Uncle Tom's Hall - Soweto, South Africa - Signs of History on Waymarking.com

The sign reads:

"UNCLE TOM'S HALL

Uncle Tom's Hall was built in the early years of Orlando West. It was thought to be named after the white Superintendent of the township whom the residents called 'Uncle Tom's.

Over the decades, this community centre has witnessed many diverse happenings ranging from protest meetings to community celebrations. In 1956, women demonstrating against the pass system burned their passes in front of this hall before proceeding to the Union Buildings in Pretoria. Zeph Mothopeng,founder of the Pan African Congress, often convened meetings at Uncle Tom's.

It was also here where the founding father of black township theatre, playwright Gibson Kente performed many of his famous musicals such as 'How Long?' (1973) and 'Sekunjalo' (1987). Kente recruited many ordinary people to perform on stage at Uncle Tom's.

During the Soweto Uprising, Uncle Tom's came under attack. After the police opened fire on the school students set fire to government buildings which were regarded as symbols of oppression, including Uncle Tom's. The photographer, Alf Kumalo, remembers the scene:

"Across the bridge going to Orlando East we could see what was known as'Uncle Tom's Hall' on fire. It was symbolic. A huge column of smoke reaching up to the sky could be seen from anywhere in Soweto. In other parts of Soweto, too, offices of the establishment had been set alight and were now part of the general chaos."
- Alf Kumalo, photographer, 2009

During the 1980's, youngsters were encouraged to stay off the streets by joining the dance, choir, and drama activities in Uncle Tom's main hall. The hall was also used for political and community meetings.

Today, Uncle Tom's remains an important community centre that hosts weddings,social gatherings and exhibitions. In 2009, it was used for the exhibition of the works of the 131 artists who participated in 17 workshops for the Vilakazi Artworks Programme."

Group that erected the marker: unknown, probably township of Soweto Address of where the marker is located. Approximate if necessary: 8288 Maseko St. Orlando West, Soweto, Guateng South Africa 1804 URL of a web site with more information about the history mentioned on the sign: Not listed

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Date Logged Log   09/29/2014 Metro2 visited it