Affirming the history of all South Africans

At the beginning of the second term of our new democracy, we South Africans are fully aware that we have not as yet told the full story of the sacrifice of the millions who helped to rid the world of the scourge of apartheid. It is also true that the formal institutions in our country, which would normally have the responsibility for doing this, our museums, our monuments and our archives, are in the process of being transformed to meet this challenge. It is a difficult challenge. One needs only to walk around this building to get a sense of how difficult it is to change these things. I have had long discussions with the High Commissioner, who has been appraising me of her efforts. It's a very difficult process. One needs to protect and affirm other heritages and we are grappling with this issue in our Department.

I am also happy to say that the Department, with the approval of Cabinet, has embarked on what we believe is a very exciting project, the Legacy Project, which will hopefully begin to affirm the heritage and the history of all South Africans. The Legacy Project arises from many requests to the Office of the President after the first democratic elections, requesting the State to begin to facilitate processes of affirming that history; our Department was asked to prepare a project proposal. The Legacy Project consists presently of nine projects, which are premised upon certain principles that I will not be able to talk to you about today. They include: the memorial to the late Mozambican President, Samora Machel, which has opened already; the memorial to South Africa's first Nobel prize winner, Chief Albert Lutuli; a women's memorial which will be established at the Union Buildings at Pretoria to commemorate the historic march there; the Nelson Mandela Museum; the Constitution Hill project in Johannesburg at the Fort in Hillbrow; and a project called Freedom Park which is also in the process of being conceptualised.

One of these projects will consist of a museum that will chronicle the full story of the history of apartheid and of anti-apartheid resistance; there is a strong sense that the work of the Anti-Apartheid Movement and the work of the AAM Archives Committee is going to form a very important component in both conceptualising and giving content and meaning to this aspect of the struggle in that museum.

By conclusion I would just like to read you one paragraph from the Deputy Minister's briefing:

This Symposium provides an ideal opportunity to deal with the challenge in practical ways. The question I would put to the Symposium is a simple one: how can this valuable archive and the resources, skills and experience of those who are associated with it contribute to our attempts to further the democratic project in South Africa. Ibelieve if we can achieve this objective then the archive will continue to live and give expression to the hopes and the aspirations of all the hundreds of thousands of ordinary people all over the world who made up the anti-apartheid movement.

Thank you.