Gandhi: A Prisoner of Conscience is a permanent exhibition at Constitution Hill that focuses on the years Gandhi spent in Johannesburg from 1902 until 1914, and tracks the way he transformed during these years from a shy and inexperienced lawyer into an extraordinary political leader. The exhibition places a special emphasis on Gandhi’s experiences inside the jail and how these impacted on his evolving philosophy of Satyagraha.

Visually, the exhibition charts Gandhi’s transformation from a besuited lawyer into a 'prisoner of conscience' and then ultimately, just before his return to India, a man wearing a simple khadi cotton tunic. The gradual shedding of his smart attire, as represented in the images on display, mirrors his growing identification with the poor and oppressed.

The exhibition invites viewers to engage with the meaning and impact of Gandhi and the non-violent resistance movement in South Africa. Viewers are asked what cause they would be prepared to go to jail for, and to draw the connection between Satyagraha and the passive resistance struggles of the African National Congress.