Community Beneficiary Programme

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Crafting Legacy from Lived Experience
At Constitution Hill, ART AID collaborated with struggle veterans to turn their stories into meaningful, handcrafted products that honour the past and build futures.
Veterans of South Africa’s liberation movement often remain sidelined in today’s economy, with limited platforms to share their histories or earn sustainable income through their experiences.
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Veterans trained in design and storytelling
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Product lines launched for retail and exhibitions
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Exhibition hosted on Constitution Hill
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Income-generating opportunity for many participants post-retirement
Through a dedicated skills development programme, ART AID guided veterans through storytelling workshops, product design training, and prototyping. The goal was to co-create objects that not only carried personal and political meaning, but also commercial potential.
Participants crafted a powerful collection rooted in their lived histories, while also gaining new skills in design and enterprise. Their legacy was honoured — not in archives, but in everyday, usable art.
A person paints a design of stylised, raised fists on a yellow plate using black, red, and brown paints. Paint tins, a marker, a paintbrush, and a reference drawing are scattered on the grey table. The scene suggests an art or activism project.
A person uses a handheld blowtorch to heat and shape clear glass rods, producing a bright orange-yellow flame. Various glass fragments, metal tools, a lighter, and jars are scattered on the work surface. Only the person's hands are visible.
Two people sit at a cluttered table making crafts. Containers with beads, stones, and craft tools are spread out. Hands are visible shaping clay or beads. The table is covered with a black plastic sheet and various colourful supplies and moulds are visible.
A mosaic shows two crossed oars behind a stylised shield. The background is made of light grey tiles, the oars are dark grey, and the shield is patterned with black and white tiles, resembling a rugby ball or similar sports emblem.
A close-up of a wire burning with bright yellow and orange flames against a dark background, with glowing embers visible at the heated area where the fire is most intense.
Three Africa-shaped cut-outs rest on a blue table—one green, two red. One red cut-out has a silver star and stripe. A yellow and black board displays another red Africa cut-out with a silver star. Craft materials and tools are scattered nearby.
A man in a white shirt, glasses, and a black bucket hat uses tweezers to carefully place small mosaic tiles on a yellow sculpture shaped like a motorbike. He sits at a table covered with art supplies and tools, concentrating on his detailed work.
A woman wearing safety goggles uses a blowtorch to heat a small metal rod at a workbench covered with tools, glass bottles, gloves, and other materials. She focuses intently on her work, with others nearby.
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