Zille’s poaching of our history
In an article published on Politicsweb, Phatse Justice Piitso accuses the DA of ‘poaching the history of the struggles of our people’ aiming, as always, ‘to protect privileges accumulated by whites under apartheid’.
The role of interpreters in facilitating colonial conquest -Malinche, Pocahontas and Krotoa
Responding to an earlier post by Lucy Campbell, Kobus Faasen compares the lives of three prominent indigenous women who were introduced to 'the people from the sea' at an early age. Malinche (modern-day Mexico), Pocahontas (Jamestown, North America) and Krotoa (Cape of Good Hope, South Africa).
Dispossessed, evicted and ruined
In the year in which South Africans mark the centenary of the iniquitous Natives’ Land Act, this poignant post, circulated to subscribers on Ben Khumalo-Seegelken’s mailing list,is a timely reminder of the traumatic impact of forced removals on individuals and their families.
Moshoeshoe's legacy revived
Sebinane Lekoekoe comments on the celebrations that mark Moshoeshoe Day and shares information about this important king and other figures that have led the Basotho nation since his time.
Hidden voices: art and the erasure of memory in post-apartheid South Africa
Emile Maurice reports on a panel discussion focusing on the question, ‘What do we mean by ‘hidden voices’ in the arts after apartheid”. Convened by the Iziko South African National Gallery and the Centre for Humanities Research, University of the Western Cape, the discussion was sparked by the exhibition “Uncontained: Opening the Community Arts Archive”.
The Other Side of Silence
In a provocative article published by the Civil Society Information Service (SACSIS) Richard Pithouse argues that the memory of oppression and resistance is suppressed in our country and points to the consequences of this.
Archives, Memory and the Story of My Sister
Vusumuzi Khumalo uses the story of her sister’s teenage pregnancy to raise questions about archives. She concludes that insufficient attention has been paid - in the archives - to social problems.
Christmas greeting from Winnie to Mandela - personal information /public archives
Have your say! How do archivists reconcile research and privacy interests when it comes to the disclosure of personal information?
Eoan - Our Story
Lizabe Lambrechts reviews a recent publication on the history of the Eoan Group.
Hair: The Past is still with Us
Lucelle Campbell, reflects on the boom in the 'black hair business' and wonders what informs the choice of women who straighten their hair.
Mayhem and Manuscripts in Timbuktu the Mysterious
Graham Dominy provides some background on South Africa’s efforts to preserve the Timbuktu Manuscripts and offers some thoughts on a way for the international community to assist in protecting the manuscripts in the immediate future.
Archivists and the right to know:Challenges facing archivists in “Arab Spring” Tunisia
Graham Dominy reports on a symposium organised by Unesco and the National Archives of Tunisia to examine the role of the National Archives,archivists and records managers in the country during the time of transition.
We are Cannibals?: Stories, Narratives, Sites.
Jesmael Mataga responds to the December posts dealing with the issue of cannibals and shared his insights into the way in which the practuce of cannibalism is represented in oral narratives, missionary accounts and cannibal sites.
Misrepresented or not, it is our heritage, so open the doors!!!
Sebinane Lekoekoe raises some concerns about the archives of the Catholic Church in Lesotho.
'When an old man dies, a library burns down'
Ruth Abankwah responds to Mbongiseni Buthelezi's article 'Orality, recordkeeping and corruption: is good recordkeeping un-African'
From the art archive: Picasso in South Africa
Emile Maurice reflects of his ongoing interest fascination with the art of Picasso and shares some intriguing South African links.
Integrated Tangible and Intangible Heritage Management: A Meeting In Korea
Harriet Deacon considers the increase in interest in revisiting the idea of integrated tangible and intangible heritage management.
A Meeting on Authenticity in Heritage Management, Himeji, Japan
Harriet Deacon reports on a meeting held in the lead-up to the 40th anniversary celebrations for the World Heritage Convention in Kyoto.
Field brat’s blog from the bundu: Taking a leaf from that book!
Brenton Maart escapes from the maddening crowd into a remote region of the Kruger National Park. Now back from the bundu, he writes about an experience he describes as a direct interface with a breathtaking beautiful archive.
Getting Lost: The Controversy over Andrew Duminy's Mapping South Africa
Cain Parsons, shares some thoughts on responses to Andrew Duminy’s Mapping South Africa: A Historical Survey of South African Maps and Charts and concludes that this controversy might be asking us to re-evaluate the stories we tell, how we tell them, and to whom we tell them
Archives in the Public eye in Thaba Nchu and Durban
Mbongiseni Buthelezi reports on the Oral History Association of South Africa (OHASA) annual national conference and a KwaZulu-Natal colloquium 'Archives to Deepen Democracy'
Who Owns the Struggle History? A Dialogue
Dineo Skosana reports on a National Heritage Council forum convened to interrogate the question, 'who owns the struggle history in South Africa?
The University of Fort Hare: archives deepening democracy!
Vuyani Booi discusses the work and holdings of the National Heritage and Cultural Studies Centre and the role that these can play in entrenching democracy in South Africa today
From the art archive: Gerard Sekoto - resistance artist
Emile Maurice reflects on Gerard Sekoto, a 'heritage icon and cultural treasure'
Our Collective Dreams Were Dashed on the Way to Bisho
Vuyani Booi writes about the memorial erected in remembrance of the victims of the 1992 Bisho massacre
Lesotho Grows - 46 years post Independence!!!
As the Lesotho celebrate 46th years of independence in on 4 October 2012, Sebinane Lekokoe reflects on the progress that has been made, asks what has been achieved and considers the challenges facing the nation
How will the Nkanini Hill Massacre be Commemorated by the People of South Africa?
Vuyani Booi asks how the recent Nkanini Hill Massacre (Marikana Massacre) will be remembered in the context of heritage reconstruction in South Africa
Heritage matters
Lucelle Campbell argues against a 'distorted' and one-sided view of history and heritage - with specific reference to the Khoe-San - and calls for a more inclusive approach
Disinherited: Distorting heritage by omission
Emile Maurice, reflecting on the life and death of Neville Alexander, argues that South Africa's political past is not a single narrative but rather one of competing traditions and aspirations
Spring Queen: The staging of a glittering proletariate
In last month's blog the Brat revealed his affinity for beauty pageants with a proposal, formulated jointly with three collaborators, for a Mr Archive competition. Here - with an analysis of the exhibition 'Spring Queen: The staging of a glittering Proletariate' - he succumbs further to an aesthetic fascination with gorgeousness, an anthropological interest in the performance and pageantry of identities, and the way these come together as an expression of political defiance.