Gertrude Fester
Born in Cape Town, South Africa, 1952
Lives in Cape Town

One of 14 people who stood trial
for treason in what became known as
the 'Yengeni Trial' [called
Yengeni because of Tony Yengeni who
allegedly led an 'MK' cell]

1987: Arrested and held in
solitary confinement under
section 29 in prison in Wynberg, Cape
Town
Charged along with other trialists
and confined for a further 8
months in Cape Town's Pollsmoor
Prison, where she was allowed
access to drawing and writing
materials. Paintings done at this time she kept hidden in her
cell. Feb.'89: trial started;
March '90: She and seven others were
acquitted. Returned to work as an English
teacher at Hewat College, Cape
Town. She was an active member
of the 'United Women's Congress' [UWCO]. She was elected onto the
African National Congress's list of
proposed Members of Parliament
but failed to gain a seat when the National Party won the majority
of votes in the Western Cape.
Gertrude Fester
Women Celebrating Creativity
(1988) poster paint on paper

These are two of the works produced
by Fester while incarcerated in
Pollsmoor Prison. In depicting a
group of women engaged in a
range of creative activities, she
attests to the indomitability of
the human spirit, the support
that women derive from one another and the power of creativity
to sustain one through the worst
deprivations.

Had South Africa not been subjected
to apartheid legislation which
prevented people of colour from
having access to the best
tertiary art education and forced so
many to subjugate their own
interests in favour of the
"struggle", Fester and Zihlangu might
have been among those who have
been able to develop their
aesthetic inclinations in different
ways.