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Have you noticed that the women who fought for our liberation are never honoured in the same way that men such as Nelson Mandela, Chris Hani and Steve Biko are appreciated?
We are reminded every day of the great strides the late Madiba made during apartheid when we pull out a R50 note to pay for our morning coffee before work, but 25 years after the end of apartheid and we still do not have any woman on any of our South African currency.
In fact, just 9% of the world’s currency features women. If we were to consider the fact that in total there are 1 300 types of bills in circulation globally and that women account for only 118 of them, it brings to light the stark reality that women face regarding their positionality in society.
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This year Capitec bank seeks to change that narrative with its #ReimagineTheRandSA campaign, which aims to celebrate the women who made the history of our country.
We know how important representation is, and remembering the strength and resilience of the women who fought alongside the men we still celebrate today is crucial.
Capitec communications and public relations specialist Chandré Matlala says: “With more than 52% of our 16 million client base being women, we understand that what we choose to represent on our currency is a reflection of what we value. We have so many prolific women in this country who deserve a seat of honour for their achievements; women who should not be forgotten or disappear from our history.”
For this initiative, the bank has partnered with artists Rendani Nemakhavhani, Anja Venter and Zanele Montle to imagine what future South African notes could look like with the face of a woman on them.
READ: Women at the forefront of art
Venter, a PhD Fellow at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology, created a R500 note that features anti-apartheid activists Lilian Ngoyi, Sophia Williams, Helen Joseph and Rahima Moosa. Her piece came out on the same day that they and about 20 000 other women marched against pass laws in 1956.
That August 9 march changed South Africa’s narrative and introduced the now popular anthem Wathint’ abafazi, wathint’ imbokodo (You strike a woman, you strike a rock).
For Venter, representation is key.
“When I [was growing] up, the majority of the role models who I admired and modelled my career after – Jaime Hernandez, Kurt Vonnegut, Andy Warhol, Craig Thompson – were men. There just weren’t as many visible role models who were women in other creative professions. It’s not that they didn’t exist, it’s just that there wasn’t as much representation. I think having women on money, shows young girls that they can reach those milestones too. They matter and can make a difference.”
Graphic designer, creative and art director Nemakhavhani drew her inspiration from people and their stories, and will feature musical legend Miriam Makeba on her bank note.
“I love how black women especially have evolved and are still doing amazing things. I feel that Miriam Makeba’s story hasn’t been told enough. She was banned from the country for a long time, but she never stopped trying to liberate us. The fact that so few women are on money speaks to how the world has dictated where women do and do not belong. Having women on money is a big deal,” Nemakhavhani explains.
Montle, an art teacher, emphasises how important it is for women to be seen on everyday objects such as money and the importance of having women choose how they are represented. Her piece focuses on the importance of education, which she stresses is critical to the process of fostering greater socioeconomic inclusion for women.
“I think women need to be educated on finances and how to use money, how to make money a healthy habit. We need to include more women in critical decision-making at governance level too.”
Montle hasn’t yet decided who she will depict on her note and will decide based on who South Africans vote for. For her, it’s important that the person represents what it means to be a woman in this country – now and in the future.
The #ReimaginetheRandSA campaign uses art as activism to amplify the voices of those who have been forgotten.
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