South Africa's present calendar of public holidays was introduced after our first democratically-elected government negotiated that holiday’s change to dates meaningful to all South Africans. These changes occurred in 1994.

Heritage day was one of those new public holidays; it is celebrated on 24 September each year. According to the Governments definition, Heritage is "that which we inherit: the sum total of wild life and scenic parks, sites of scientific or historical importance, national monuments, historic buildings, works of art, literature and music, oral traditions and museum collections together with their documentation."

Within a broader social and political context, the day's events are a powerful agent for promulgating a South African identity, fostering reconciliation and promoting the notion that variety is a national asset as opposed to igniting conflict. In celebration of heritage day this month we have republished Chris Ledochowski’s book,Cape Flats Details and are putting together a feature on anti-apartheid art.

The role of South African Visual artists, photographers and poster makers inside the country and in exile and the link between art and popular expression under apartheid, especially in the period between Sharpeville and the unbanning of political organisations, has been under researched. SAHO's aim in the next couple of months is to try and stimulate new research and debate by publishing material on South African artists and cultural workers and their responses to Apartheid along side our ongoing feature on the Liberation Struggle.

To introduce the project we have uploaded 5 new artists' biographies this week and we will be launching the bulk of the new feature on heritage day this year.

» John Mohl
» Sue Williamson
» Thami Mnyele
» Bongiwe Dhlomo
» Ezrom Kgobonyane Sebata Legae