The purple shall govern

The purple shall govern

The purple shall govern was an anti-Apartheid slogan. The phrase was an adaptation of placards reading "the people shall govern" during an anti-apartheid protest in Cape Town, South Africa in September 1989 after the protesters used a police water cannon to color nearby landmarks purple.

Purple water cannons

Attended by approximately 350 people of all races, the gathering of protesters and demonstrators were confronted by police brandishing a new water cannon that was filled with purple dye; this was in an attempt to stain the rioters for later arrest.cite web
url=http://www.slate.com/id/2193473/
title=Purple Water Cannons: Why would the police spray protesters with colored water?
first=Jacob
last=Leibenluft
publisher=Slate
date=2008-06-12] Nat Tardrew, an art teacher at the Uluntu Art Centre in Guguletu at the time, was one of the leaders who climbed onto the water cannon and redirected its spray away from the bystanders.

The protesters redirected the water cannon toward the local headquarters of the ruling National Party. The headquarters, along with the historic, white-painted Old Town House, overlooking Greenmarket Square, were doused with purple.

Aftermath

The next day, a graffiti artist tagged the Old Town House with the phrase "The Purple Shall Govern," and a slogan was born.

Buysile "Billy" Mandindi, a black artist who was caught in the ensuing melee and escaped, later created a lino cut etching which he entitled "Spirit of Freedom."

The protest — probably one of the last illegal activities before the African National Congress was unbanned in February 1990 — has been associated with Purple Rain, a popular song by Prince, as well as Purple Haze, a particular strain of cannabis.

The slogan was used as the title of a book, "The Purple shall govern: a South African A to Z of nonviolent action" written by Dene Smuts, Shauna Westcott and M. Nash, and published by the Centre for Intergroup Studies in 1991.

ee also

* Purple Rain
* Purple Haze
* Sept 2, Purple Rain Protest

References


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