By Paul K
The pain of Apartheid is lasting and deep for many who have lived through it, having effects that will last a lifetime. From our experiences at museums and through discussions with the survivors of Apartheid, we have learned of the profound impacts the system of oppression had on the non-whites of South Africa through violence, humiliation and exploitation of a people. As those people who were once oppressed begin their journey of reconciliation, significant places have taken on auras of pain and of healing. There are many places of pain in South Africa so there is a growing movement to transform these places of pain into places of healing. But, as these places transform, what might be lost for the future generations of the “born-frees”?
During our tour of the Castle of Good Hope in cape town, our esteemed guide and friend, Mr. Zenzile Khoisan, told us of a movement to turn the museum and castle into a place of healing. Being the first building constructed by the colonists, the castle acted as a central point for the initial bartering with the natives and a central point of slavery imports. Once the colonists had gained a strong foothold, the castle acted as a place of war, where ships could be refuelled and the colonists could expand outwards on land. They eventually began to push onto the land of the Khoi Khoi, the local natives, and take them as slaves. Ever since, the Khoi Khoi have become an invisible people, ever present through resilience and rebellion, but underground. We walked through the opulence of the colonists as well as the areas used for oppression. Mr. Zenzile brought us to a stop in the dungeons used for the Khoi Khoi to feel the pain of the prisoners. But, as I later read on a sign outside, the “dungeon” was actually the old arsenal with a typical narrow winding passage for easy defence, said to be often mistaken for the dungeon. Here we directly witnessed the struggle between two viewpoints of history, where one history may overtake the other. While the castle symbolizes centuries of a terrible reign, containing much pain, it still has an intense and complex history that is important to the people of South Africa. Now the Khoi Khoi have the opportunity to become recognized in the new, diverse and inclusive South Africa but their approach should be taken carefully.
To turn this museum into a place purely of healing puts the history, culture, and pain of South Africa’s past in a precarious place; what is healing without pain? By eliminating the pain emanating from significant place, there is a loss of knowledge that cannot be conveyed through simple words or pictures. The “born-frees” of South Africa have only seen the effects of colonialism and Apartheid but not witnessed them so they have not experienced the pain that their ancestors have endured. By covering the past wounds with bandages, the future generations are unable to remember the pain and therefore recognize and prevent the injustices in the future.
The movement to change the Castle of Good Hope symbolizes the greater struggle in South Africa whether to keep the pain or throw it out and start anew. It is true the Khoi Khoi people have been invisible for a very long time, but should they do the same to others by overwriting or ignoring history? There must be a fine balance of the pain and the healing, the colonialism and the nativism, the past and the future, so the nation of South Africa may grow to be all that it can and should be, a diverse and colourful nation.
