7. Remembering the struggle against apartheid: memorials Flashcards
How was one way South Africa chose to remember the past?
Unlike some countries, such as Russia after the fall of the Soviet Union, in South Africa monuments to events and figures from the past that were now out of favour were not destroyed after 1994, although some were removed from public view.
What colonial monuments remained standing? (2)
- Monuments such as the Voortrekker Monument, built by Afrikaner nationalists in the 1930s to commemorate the Great Trek and Boer victory over the Zulu, were retained.
- Statues to colonial leaders, such as Cecil Rhodes, remained.
What was the point of keeping such colonial monuments?
This was all part of the reconciliatory nature of the 1994 settlement and an acceptance and promotion of our diverse population and history.
However, it was important to redress the _______ with ____ monuments that would enable people to ________ the struggle against apartheid. A number of such monuments were built in the years after _____.
balance
new
remember
1994
What new monuments/museums were erected? (2)
For example:
- a statue to Steve Biko was erected in East London
- there was a new monument in Cape Town with statues of the four South African Nobel Peace Prize winners - Albert Luthuli, Desmond Tutu, F.W. de Klerk and Nelson Mandela.
- New museums were opened, such as the Apartheid Museum in Johannesburg
What was the aim of the monuments?
The aim of the monument was to commemorate a new South African history, one of the struggles for freedom over the centuries.
What did the inclusion of more than just the apartheid conflict ensure?
The inclusion of the specified conflicts (such as the South African War and the two World Wars) ensured that white South Africans would be included in Freedom Park alongside Africans who died in the struggles of the pre-colonial period and those against colonialism and apartheid.
Why was there controversy about who was included on the wall of names?
There was some controversy over who would be included and who excluded from the Wall of Names. Those who fought in the South African Defence Force on behalf of the apartheid government were not included, as they were not thought to have fought for freedom. The past was being defined through this monument in a particular way.
What was erected to remember the Soweto Uprising?
The Hector Pieterson memorial and museum were built in Soweto to commemorate the Soweto uprising of 1976.
What was memorial was created to remember the Gugulethu seven?
A memorial to the Cradock Four was built in Cradock and a striking monument to the Gugulethu Seven, seven Umkhonto we Sizwe activists who were shot by security police in 1986, was built in Gugulethu in Cape Town.
What was the Thokoza memorial?
An interesting example of a local monument designed to bring about reconciliation is in Thokoza township on the East Rand, Thokoza was at the center of violence on the Rand in the late 1980s and early 1990s between hostel dwellers and township residents, each respectively backed by the IFP and ANC.
How many people lost their lives in Thokoza?
Over 600 people lost their lives and thousands of others were driven from their homes, Mistrust and tensions were therefore high in Thokoza after 1994.
What did the residents of Thokoza decide to do?
However, in an attempt to bring about peace, the residents of Thokoza decided to build a public memorial which included a ‘roll of honor’ of the names of all those who had died in the township violence.
Who funded the Thokoza memorial and who unveiled it?
It was funded by donations from local businesses and government and was unveiled in 1999 jointly by Thabo Mbeki, the ANC President of South Africa and Mangosutu Buthelezi, the leader of the IFP, IL was built on Khumalo Street, the boundary at the time of the conflicts between the hostel dwellers and the township residents.
What was the Thokoza memorial an example of?
The memorial was thus an example of collective effort and a conscious attempt to bring together previous enemies in the area in a common remembrance of their loss.
