SA: Johannesburg to host 2025 Human Rights Festival at Constitution Hill

Now in its seventh year, the festival invites the public to commemorate South Africa’s Human Rights Day while honouring the memory of the liberation heroes who stood against oppression during the 1960 Sharpeville massacre.

The festival aims to raise awareness of human rights and promote active citizenship, fostering solidarity, social cohesion, and tolerance. The event, the organisers said, seeks to heal divisions in communities while showcasing South Africa’s ubuntu culture as a model for building a just and inclusive society.

Civil society organisations have collaborated with Constitution Hill to curate a diverse programme of activities. Taking place on the apron of the Constitutional Court and within the Old Fort and Women’s Jail, the event will bring together members of the public, community-based organisations, social movements, and both governmental and non-governmental organisations.

The four-day festival is free to attend, with gates opening at 10am on 20, 21, and 22 March, while the final day, 23 March, will feature the 8km WeThePeople Walk through Johannesburg. The walk, which begins at 7am, invites participants to take a stand for human rights before returning to Constitution Hill for further activities, including a local makers’ market.

Key events at the festival include a public lecture by MEC Lebogang Maile at Constitution Hill’s Women’s Jail Museum, honouring Winnie Madikizela-Mandela, as well as the opening of an exhibition curated by Gift Kgosierileng, which explores Winnie Mandela’s use of fashion as a tool of resistance and empowerment.