Cape Town - Born in the late-1970s, I attended school when South Africa was in the grips of the State of Emergency; I finished my education when apartheid had its last gasp and our country transitioned from minority rule to true democracy.
Exciting times, you might say, but if I’m honest, I’ll also add that I had no true understanding of the forces shaping our nation at the time. I had been brought up to believe that the ANC was the devil, and that the Night of Long Knives would still spill blood.
Our school textbooks pretty much started with Portuguese sailors’ epic voyages around the Cape of Storms and old Van Riebeeck’s landing in Table Bay, and ended where the British annexed the Cape. During high school we learned all about the atrocities of World War II.
The events that transpired in South Africa from the declaration of the Union to the late 1960s were sketchy at best. The true horrors of colonialism and the Scramble for Africa were glossed over. By the time I matriculated I knew more about Nazi extermination camps than the incredible battle for freedom and equality that had taken place in my own country.
The Chris Hani riots had washed over me, as something that had happened in a distant city unrelated to the Cape Town I knew.
The propaganda machine had had its way with me, and so many others of my generation. I recall all too well when some bloke from Home Affairs visited my primary school to tell us all about how wonderful the Homelands system was for native Africans, and how beneficial apartheid was. And yet, since 1994, how much I’ve learnt about what the actual conditions in our country were, and how many problems still persist as a direct result of these inequalities. So much for separate development.
Looking back now, I realise how absolutely narrow my perception of people of other races and cultures was. I simply had no idea. And I suspect many of my generation still don’t and are quite content to continue living in their little bubble of obliviousness.
All these thoughts went through my mind when I wandered through the recently-opened Oliver Tambo exhibition currently on display at the Iziko Slave Lodge in Cape Town. I knew this much, that Oliver Tambo had played a massive role in the ANC during the Struggle. So much so that he had had an airport named after him. So he must be important, right? Indeed. But what exactly is his legacy? I wasn’t quite clear on that. He’s so much more than “that airport guy” when folks refer to his name in passing.
So, it is fitting that twenty years after his death we reflect on Oliver Tambo’s work, and even more appropriate that this exhibition opened on March 21 – Human Rights Day, previously known as Sharpeville Day; it was shortly after the Sharpeville massacre in 1960 that the ANC instructed Tambo to leave the country and establish a mission in exile – an enormous undertaking that was to engage him for the next 30 years.
Says Iziko Museums of South Africa chief executive officer, Rooksana Omar: “The victory against apartheid was the work of many dedicated and committed individuals; people who selflessly sacrificed to make the “better life for all” dream a reality for the people of this country.
It is appropriate that we pay tribute to OR Tambo – a Struggle hero and people’s champion – at the Iziko Slave Lodge. Once a space associated with inequalities – a building with a complex and often painful history, today it is a space connecting us to our past, raising awareness of issues of human rights, equality and justice.”
Visitors need to take their time with this exhibition, which consists of full-colour panels of text and images following Tambo’s early years and education; his efforts as freedom fighter; the mission in exile; building international solidarity and negotiating the future. I walked away with the impression of a man of great wisdom and intelligence, who preferred to quietly get on with the hard work outside of the limelight. I also gained a new appreciation for the sacrifices made by many men and women, who often laid down their lives so that they could bring about a great change in this country.
I realise now also how precious South Africa’s hard-won democracy is. Tambo’s life serves as a reminder of everything that made the ANC a great organisation.
I am left in awe of Oliver Tambo, who rose from humble beginnings to become a steadfast leader. A founding member of the ANC Youth League, as president he held the ANC together when many of the organisation’s most important members were incarcerated on Robben Island.
I’ve been offered a glimpse into South Africa’s complex past and have a better appreciation of events that impact the present. More importantly, I’d like to learn more. Tambo’s story and others like his need to be told, so that we do not repeat the mistakes of the past.
l The Iziko Slave Lodge, on the corner of Adderley and Wale Streets, Cape Town, is open Monday to Saturday from 10am until 5pm. See www.iziko.org.za - Sunday Independent