Anti-Apartheid Legacy Centre – Mural Co-Design – September and October 2025
‘Anti-Apartheid Legacy Centre Mural – Community Co-Design Opportunity’
Through the Anti-Apartheid Legacy Centre mural project, a bold new public artwork is coming to the Community Learning Garden at 28 Penton Street, the former London HQ of the ANC-in-exile, and the soon-to-be home of the Anti-Apartheid Legacy Centre.
The Centre will be the first and only museum and public heritage site in Europe dedicated to anti-apartheid history. It will share powerful stories from one of the most significant Black-led social justice movements of the 20th century and will serve as a home for our collection and our vibrant programme of arts, culture, and education that we’re looking forward to upscaling.
Rooted in the values of the South African freedom struggle, the British Anti-Apartheid Movement, and global solidarity, the Centre aims to champion underrepresented histories, promote anti-racism, and help redress longstanding inequities in whose stories are told and who cultural heritage is made by and for. A small space with huge ambition!
In autumn 2025, we’ll be hosting a series of 2–3 small-group co-design workshops led by HAM the Illustrator, our newly appointed Creative Director and Curatorial Research Fellow. HAM’s work blends cultural storytelling, social commentary, and vibrant visual language rooted in Pan-Africanism and street culture – and we’re excited to see that energy shape this new site-specific artwork.
Together, we’ll co-create a mural for the Centre’s garden that honours the struggles and stories of the anti-apartheid movement while connecting, inspiring, and empowering future generations.
The mural project is a collaboration between the Anti-Apartheid Legacy Centre and The Centre for Creative Arts, Cultures and Engagement (London Metropolitan University), supported by the National Lottery Heritage Fund and London Metropolitan University.
We’d love to involve adults of all ages (18–108!) in the co-design of the mural, to help imagine the most effective and empowering visual imagery for the mural.
Specifically, we’re looking for:
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People of Southern African heritage
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Former anti-apartheid activists and/or those with family connections to the struggle
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Anyone for whom the themes of justice, freedom and solidarity resonate and who wants to help preserve and share this important history through art
No prior art experience is needed – just an openness to share, learn, and create together. Workshops will be tailored to the selected group’s availability, with travel costs covered within Greater London, light refreshments provided, and online participation potentially possible for those further afield.
If you’re interested, please complete this short form by 8th September to tell us about yourself and your availability:
We’ll try to accommodate all those who express interest in taking part though the groups will be limited to c.10 participants to ensure a meaningful creative process. Participants will be asked to commit to 2-3 sessions. Pending capacity/interest, we may have more than 1 group working on the project. We’ll be in touch during September with workshop dates and next steps in response to those who’ve completed the form.
Any questions? Please email us on info@antiapartheidlegacy.org.uk and we’ll get back to you as quickly as possible.
Thank you for considering being part of this meaningful project.
Images on slide 5 – ‘Stop Apartheid Now’ poster, Trócaire, 1987 and ‘Boycott Apartheid’, photo of 1969 march to Twickenham, Central Press/Hulton Archive/Getty Images
