‘The Cane Cutter’ holds value for South Africans

THE month of November is marked with the commemoration of 165 days of Indian Indenture and we acknowledge the role Indian South Africans played in the development of our society through the economy, culturally and socially.

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During the 1970s all the theatres in South Africa were restricted to whites, unless one could attain a once off permit from the government for a privately hosted evening or an approved fundraiser for organisations such as the Coloured and Indian Blind Welfare Association.

Johannesburg had a thriving mainstream theatre world predominantly for the whites. The theatrical performances included ballet, dance, operas and musicals.

Impresarios promoted popular and classical international performers in tours that taught our people about European and colonial history. During this era, white South Africans had no knowledge of the growing cultural activities that emerged in the other race groups.

Actors, musicians, dramatists and artists used their talent and platforms to express their discontent about the apartheid regime.

Similarly, cinemas in South Africa were strictly segregated by race, in accordance with laws like the Reservation of Separate Amenities Act of 1953 and the Group Areas Act.

In the city of Durban, the whites had a widely spread cinema district in the CBD especially for them and the Indians had their district contained in the “Casbah area” in the Grey Street area of Durban.

The Avalon Group established by AB Moosa and Abdulla Kajee, played a significant role in establishing cinemas that catered to the needs of the Indian community. The Avalon Theatre on Victoria Street was the flagship cinema of this business entity.