Daniel Sefudi Rakgoathe

Daniel Sefudi (Dan) Rakgoathe was born on 25 February 1937 in Randfontein, Transvaal. From Standard VI, Rakgoathe was taught art by Mr Maseko, one f the first black handicrafts teachers in South Africa. Rakgoathe completed his junior certificate and in 1959 completed a two-year primary teachers training program at Botshabelo Training Institute. In I960, with the help of the Reverend Henneck Seloane, Rakgoathe was able to attend Ndaleni Art Teachers Training College. When he completed the course he taught at a primary school in Moroka, Soweto, in 1961. The following year he taught an at the Normal College at Botshabelo Training Institute.

In 1963 he taught at a primary school in Pretoria and in 1964 was a school board secretary at Dennilton near Robertsdale for a short time. He returned to teaching at a high school in Dennilton and remained there until 1967 when he enroll as a fine arts student at UNISA. To satisfy the practical requirements for the degree, Rakgoathe decided to move to Rorke's Drift where he was the first full-time student in the fine arts section, In 1969, when he completed the course at Rorke's Drift, Rakgoathe was appointed cultural officer in the Johannesburg City Council and took over Ezrom Legae's position at the Jubilee An Centre. When Jubilee closed down, in the early 1970s he continued teaching at Mofolo Ans Centre until 1976 when he enrolled in the Fine Arts course at the UFH. Rakgoathe received credit for first year courses completed at UNISA and in 1978 he was awarded a BA(FA) degree. The following year he was awarded a BA (FA) (Hons) degree and then enrolled for a Master's Degree.

However, he returned to his former post at the Mofolo Art Centre and did not complete the course. In 1981 Rakgoathe was awarded a Fulbright scholarship and in 1983 completed an MA degree in African Studies at the University of California, Los Angeles, USA. On his return to South Africa in 1984 Rakgoathe took up a post at the Bophuthatswana College of Education. He left there in 1986 and returned to live in Orlando, Soweto. Rakgoathe passed away in 2004.

Exhibitions:

1967: DAM (An SA Today).

1969: Camden Ans Centre, London, UK (Contemporary African Art).

1970: Denmark; Sweden (two-person exhibition with Cyprian Shilakoe).

1973: African An Centre, Durban (solo).

1974: (solo).

Diakonia House, Johannesburg (Black An, sponsored by the Programme for Social Change and Devcraft). Australia (two-person exhibition with Peter Clarke).

1976: Brooklyn Museum and Public Library, New York, USA

(Black SA Contemporary Graphics).

Canberra, Australia (SA An””Canberra Week).

Canberra and Australia ”” tour (SA Graphics).

1978-9: West Germany””tour (SA Graphic An).

1978-80: USA and West Germany””tour (An in SA).

1979: Durban (two-person exhibition with Ronny Nzimhane).

1981: Jabulani Standard Bank, Soweto (Black An Today).

1986: UNISA (group).

Gallery 21 (Contemporary African An Selected Works from the Pelmama Permanent An Collection).

Alliance Francaise, Pretoria (Historical Perspective of Black An in SA).

1987: TAG (Rorke's Drift Fine An School in Retrospect).

Collections:

DAM; KC; PAM; Pelmama; UFH.