Peace mural a 'bridge' between communities hit by violence last year

A KwaZulu-Natal artist on a mission to restore social cohesion and peace in communities affected by violence during the 2021 July unrest on Friday unveiled a giant peace mural.

Political cartoonist Dr Nanda Soobben painted the wall mural at the entrance to the Aryan Benevolent Home on Arena Park Drive in Chatsworth, Durban.

Chatsworth was the scene of some of the worst violence between Indian and Black communities, with at least 14 reported deaths, during the unrest.

Soobben told TimesLIVE the purpose of the mural was to serve as a bridge between the city’s communities most affected by last year’s violence, especially between Blacks and Indians. 

“We fought for our peace, we fought against apartheid and we won. This insurrection would actually bring harm against each other so I had to draw this mural to show people that we shouldn’t be fighting each other. We should be over that. We need to build this country again. We don’t want to destroy what we fought for.

“The unrest was a turning point for our country and I hope that such an occurrence will never happen again. I painted a wall to build a bridge.”

Those sentiments are emphasised by the message on the mural: “We fought for this PEACE, don’t destroy it!”

The mural features some well known agents of peace and social cohesion in SA, both past and present, including former president Nelson Mandela, Dr Shishupal Rambharos, Dr Anshu Padayachee, Lenny Naidu, Kumi Naidoo, Ahmed Kathrada, Mahatma Gandhi, Prof Fatima Meer, Dr Imtiaz Sooliman, Dr Gcina Mhlope, Judge Navi Pillay, Nobel Peace Prize winners Archbishop Desmond Tutu and Chief Albert Luthuli, Rahima Moosa, Lilian Ngoyi, Helen Joseph and Sophia Williams.

Soobben began working on the peace mural soon after the 2021 riots that followed former president Jacob Zuma’s arrest for contempt of court. 

Judge Navi Pillay, who grew up in Chatsworth before becoming the first woman of colour to serve as a judge in the democratic SA,  said the mural depicted a strong and relatable message. 

“All over the world people are calling for non-violent action by the civil society and this mural we launched today is an example of the strong message we want to send about wanting peace and building national cohesion as one society,” she said. 

“He painted this after the events in Phoenix where a large number of people were killed by vigilante groups and then we were all shocked, thinking was this racially driven? We are happy that it was investigated. It was criminal conduct and the individuals are facing justice. They have been charged,” Pillay said.

Gcina Mhlophe, an anti-apartheid activist, poet and storyteller, said social cohesion to her means bringing together people from different backgrounds and embracing different individuals and cultures. 

Soobben said he would start painting another mural in Phoenix in the next few weeks before adding two more in Verulam and Merebank.  

TimesLIVE

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