America got its first television service in 1928, Nigeria in 1959, and Kenya in 1962. Fearing any programming that gave a voice to the non-white community, the National Party kept a close eye on the media and entertainment.

South Africans didn’t have TV until 1976, thereby missing some major moments on the small screen: the moon landing in 1969, the Kennedy assassination, ten Olympic Games, and other international sporting events.

Furthermore, it wasn’t until 1981 that black South Africans first heard their native languages spoken on TV. Muvhango, a South African drama, uses many different languages within each episode. It amazed me to hear an actor begin a scene in Zulu, switch to English halfway through, and finish in Xhosa.

The icing on the cake was meeting the show’s creator, Duma Ndlovu, a man completely immersed in South Africa’s arts and entertainment industry. Duma explained why he made the show specifically about Venda culture, a lesser-known South African indigenous group. Seeing this culture overlooked in his society, he realized it may not survive without exposure. Using a popular show to display Venda culture is doing great things for its preservation.

Censorship extended to all forms of entertainment, and perhaps the most heavily monitored theatre in South Africa was the Market Theatre in Johannesburg. I spoke with Malcolm Purkey, the Artistic Director, about its importance during the 1970s and 1980s. Many poignant works took to this stage by performers and playwrights that used theatre to illuminate political and social issues of their time. Often a venue for political expression, The Market earned the nickname the ‘Theatre of Struggle’.

Many of the plays, playwrights, and actors from the Market Theatre pushed boundaries during this time resistance and are now known the world over. John Kani (from The Apartheid Museum) performed in many politically charged pieces, and playwrights Athol Fugard and Mbongeni Ngema became well-known for their depiction of South African oppression on the international stage.

Today, the Market Theatre continues to spotlight political messages in its works and remains a safe haven for those performers and writers who believe in truth, honest representation, and not being censored.

Look Back: Learn about the history of townships in South Africa.

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