LONDON.- IFA LETHU Foundation, the non-profit organisation set up to repatriate South African apartheid era `Struggle Art’, has joined with Bonhams to showcase some of the most poignant art produced by anti-apartheid activist artists.

From October 22-27 some 15 selected works from the Ifa Lethu Foundation ‘Coming Home’ exhibition in London will move to Bonhams to coincide with the auction house’s South African Art sale on October 25th and 26th. ‘Coming Home’ will be a non- selling exhibition.

Bonhams is the world’s leading auctioneer of South African Art and hold the world record for South African art, set with a picture by Irma Stern, ’Arab Priest’ which sold in March this year for £3m. The Bonhams sale on October 25 and 26 will once again offer a stunning array of the very best South African art including a number of masterworks, each expected to make figures in excess of £1m.

The Ifa Lethu Foundation is a South African based not-for-profit organization which was formed in November 2005 to deal with challenges in the cultural heritage sector. These challenges included the location, protection and repatriation of South African cultural heritage that was created during the struggle era and found its way out of the country during those turbulent years. Ifa Lethu uses this cultural heritage to empower communities, alleviate poverty through creative development projects and heal their nation.

Ifa Lethu is headed by CEO Dr. Narissa Ramdhani and Chaired by Dr. Lindiwe Mabuza. The organization has strong international links as it grew out of the efforts of former diplomats - from the UK, Australia and other countries - who supported South Africa’s struggling black artists during the 1970s and 1980s. Many of these business executives and diplomats risked arrest by finding and supporting ‘township’ artists and buying their art works.

The collection assembled by the Ifa Lethu Foundation consists of artworks which were taken out of South Africa during the apartheid period. Between 1960 and the mid-1980s, work by black artists was generally not promoted or purchased within the country. At the same time, there was no market for art which expressed resistance to apartheid and many artists either went into exile or remained in poverty. Some of these artists subsequently became famous, e.g. Dumile Feni, Ezrom Legae and Lucky Sibiya, - the collection also includes previously marginalised artists whose work will astonish.

Since founded, Ifa Lethu today manages SA’s largest heritage repatriation and creative entrepreneurial development efforts. Art Collections repatriated from around the globe have been used for educating South African youth and children as to their cultural heritage, and encouraging troubled youth in geographically isolated areas to develop their own creative thoughts and endeavours.

Through its work over the last three years, the Foundation has successfully trained and assisted 2,300 young practitioners in the areas of visual arts, craft, sculpture and fashion, resulting in successful businesses and trade being developed, cultural tourism being generated and employment being created in rural areas of South Africa.

The collection assembled by the Ifa Lethu Foundation consists of artworks which were taken out of South Africa during the apartheid period. Between 1960 and the mid-1980s, work by black artists was generally not promoted or purchased within the country. At the same time, there was no market for art which expressed resistance to apartheid and many artists either went into exile or remained in poverty. Some of these artists subsequently became famous, e.g. Dumile Feni, Ezrom Legae and Lucky Sibiya, - the collection also includes previously marginalised artists whose work will astonish.