History, Truth Telling and the Legacies of Slavery in South Africa

Abstract

If South Africa is to overcome its legacies of apartheid, it needs to address the deeper historical foundations of the country's present-day inequalities and strained social relations. In particular, how Cape slavery helped establish patterns of socioeconomic and racial inequality from which apartheid later emerged. Since 1994, new museum galleries and a revised national curriculum have sought to do this. However, Cape slavery's links to apartheid have often been oversimplified and its legacies downplayed. Mistrust of coloured identity politics has also seen museums shy away from exploring coloured perspectives on Cape slavery, further undermining efforts to understand the impact of Cape slavery on South African society. This article argues that returning to the values of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) could help South Africa's museums and schools enhance their approach to exploring the history of Cape slavery, its links to apartheid and its harmful legacies. Museums...