Reconciliation Commission (TRC) Exhibition at the Red Location Museum, Nelson
Mandela Metro.
14 December 2006
Programme Director,
Distinguished guests,
Friends,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
It is indeed an honour and a privilege for me to be participating in this
occasion and to open this very significant exhibition.
This exhibition has three components. There is the Main Exhibition entitled
"A visual journey through the process of the Truth Commission," prepared by the
Foundation for Human Rights.
Then, there are two other components known as the Memory Boxes 1 and 2.
Memory Box 1 , which is entitled "Traces of Truth," is a selection of
posters from the apartheid era, audio recordings of the TRC hearings and
internet linkages to the SA History Archives website on the TRC. This
exhibition was also prepared by the Foundation for Human Rights.
Memory Box 2 is entitled "Breaking the silence � Aluta Continua." This is a
selection of art material and body maps created by the survivors (or victims,
if you like) in a series of "Healing of Memories" workshops.
I'm not the curator of this exhibition but I'm just giving you free
information before you move around to view it.
I would like to congratulate all those who have been involved in the
conceptualisation, organisation and curatorship of this exhibition. I believe
it is an excellent expression of our collective memory but also very
moving.
For those of us who did not have the opportunity to witness the TRC process,
this is an opportunity to go on that journey tonight, to also experience the
pain, and be part of that collective memory.
No doubt, it will be stark reminder of the legacies of the past but there
are also lessons that we can learn.
May we never forget the past and may we use this exhibition as a launching
pad to strive even more earnestly for justice, reconciliation and peace in our
country.
It is now my pleasure and privilege to declare this TRC Exhibition
officially opened. I thank you.
Issued by: Department of Arts and Culture
14 December 2006
Source: Department of Arts and Culture (http://www.dac.gov.za/)
