Collective Memorial Sites

When travelling abroad one expects to visit a certain amount of tourist sites – memorials, museums, mountain ranges – that tend to be very similar. South Africa has its fair share of statues, national museums and guided tours, but the end of the Apartheid era ushered in a newform of monument: collective memorial sites. These are monuments created by a group of victims, families and community members themselves, rather than by the government or an outside organization.

The conclusion of over 40 years of apartheid called for healing and reconciliation not just on the part of the government but also by the people themselves. With this, various communities and non-governmental organizations worked to memorialize the events and atrocities of the past few decades.

I have visited three collective memorial sites, all of which were very different than any monument I’ve come across in the United States. I found collective sites to be much more interesting and meaningful. Although they tend to be less formal, they are made with more creativity and local touch.

The first place I visited was the District Six Museum in Cape Town. District Six was a multiracial district in Cape Town before apartheid, and was essentially obliterated when the Group Areas Act, which created separate districts for blacks, coloureds and whites, was passed. All residents were forced out of District Six and the District itself was destroyed, leaving a gaping hole on the Cape Town map.

The District Six Museum, then, is its former citizens’ attempt to memorialize its multiracial harmony and to symbolically reclaim their old homes. The museum was started and is run by ex-District Six residents. The museum contains artifacts from the neighborhood and stories of its residents in addition to a map drawn from memory on the floor and huge cloths signed by many former community members. The museum may not be as polished as the average, but it’s very well done and its amalgamated feel adds to its charm. I particularly enjoyed reading the personal accounts about life before apartheid. So many apartheid memorials focus on the atrocities committed under the apartheid regime, but not on the way of life that was disturbed.

The next two sites were for the Trojan Horse Massacre in Cape Town. In October 1985 three young men were shot and killed and thirteen were injured by the police response to an anti-apartheid protest. Police hid in wooden crates on the back of an African Transport System truck and fired automatic guns into the crowd when a stone was thrown at the truck. This was one of few apartheid atrocities that made it to international television, and it therefore had a large impact on the international response to apartheid in South Africa.

The first memorial we visited is a concrete wall spray-painted with the words “Remember the Trojan Horse Massacre” and the names of the victims. The memorial also includes the stories of the three victims, as dictated by their family members. The spray painted portion was done before the establishment of the official memorial, which I think adds meaning to the site. It emotes the feelings of community members toward apartheid. The stories, rather than just the names, helped viewers better understad how the event impacted the community.

The second memorial for the Trojan Horse Massacre is located near the Township in which some of the victims had lived. Plaques carved into trees with their names, and a horse carved out of a tree, comprise the monument. Again, the building of the memorial was instigated by community members, which made it more meaningful, and it also helped them to accept the occurrence and move on in a way.