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Footprints of the past
Human Rights Day – What it means to South Africans
Denis Goldberg and Andrew Mlangeni at the Liliesleaf launch in June 2008. Both were arrested during the Rivonia Raid at Liliesleaf on 11 July 1963. They were both sentenced to life imprisonment but served only 22 and 26 years respectfully. They are both still involved in human rights and social campaining.
Nelson Mandela’s old room at Liliesleaf.
“Liliesleaf was an old house that needed work and noone lived there. I moved in under the pretext that I was a houseboy or caretaker that would live there until my master took possession.”
Nelson Mandela, Long Walk to Freedom.
In celebration of 15 years of human rights in our great nation, Liliesleaf is following the footprints of the past each public holiday this year. The series will look at the history behind the holiday in a fun and interesting way. This year South Africa celebrates 15 years of human rights and Human Rights Day serves as a reminder to the people of South Africa to be aware of their human rights and as an example of the human rights abuses of the past. The annual celebration reminds everyone that people in South Africa will never again be denied their human rights. (Source: South African History Online and South African Government Info.)
In Nelson Mandela’s historic Statement delivered from the from the Dock during the Rivonia Trial in 1964, he made the following observation regarding the disparate laws which governed South Africa during the apartheid regime, which resulted in the majority of South Africans being disenfranchised, “We want equal political rights, because without them our disabilities will be permanent. I know this sounds revolutionary to the whites in this country, because the majority of voters will be Africans. This makes the white man fear democracy. But this fear cannot be allowed to stand in the way of the only solution which will guarantee racial harmony and freedom for all. It is not true that the enfranchisement of all will result in racial domination. Political division, based on colour, is entirely artificial and, when it disappears, so will the domination of one colour group by another.”
Three decades after this momentous statement all South Africans joined together in the country's first democratic election. The election not only marked the end of an oppressive and inequitable regime, but it also marked the first to be held with universal suffrage, one of the principle tenets of Human Rights now enshrined in both our country's Constitution and in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
Liliesleaf is proud to have played a seminal role in the collective thoughts, actions and philosophies which helped bring about these fundamental democratic changes in South Africa. Thus for Liliesleaf the essence of Human Rights Day is about acknowledging and celebrating this fundamental change. It is about ensuring that as a nation we take time out of our hectic day to day schedules to reflect on the transformation this country has undergone. -Nic Wolpe. CEO: Liliesleaf Trust
Celebrate the transformation of our nation and pay Liliesleaf a visit. Open 7 days a week from 8:30 to 18:00.
The Sharpeville Massacre
A brief history: At Sharpeville on 21 March 1960 the police killed 69 and wounded 180 people who were participating in a protest against the pass laws- the Native Laws Amendment Act of 1952 extended Government control over the movement of Africans to urban areas and abolished the use of the Pass Book (a document which Africans were required to carry on them to ‘prove’ that they were allowed to enter a ‘white area’) in favour of a reference book which had to be carried at all times by all Africans. Failure to produce the reference book on demand by the police, was a punishable offence. When the ANC announced that they were planning an anti-pass campaign on 31 March 1960, the PAC decided to spearhead their efforts by planning a similar protest for 21 March.
The event: On this date, PAC supporters were to voluntarily leave their passes at home and offer themselves up for arrest at the nearest police station. Campaigners gathered at police stations in townships near Johannesburg where they were dispersed by police. At the Sharpeville police station a scuffle broke out and a wire fence was trampled, allowing the crowd to move forward. Police unnecessarily opened fire on the protesters: results showed that many were shot in the back, trying to escape the gunfire.
The consequences: The consequences of this violent massacre were reported worldwide, and were received with horror all over the world. South Africa had already been harshly criticized for its apartheid policies, and this incident further fuelled anti-apartheid sentiments as the international conscience was deeply stirred. Chief Albert Luthuli and Professor Z.K. Matthews called for a national day of mourning, encouraging a ‘stay-away’, which took place on 28 March 1960. Luthuli and several others ceremoniously burnt their pass books, and pass laws were suspended – although only for a while. Mass funerals were held for the victims, and rioting took place in Johannesburg townships and Worcestor in the Cape to voice anger against the incident. On 30 March 1960 the government declared a state of emergency. Mass arrests began and almost all African leaders were imprisoned. Policemen in Cape Town were forcing Africans back to work with batons and sjamboks, and four more people were shot and killed in Durban. When the state of emergency was declared the ANC and the PAC were banned under the Unlawful Organisations Act on 8 April 1960 and many of their leaders were arrested or went into exile.
Source: South African History Online and South African Government Info.
International Day For The Elimination of Racial Discrimination
March 21 is designated by the United Nations (UN) as the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination. It’s a day observed all around the world to focus attention on the problems of racism and the need to promote racial harmony.
The UN made this designation in 1966 to mark the tragedy of Sharpeville and, although the massacre occured in South Africa, racism is an international problem.
Liliesleaf joins the Liberation Heritage Route
The Liberation Heritage Route pays tribute to the narrative of past events in order to preserve stories of national memory for continuity and national identity. It provides a mechanism by which existing sites that have some relationship to each other and to the concept of the liberation struggle are identified, co-ordinated and collaborate on socio-economic initiatives.
This project will translate the wealth of heritage knowledge and resources into economic capital. As an initiative conceived to interpret the history of a national liberation struggle, the story that will be told in the different sites will tell a coherent story.
The Liberation Heritage Route will form part of the United Nations Education Science and Culture Organization’s (UNESCO) World Heritage Liberation Routes.
Visit http://www.nhc.org.za/ for more information.
Liliesleaf uses Nintendo Wii technology
In keeping with the Liliesleaf ethos of creating state-of-the-art interactive exhibits, the Exhibit Development Team is currently working on a software, content and animation upgrade of the Interactive Table located in the dining room of Manor House on the historical site. The upgrade is intended to enhance the ‘user friendliness’ for the visitor, and increase the content – images, text, animation, audio and video files – making this exhibition one of Liliesleaf’s not to be missed experiences. The development of the Interactive Table was inspired by the original 12-seater dining room table in the Goldreich home around which much discussion and debate took place.
Historically the dining room was used by the Goldreich family, and also by the Intelligence and Logistics Committees, chaired by Harold Wolpe and Wilton Mkwai. Their meetings focused primarily on gathering intelligence and information for the purposes of military planning, and the associated logistics of moving people and equipment.
The exhibit seeks in some way to mirror these activities and to promote among visitors conversation and investigation of the many ideologies, strategies and visions discussed in this room between 1961 and 1963. Click here to watch a video of the interactive table.
Conferencing at Liliesleaf
Liliesleaf extends the tradition of meetings and conferences by availing its stunning facilities for corporate and conference use.
Why not book your next corporate meeting or conference at a venue steeped in South African heritage and history? Conveniently situated in Rivonia, Liliesleaf is tucked away in the suburbs underneath canopies of old trees, resulting in an ambient and peaceful professional meeting place.
EVENT VENUES /CAPACITIES:
Auditorium: 66 seated / 66 cocktail
Resource centre: 80 seated / 100 cocktail (stage can also be set up)
Outdoor Area - Resource Centre: 200 seated (marquee) / 400 cocktail
Outdoor Area – Historical Centre: 50 cocktail
Coffee Shop: 50 seated / 50 cocktail
For more information on conferences or to arrange a site visit, please contact Karen Nicholls on 011 469 5082 or karen@southernspoor.co.za.
For media or marketing enquiries please contact Vicki at Southern Spoor Marketing on 011 469 5082 or vicki@southernspoor.co.za.
For group bookings contact reservations at Southern Spoor on 011 469 5082 or reception@southernspoor.co.za.
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