Kendell Geers' much-publicised exhibition Guilty at Fort Klappertop outside Pretoria was of officially prevented from taking place when the artist received a fax the day before from Pretoria's director of museums informing him no exhibition (or any event) would be allowed to take place in the structure or on the terrain. The fax continued: "neither you nor any uninvited artist will be allowed to present or perform in any events of this kind".

Guilty initially comprised a banner and poster campaign and Geers' plan to "occupy" the fort, seal the doors and hoist and lower the Vierkleur, Union Jack and two flags, with the anarchy symbol he designed for a Berlin exhibition. His strategy changed when he revealed his plans appropriating, as part of his exhibition, the Saturday "Boere celebrations" which were to have included a church service tiekiedraai, boeresport and cannon firing.

The Arikaner Volkswag, Aksie Vrouekrag, Radio Pretoria and other ethnic, right-wing organisations were incensed. They swung into action and abusive communications (from as far afield as Atlanta, US) threatened the Pretoria museum director, the sponsoring Goodman Gallery the French Institute and the Africus Institute of Contemporary Art. Even the German ambassador inappropriately joined the fray demanding an explanation from the French ambassador.

An all-too-familiar old South African scenario ensued - financial and ideological support was withdrawn, the Pretoria City Council banned the show, and "provocateur" Geers again became the centre of notorious cultural attention.

Geers claimed, not unpredictably that "the show must go on", and persuaded his dealer, Linda Goodman, to hire a light aircraft to trail a Guilty banner in English, Afrikaans, Zulu and Xhosa over Fort Klapperkop and strategic Pretoria sites.

Between noon and 2.30pm on Sunday January 18, a handful of curious spectators and press found nothing amiss at the fort. While speculating about whether the bad joke was actually an art work, they sniggered at the only entertainment - a couple of furtive right-wing thugs prowling the terrain in search of any sign of Geers.

The aircraft appeared two-and-a-half hours late as a speck on the horizon, not approaching close enough even to take documentation photographs before it flew back to Grand Central Airport. Only a four-letter word could describe the occasion - flop!

So why yet another article? Not because Geers claims to have circled Fort Klapperkop a few times before flying over the Voortrekker Monument, Pretoria Central Prison, the Union Buildings, Loftus Versveld rugby stadium and other Pretoria venues.

Nope! Not even because Geers' bad organisation or misrepresentation of the facts needed defending, nor because an explanation should be sought on whether what happened was art or not.

More importantly why a right-wing, belligerent minority pressure group could successfully threaten freedom of cultural expression. Exactly whose kop has been klapped? Our constitution states: "Everyone has the right to freedom of expression, which includes freedom of artistic creativity."

The manic, hysterical need by the conservative elements in our society to censor and control is more than undesirable. Four years after our democratic elections it is inexcusable the relationship between art and other aspects of culture are still so firmly in the control of an undemocratic minority.

Contemporary art claims no strict divides between itself and social concerns. Instead it claims a platform for social dialogue and intellectual freedom and a space for self-determination.

The foolhardy quagmire in which the Pretoria City Council and the French and German embassies have embroiled themselves is reminiscent of our past legacies under apartheid - not the democratic, enlightened constitutional reform for which South Africa has gained international recognition.

The Geers exhibition in itself is not in need of defence, but the constitutional rights affecting all of us have been contravened. Not only the arts community needs to stand up and be counted.

It is time for a freedom-of-expression forum to be constituted which defends the right of all works of the imagination music, the visual arts and media, the spoken and written word, class relations, activism and economics to change our society.