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Half a century ago 20 000 women marched on the Union Buildings to protest against the introduction of a law that made it necessary for black women to carry passes. ?Strijdom you have struck a rock!? threatened the placards. The air vibrated with such freedom songs as ?Malibongwe? (?Praise the women?). Not only was this event an extraordinary display of political resistance, it also challenged commonly accepted gender roles. In the 1950s very few women, and even fewer black women, claimed a public space to voice their feelings or demands. The marchers did both. There were, however, a handful of other women who enjoyed the unusual privilege of a public platform, who had voice when township women were largely voiceless. They were the stars of stage and screen. In 1956, the top female artists were Dolly Rathebe, Tandie Klaasen, Dorothy Masuka and Miriam Makeba, shortly followed by a slightly younger group of singers now associated with the 1950s: Sophie Mgcina, Abigail Kubeka and Letta Mbulu. Long before the feminist revolution rocked the industrialised world they proved that women can be public icons and still be good mothers, that women can earn independently, have successful careers and head households. They were accidental feminists.
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