At the Sharpeville Exhibition Centre in Sharpeville, Johannesburg, South Africa, voices rang in song, which carried the audience into memory and history. Survivors of the 1960 massacre walked past a mural reading, “Celebrating 20 Years of Constitutional Democracy.” Their Sesotho harmonies echoed tla ho (“come, come”) and tsela (“path”), a melody marked by grief but sustained by resilience.

The Sharpeville massacre occurred on 21 March 1960, in the township of Sharpeville near Vereeniging, South Africa. Police opened fire on a peaceful crowd protesting the apartheid government’s pass laws, which required Black South Africans to carry identification documents restricting their movement. Sixty-nine people were killed and more than 180 were injured, many shot while fleeing. The massacre sparked international outrage, intensified resistance against apartheid, and led to the banning of liberation movements such as the African National Congress (ANC) and the Pan Africanist Congress (PAC).

Since 2011, survivors and families of the victims of 21 March 1960, perform this play each March. It is staged around an imbawula (fire pit) as part of Africa’s long oral storytelling tradition.

The annual Sharpeville play is unlike any scripted theatre. It unfolded through memory, song and testimony. In 30 minutes, they reenacted the humiliation of passbook checks and recalled their march to the police station. At one point, an actor mimicked the sound of helicopters, a chilling reminder of the violence about to be unleashed. Voices recounted the terror of gunfire and the devastating loss of loved ones. Guards demanded passbooks, shouted insults, and refused permits. Women described how police beat even those who were pregnant or living with disabilities.

In the end, the performers stepped forward not as actors but as witnesses, sharing scars, personal losses, and stories of survival that connected the present to a painful past. Survivors stepped forward to explain how they or their relatives were injured, arrested, or killed. One man with a bullet still lodged on his side. One woman raised her hand, a finger missing, and another woman recalls how her brother was paralysed after being trampled. These moments blurred the line between theatre and testimony, turning performance into a living archive of human rights memory.

The Sharpeville Play is at risk of fading as time passes, with only three survivors of the massacre still alive. Recognising this urgency, UN Human Rights’ Regional Office for Southern Africa (ROSA) recorded the March 2025 performance using multi-camera equipment. The play recording, along with survivor interviews, will be submitted to the UN Archives and Records Management to ensure its preservation for future generations.

“It is our greatest wish that young people take over for us, to tell this story correctly so that our history doesn’t disappear,” said Elizabeth Chabeli, a Sharpeville Massacre survivor. “Because if they don’t do that it’s as good as gone. We are here and want to teach those that are keen and want to see them take over in telling the story. So, it’s always remembered.”

Preservation also directly links to the Office’s work on transitional justice and the rights of victims to truth, justice, and reparation. The process offers a model for others: by documenting community-led storytelling, organisations can help protect memory, promote dialogue, and create resources that strengthen resilience long after an event has passed.

The play as living memory

On 24 September 2025, National Heritage Day in South Africa, OHCHR returned to Sharpeville for a private screening of the recorded play. Survivors and their families were the first to view the archival record, validating its accuracy before it is permanently preserved and submitted to UN Archives.

The screening was followed by a moving and inspirational intergenerational dialogue, where young actors, actresses and theatre directors heard directly from survivors and family members of victims. This ensured the survivors’ voices resonate as guidance for today’s youth, reinforcing OHCHR’s commitment to youth participation. The young thespians left with a call-to-action to explore how memory can combat racism, xenophobia, and inequality in South Africa and its borders.

At the end of the screening each performed a copy of the final play, the version submitted to UN archives and a commemorative poster, designed to capture the heart and soul poured into this play each year. Both serve as a visual tribute to the courage, dignity, and humanity that define this performance. 

The Sharpeville Play is more than theatre. It is an act of resistance, testimony, and healing. By preserving it, OHCHR ensures that the voices of survivors continue to resonate, reminding the world of the cost of injustice and the power of dignity. The performance ended with the voices of survivors and their families carrying the South African national anthem through the hall, a song of unity and resilience. Then came the final call that echoed across the room: “Lest we forget atrocities caused by apartheid mercenaries. Sharpeville never, never, ever again. Sharpeville never, never, ever again.”