Organised by Theatreduo & Co., The Gabrielle Goliath People's Tribunal aims to initiate a series of urgent debates on political art, freedom of expression, and censorship in contemporary South Africa, with Gabrielle Goliath's case serving as a critical flashpoint for the future of freedom of speech and artistic expression in this country. 

Gabrielle Goliath, as an artist whose work engages with truth-telling, has recently faced challenges that have made her case a symbol of the broader crisis of censorship in South Africa. This fight is not just her own, it is a test case for what all artists will be allowed to say, show, and question. Through this lens, this tribunal will examine the intersections of artistic freedom, institutional power, and the right to dissent.

This tribunal, with its focus on censorship, explores the role of the artist as public witness, the shifting face of censorship beyond state repression into corporate and social pressures, the relationship between trauma and creative expression.

The following are the various sittings that the people's tribunal will focus on and engage with:

Tuesday 30th June | Journalism Sitting

This sitting examines the relationship between journalism and censorship. It asks how reporters, editors, and media workers are pressured to suppress stories or frame them in ways that do not disturb power. It also considers what happens when journalism is treated as activism and when truth telling is punished.

Thursday 2nd July | Theatre Sitting

This sitting focuses on the practical and political challenges of writing truth under pressure. It examines what is required to speak honestly when institutions punish artists for doing so.

Saturday 4th July | Visual Arts Sitting

This sitting explores how visual art functions as evidence in struggles against censorship. It examines the role of protest imagery in creating visibility for movements that are often ignored because their political ideas and values challenge authority.

Please note that visitors can access the installation throughout the day, but must book for the performances so that numbers can be managed.

About the Artists