About We, the People

We, the People is a campaign to inspire a global movement of active citizens working for change – united in our diversity. The Constitution, as our founding document, embodies the movement’s values and principles. Its Preamble, which begins with the words We, the People, is our manifesto. The foundational pillars of the We, the People movement are human dignity, equality and freedom.

The movement strives to inspire a proud, knowledgeable and creative people by making the Constitution and its history accessible to all; to promote informed dialogues about our past, present and future; and to encourage people to take greater action towards building trust in our constitutional democracy.

By bringing the Constitution to life, We, the People want to help bridge the gap between its values and ideals and our lived reality.

Constitution Hill is the home of the South African Constitution and the physical home of the movement. Constitution Hill is:

• A site for social justice, dialogue, debate and contestation
• A hub of creativity, art and celebration
• A museum dedicated to telling the stories of South Africa’s past, present and future

Our aspiration is for all people to take ownership of the intent of the movement and to amplify it beyond Constitution Hill.

The We, the People movement will be manifested through a series of creative and educational initiatives, events and activities that will:

• Amplify and popularise the Preamble to the Constitution
• Disseminate known and unknown stories of the making and meaning of the Constitution
• Foster creativity by providing a platform to tell stories in all formats
• Draw on the past to inform dialogue and debate in the present
• Engage in dialogue with all people on the interpretation of the Constitution
• Include all people’s voices, especially those that are marginalised in our society
• Build and maintain resources to preserve and exhibit our collective memories