Dec 16 to mark SA's eight conflicts
Zibonele Ntuli
26 November 2004
Freedom Park CEO Wally Serote says this year's Reconciliation Day - December 16 - will be marked by commemorations of the South Africans who died during the country's eight historic conflicts.
This follows criticism by Afrikaners, Indians and Coloureds that Freedom Park did not represent them in healing and cleansing ceremonies to preserve the memories of those who died during SA's pre-colonial wars, genocide, slavery, wars of resistance, Anglo-Boer War, First and Second World Wars, and struggle for liberation.
Addressing journalists at a dinner this week, Serote said that after numerous workshops with various stakeholders, it had become clear that Freedom Park only catered for freedom fighters that died during SA's struggle for liberation.
"We have been asked on a number of occasions why, when we conducted healing and cleansing ceremonies, whites were not represented", Serote said. "This has been a challenge for us, because we want
all South Africans to be represented in reconciliation and nation building.
"These were people who were armed to the tooth to kill, and our work to create memorials cannot proceed unless we have answers to these questions of representation."
With this in mind, Serote said, provinces would hold their own commemorations on Reconciliation Day, with each province profiling a conflict relating to its area.
Gauteng will profile the First and Second World Wars at the Military Museum in Johannesburg, Mpumalanga will focus on the wars of resistance, the Western Cape will focus on slavery, and the Free State will commemorate the Anglo Boer War and the role of women in conflicts, he said.
KwaZulu-Natal will commemorate the Blood River wars at Ncome, Limpopo will concentrate on the country's pre-colonial wars, while the Eastern Cape will focus on the Khoisan genocides.
Serote called on people to assist Freedom Park academics in the collection of the names of black
people who fought in the Anglo Boer War and World Wars, saying memorials only had the names of white people.
Freedom Park is one of the government's most ambitious legacy projects, resulting from a Truth and Reconciliation Commission recommendations to create a national heritage site to narrate the country's history and help heal the wounds of all its conflicts.
Freedom Park, situated at Salvokop Hill outside Pretoria, will be completed in 2008.
Source: BuaNews
| 
