The University of the Western Cape (UWC), through its Centre for Humanities Research (CHR), is proud to announce its collaboration with the Little Museum of Dublin in presenting Together/Apart – a landmark exhibition on the Irish anti-apartheid struggle.
Struggle
The exhibition was recently opened by former Republic of Ireland President Michael D. Higgins. It was preceded by a panel discussion at the Trinity College Long Room Hub for Arts and Humanities Research at Trinity College, Dublin, on the international struggle against apartheid and the role of Ireland in this struggle, hosted by Professor Patrick Geoghegan.
Together/Apart honours the thousands of ordinary Irish citizens who stood in solidarity with South Africans during the darkest days of apartheid. The exhibition will travel to Johannesburg and Cape Town in October and November 2026, marking its first showing on South African soil. The exhibition traces the forms of solidarity in the Irish Anti-Apartheid Movement, launched in Dublin in 1964 by South African law professor and later minister in Nelson Mandela’s cabinet, Kader Asmal.
It celebrates acts of courage such as the Dunnes Stores strike, when 11 young shopworkers refused to handle South African goods in protest against apartheid. The strikers all recalled the wonderful encouragement and support they received from South African exile Nimrod Sejake, who was also their main source of education about the struggle in South Africa.
Madiba’s speech
Visitors will encounter extraordinary artefacts – from Mary Manning’s anti-apartheid medal to Nelson Mandela’s annotated speech delivered outside Dublin’s Mansion House in 1990 – each telling a story of solidarity, courage, and shared humanity.
Dr Daryl Hendley Rooney, Curator at the Little Museum of Dublin, said: “The story of the Irish anti-apartheid struggle offers inspiration at a time when democratic values and human rights remain imperilled. This exhibition reminds us of the importance of people power – how ordinary people can stand up and make a difference.”
Co-curator Professor Premesh Lalu, UK-SA Bilateral Chair in Technics and Culture in the Centre for Humanities Research, added: “Together/Apart is the story of the Irish people’s steadfast solidarity with those who suffered under apartheid in South Africa. It is also an exhibition about those who built an international movement against apartheid and imagined a world free of sectarian violence, racism, and exploitation.”
Central theme
A central theme in the exhibition relates to the ordinary Dubliners who joined the solidarity movement and their commitment to building a post-apartheid ideal, not only for South Africa, but for the world more generally. Lalu said that through this collaboration, UWC’s CHR continues its mission to explore the intersections of archive, research, and knowledge, reaffirming the university’s role as a hub for critical thought and creative engagement.
To this end, the Mayibuye Archives at UWC provided valuable resource materials, including correspondence by writers, musicians, poets, and playwrights such as Samuel Beckett, Seamus Heaney, Brian Friel, and Sinéad O’Connor, to name a few.
Together/Apart will be showcased in Dublin until travelling to South Africa in October and November 2026, with exhibitions hosted in Johannesburg and Cape Town respectively. Curators Daryl Hendley Rooney and Premesh Lalu with former President of Ireland Michael D. Higgins (centre) and the Dunnes Stores Strikers.
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