Rourke's Drift is an inspirational and saddening story both at the same time. During apartheid, Rourke's Drift was one of the very few places that dared to teach blacks art skills in order to make a living. Missionaries from Sweden began teaching printmaking, and probably because they were an international missionary group were left alone by the authorities. The artists trained there went out and trained other artists as printmakers, who trained other artists. South Africa's rich tradition in printmaking owes a large debt to Rourke's Drift. However, today Rourke's Drift is a shadow of its former glory. After apartheid the new government tried to convert Rourke's Drift to a commercial mass production facility. After protests that it was ignoring the historical past, the government abandoned its plans, but competent administration along with funding was not reinstated. The original etching press is still there, and occasionally an artist will come in and put it back to use. The main artistic output these days is silkscreening on fabric, and ceramics. The church has hired an art based administrator to try and return Rourke's Drift back to its former glory, but she feels it will be a very difficult uphill struggle.