Making Memory Space: Recollection and Reconciliation in Post ...

More documents

Recommendations

Info

stoic sculptural forms on the exterior. 123 To highlight the divine sanctioning of the Afrikaner position, an oculus has been placed in the ceiling so that at noon on the 16 th of December - the anniversary of the Battle of Blood River - a ray of light illuminates the space, highlighting a cenotaph (symbolic of the final resting place of Piet Retief and the other Voortrekkers who died during the Great Trek) inscribed with the words ‘Ons vir jou Suid-Afrika’ (We for thee South Africa) (Figure. 7). Ironically, the desire to convey the cosmological order of the universe, which reveals the divine right of the Afrikaner nation has been undermined by an idiosyncratic shift in planetary alignment, which means the ray of light no longer fulfills its intended function. 124 Figure 7 Cutaway axonometric showing, external approach to monument and internal Hall of Heroes with cenotaph below lit by oculus Clearly in every respect this monument is intended as a symbol and embodiment of Afrikaner values and consequently has assumed an identity that has become synonymous with Apartheid itself. In this 123 This depiction of muscled Africans reflects a universally racist discourse as Moerdyk comments, “[N]atives are always represented as worthy opponents, very well developed as far as their physical characteristics are concerned.” in David Bunn, Op cit, p.105. For more discussion on the bodily representation in the Voortrekker Monument, see: Alta Steenkamp, ‘Apartheid to Democracy: representation and politics in the Voortrekker Monument and the Red Location Museum’, arq: Architectural Research Quarterly, Vol.10, No.3-4, 2006 (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press), pp249-254. 124 Annie E Coombes, Op cit, p.28. 42
espect, the memory space and the land upon which it is situated assume value for the Afrikaner community. Jennifer Jordan articulates how much our notion of the specificity of place is bound up with ‘an individual’s rootedness in locale and the dependence of their memory on the particularities of the physical and cultural environment’. She argues that it is this specificity of place that is vital for the continuance of community, which is eroded through the dismantling of such places (or by extension by the removal of iconic buildings that characterise such spaces). 125 Places gain significance and maintain a strong hold on individuals and groups by acting as repositories of collective memory. The destruction or removal of such sites constitutes the eradication of that identity, an act that is potentially distressing to any community witnessing radical change. The Voortrekker Monument continues to have meaning for the Afrikaner community despite the dismantling of Apartheid. 126 In fact, in the decade following Apartheid’s demise, it has served repeatedly as a meeting point for white resistance groups, providing a physical manifestation of their political position. It became the meeting ground for those who wished to contest the dissolution of Apartheid, and in many respects become a symbol of the stoic rigidity that formed the basis of that position. In 1990, the Voortrekker Monument still had power to galvanise the forces of Afrikaner Nationalism and was the site of a rally for sixty five thousand people, in support of the Conservative Party’s resistance to the imminent political change. Again in 1993, prior to the election, it served as a site of resistance for a rally of a hundred thousand people. 127 As if to further illustrate the central role that the Monument played in the positioning of Afrikaner political machinations, the maintenance and management of the Monument was taken over in 1993 by a privately-owned company - the FAK - comprising the main cultural organisations for the promotion and preservation of Afrikaner culture. 128 They perceived its continued availability as a contemporary monument to be significant for the recognition of the Afrikaner position as a legitimate component of the South Africa historical narrative. Afrikaner memorial practice David Bunn situates the form of this memorial in a well-established context of memorial production for Afrikaner South Africa. He posits that the height and verticality of the monument is characteristic of Afrikaner monumental practice and signifies, unlike the British monumental tradition of meditative wandering, a goal to be reached or an obstacle overcome. 129 Bunn argues that the memorial impulse exemplified by the Afrikaner monumental tradition is manifest as one of marking and inscription, a form of territorial declaration of ownership gained through personal physical domination of land. He says, ‘This attachment to marking and breaching, and to monuments as a sign of the vertical descent 125 Jennifer Jordan, ‘Collective Memory and Locality in Global Cities’, in Linda Kraus and Patrice Pedro (eds.), Global Cities, Cinema, Architecture and Urbanism in the Digital Age (New Jersey: Rutgers University Press, 2003), p.31. 126 A point not unnoticed by the ANC government. They have continued a deliberate policy of inclusion made evident by ex- President Thabo Mbeki’s African Renaissance speeches. 127 Annie E. Coombes, Op cit, p.32. 128 Ibid, p.33. 129 David Bunn, Op cit, p.103. 43
Page 1 and 2: Making Memory Space: Recollection a
Page 3 and 4: ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Dr Hélène Frichot
Page 5 and 6: ABSTRACT Post Apartheid South Afric
Page 7 and 8: PREFACE During my recent travels, I
Page 9 and 10: spaces that are intended to facilit
Page 11 and 12: as the house of British multiple mu
Page 13 and 14: past and then resituate it in the m
Page 15 and 16: significance of site and built form
Page 17 and 18: 1. MEMORY AND SPACE Post Apartheid
Page 19 and 20: dominant narrative, and collective
Page 21 and 22: sometimes be radical change. Archit
Page 23 and 24: only able to visit museums at desig
Page 25 and 26: South Africa, and establishes a mod
Page 27 and 28: the intangible concept of cultural
Page 29 and 30: display, contributes to the product
Page 31 and 32: As discussed previously, ownership
Page 33 and 34: considered an exemplar of social at
Page 35 and 36: nationalism in an official way. The
Page 37 and 38: 2. TOPPLING TOTEMS: The Voortrekker
Page 39 and 40: epetition of monuments or ideas - a
Page 41 and 42: In a political climate clamouring f
Page 43 and 44: Afrikaners. The narrative of stoici
Page 45: As an expression of the civilising
Page 49 and 50: heightened by its separation. Secon
Page 51 and 52: gain meaning and visibility within
Page 53 and 54: they are not in a position to contr
Page 55 and 56: past long before the Nationalist Go
Page 57 and 58: The African voice has been silenced
Page 59 and 60: accurate account of the past due to
Page 61 and 62: content to portray a definitive ver
Page 63 and 64: moving past a replica of the cemete
Page 65 and 66: the experiential model as an instig
Page 67 and 68: aggrandising force can determine th
Page 69 and 70: Throughout the museum, the visitor
Page 71 and 72: whereby the current political major
Page 73 and 74: In contrast, Georgi Verbeek suggest
Page 75 and 76: Giles Deleuze counters this positio
Page 77 and 78: such as Robben Island Museum where
Page 79 and 80: Summary In summary, the Apartheid M
Page 81 and 82: 4. PRESERVATION & RECONSTRUCTION: T
Page 83 and 84: aspirations for the future of South
Page 85 and 86: which occur at sites of trauma, off
Page 87 and 88: has the potential to reiterate alre
Page 89 and 90: individual vision of the present an
Page 91 and 92: Addressing the past - the democrati
Page 93 and 94: the new political regime. The resul
Page 95 and 96: and inclusivity as a counter to the
Page 97 and 98:
through the integration of cutting
Page 99 and 100:
einforcer of the language of war th
Page 101 and 102:
5. COMMUNITY CONCEPTS: The Red Loca
Page 103 and 104:
originally conceived as part of a t
Page 105 and 106:
geographical focus, it acknowledges
Page 107 and 108:
of South Africa’s population, as
Page 109 and 110:
which the notion of ‘authenticity
Page 111 and 112:
uilding does not become a static, o
Page 113 and 114:
their own homes) and elegantly deta
Page 115 and 116:
Memory in this context is also empl
Page 117 and 118:
acknowledge and celebrate the histo
Page 119 and 120:
disregard for African modes of prod
Page 121 and 122:
CONCLUSION Whenever we are trying t
Page 123 and 124:
attempting to place memory at the f
Page 125 and 126:
All of these methodologies are base
Page 127 and 128:
concrete, wire and steel to articul
Page 129 and 130:
BIBLIOGRAPHY Anderson, Benedict. Im
Page 131 and 132:
Deegan, Heather. The Politics of th
Page 133 and 134:
Huyssen, Andreas. Present Pasts: Ur
Page 135 and 136:
McEachern, Charmaine. Narratives of
Page 137 and 138:
Simpson, Moira G. Making Representa
show all

Making Memory Space: Recollection and Reconciliation in Post ...

Create successful ePaper yourself

Delete template?

Save as template?