Jan Jordaan

Jan Jordaan

My hero is Jan Jordaan the founder of Art for Humanity created in 1988 as Artists for Human Right and in 2003 as Art for Humanity. "Art created today shape the cultures of tomorrow which will govern the social values of future generations," says Jan Jordaan.

It came into existence as an initiated partnership with Lawyers for Human Rights, the Black Sash, Amnesty International and the Tatham Art Gallery, Pietermaritzburg based in Natal South Africa. The first project was celebrating the 40th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, (UDHR) through an art exhibition held in Dec 1988 at the Durban Art Gallery. "The main objective was to promote a culture of human rights through art. It was a time in South African history dominated by growing isolation from the global community. South Africa was a divided and violent society in the grip of a state of emergency."

(http://www.kbtarts.com/article.php?id=19) "No one could foresee the momentous changes that would affect the cultural and political landscape during the 1990's as South Africa moved towards democracy. With the advent of South Africa's new Bill of Rights in 1996, Art for Humanity invited twenty seven artists throughout the nation to celebrate the occasion with the publication of the "Images of Human Rights" print portfolio."

This portfolio gave birth to the Artists for Human Rights Trust, with the objective to administrate and distribute the income derived from the portfolio. In the foreword to the catalogue of this portfolio Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu wrote, "I believe that through inculcating human rights at an early age, children learn to live, experience and respect their own rights and the rights of others".

billboard picture campaigns (http://www.afh.org.za/index.php?option=com_content&task=category§ionid=7&id=46&Itemid=76)

In Africa and large parts of the developing world children rights are invisible. Art for Humanity initiated Women for Children project. "Throughout history, art has acted not only as a form of expression, but rather has provided the means for artists to raise controversial issues, bring light to an unspoken topic and has been the source of critical debate." (http://www.kbtarts.com/article.php?id=19)

"Art for Humanity (AFH) wishes to raise awareness around the issue of children’s rights and inspire a sense of “moral ownership” and social responsibilities towards the rights of children." (http://www.afh.org.za/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=103&Itemid=60) Art For Humanity and partners have invited 25 women artists and 25 poets primarily from South Africa, the developing world and also from the international community, to create art and poetry with the intention to inspire moral ownership of the rights of the child. It's aim for each poem is to be translated into any other South African languages, to promote multilingualism and diversity.

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) celebrated its 50th anniversary in 1998 with organization that are art and human rights, being essentially humanist, couldn't in any way be exclusive. In response to this realization, and in view of the fact that South Africa was now being accepted throughout the world, Art for Humanity invited artists mainly from the developing world to participate in celebrating this event with the publication of the 'UDHR International Print Portfolio' in 1999." (http://www.afh.org.za/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=245&Itemid=54)

On this occasion the UN Secretary General Kofi Annan said, "To make it every day matter in the fight to broaden the horizons of human rights until the day when no man is tortured, no women is abused and no child denied his or her dignity when all human beings enjoy their human rights."

break the silence (http://www.afh.org.za/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=108&Itemid=69)

In response to the growing HIV/AIDS pandemic, Art for Humanity invited artists from South Africa and the international community in 2000, to create art that would inspire South Africans in their fight against the new struggle facing the country. With the publication of the 'Break the Silence' HIV/AIDS portfolio , our understanding and commitments of art as an effective weapon against the ills that negatively impact on our society were reinforced.

This portfolio became the basis for a growing vision for Art for Humanity to employ art in public advocacy campaigns focusing on these ills.Art for Humanity developed an extensive exhibition, billboard, poster and catalogue program, displaying the art and messages embedded within the images in public.

billboard flighted at Langa Station, Cape Town (http://www.afh.org.za/index.php?option=com_frontpage&Itemid=1)

During this campaign it became evident that children are the greatest victims of HIV/AIDS. Children's rights were highlighted to such an extent that it gave rise to the Women for Children project, which is the focus of this publication. In this project Art for Humanity crossed the inter-disciplinary divide between art forms by facilitating collaboration between artists and poets.

Jan Jordaan is a hero to me as he has addressed the issues which had been affecting the community in South Africa. Through Art for Humanity, activities like break the silence, writing poems and also respecting the rights of human especially women and children have been put into effort which had been abused for long time in South African community.