I had seen everything I planned to see in Pretoria, but I wasn’t done there yet. I had hunted done the 1913 Pretoria guide through the National Library website and ask a librarian feature. My great grandfather mentioned this guide in his journal on February 4, 1913:
“Went into Mr. Basson’s post card shop & bought some cards & looked thru the
Pretoria directory published by Mr. Lockhead and saw my picture of the Union Buildings as being awarded second prize. This is news to me. Came home and looked up my photo and found it to be correct. Reading and writing. Had a shave and clean up and then took my photo to the card shop and compared it with the picture in the book and proved beyond a possibility of a doubt that it is the same print. Wrote a letter to the Transvaal Reliable Agency informing them of my picture being in their book and asking for particulars of the case.”
A few weeks later, the day before leaving Pretoria bound for the Cape Colonies, he placed an order with a friend to have several copies sent to him. I’m not sure if he ever received those copies, and nobody has been able to find his original print yet. I really wanted to find the book while in South Africa, and I did!
Freedom Park
Since I needed to go back into Pretoria to visit the National Library, which so happens to be along the street just a few blocks from where my great grandfather lived, I found something else to visit. Freedom Park is a lovely place preserving and sharing the story of South Africa and its heroes. A visit to Freedom Park consists of two parts, the //Hapo Museum and the Garden of Remembrance. I recommend you enjoy the free guided tours of each space. Let them know your interest when you buy tickets.
//Hapo Museum
The museum tells the story of Africa in general and then South Africa specifically. It begins with a traditional Khoi-San creation myth told with immersive animation and powerful music. From there, visitors learn about general African traditions and culture. The museum leads on to a broad history of the continent and its many civilizations throughout the ages. Then, we find the colonization and European-influence on the continent.
All of this fascinating history leads to South Africa’s story, in particular the plight of the native people who were abused, treated as savages, and taken advantage of in the most terrible ways. We learn of their fight for freedom and the individuals who helped in this fight from all backgrounds. This takes us through the transition to a republic where all should be treated with equality and fairness.
My Impressions
I enjoyed the museum. I learned a lot that I did not know before. Their stories are impactful. I also appreciated a balanced approach to the topics including the slave trade. And, I am saddened the world isn’t more familiar with the rich African history that includes large civilized societies comparable to those we have learned about from the Euro-centric point of view of history in the U.S.
However, one place I feel the museum could improve is not lumping all African culture, history, heritage, and stories into one. In this, they discount the beauty and diversity of all of this. Understandably, when fighting for freedom and respect, the African communities had to join together in a common cause and rally around commonalities. But now, why say that this or that is an African thing when the cultures and peoples are so vastly diverse across the massive continent and its climes? Anyway, the museum does a very good job of telling the story of South Africa’s fight for freedom with a good quick overview of thousands of years of history and culture, much of which is unrecorded.
Garden of Remembrance
At the top of the hill, a series of memorials graces Freedom Park. I did not take the guided tour of the museum because of the time I arrived. However, I did partake of a guided tour of the garden. It was worth it. Our great guide personally connected us to the stories of the park. We took in the eternal flame in the meditation space and rode a little golf cart around the property. All over the garden space are little symbolic spaces. Isivivane, a symbolic African meeting space, was particularly special, as was the hidden pool.
There are also hundreds of meters of walls bearing the names of those who lost their lives in the conflicts of South Africa’s history. These conflicts include the South African War (or Boer War), WWI and WWII, the conflicts surrounding Apartheid, and others. At one point, our guide pointed to some names of his family members who had lost their lives in these struggles.
I can’t and won’t go into my thoughts and feelings on Apartheid beyond this. Spending time in South Africa and seeing the fruits of such policies educated me about them better than any movies or history books. I am in awe at the men and women who peacefully fought to end it and mourn for those who lost their lives for no reason other than hate.
Freedom Park or Apartheid Museum?
If you have the time to visit Freedom Park in Pretoria, I recommend it. You can access it up the hill behind the train station. I did not have time in Johannesburg to visit the Apartheid Museum, but others I talked with said it has a very different feel from Freedom Park, which they said was more optimistic, inclusive, and uplifting. The Apartheid Museum, they said, was very harsh and cold, much to represent the policies and era itself.
