation was moderated by Lindiwe Mngxitama.

Following the discussion, the Alf Kumalo Estate celebrated what would have been the photographer’s 96th birthday. For Manor, the partnership spoke to an ongoing interest in the archives and cultural histories that shape how we understand South Africa and the continent. Alf Kumalo’s photography continues to ask how history is remembered, who gets represented, and what is carried forward.

Women’s March to Freedom was presented at Art Joburg from 3–6 September 2026 at the Sandton Convention Centre.