Covers 2.1 acres (1 hecter) and looks onto a beautiful landscape of Pretoria.
What a day of contrasts! A well planned day! My words cannot serve justice to the experiential learning that occurred as the day went by and my thoughts and questions that will continue to follow afterwards.
The monument commemorates the Afrikaners fight for Independence from the English in the early-mid 1800's and about the struggles faces with African tribes along their settlement progression.
We had a very informative tour from a retired man who was genuinely very proud of how far he could trace his Afrikans heritage. He asked us, "Imagine if you had to pack up everything you would need for the rest of your life time in a wagon! What would you pack?" Now had we this tour before the apartheid museum I believe that I would have been more sympathetic to his cause and his claim. However, as it was I could only think: "Well, what if you had nothing to beging with it? Then what?"
I firmly believe that he had the right to be proud of his heritage and also share the struggles from his own personal perspective, but I just could not be as sympathetic/empathetic/ appreciative due to the deep contrasts of the things experienced that day!
Meaningful theme:
'We for you South Africa' = "Ons vir jou Suid Afrika" was written on a stone sarcophagus within the monument.
Hmmm . . . whose South Africa? Who is making the laws and who gets to enforce those laws?
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