Life@NMMU: Honouring the women of our past

Journalist Nicky Willemse gets a quote from keynote speaker Chief Margaret Coetzee Williams

I obtained a "B" for history in my final exam in matric a few decades ago. Perhaps I obtained the symbol because I studied it as if I was a puppet and had a great memory. But that was way back then.

Oral history is much more exciting and I can just imagine hanging on every word of people like Saartjie Baartman, Dora Nginza and Molly Blackburn as we would walk back into time.

Guest blogger Roslyn Baatjies

Beautiful panels against the walls and hanging from the ceiling of the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University’s exhibition centre - perfectly laid-out by the NMMU graphic designer Elmien Waring – tell these stories as the exhibition pays homage to the role of women in the shaping of the Eastern Cape’s history.

And no, it is not only the stories of the contributions of the well-known women like Sarah Baartman, Dora Nginza, Molly Blackburn whose names are synonymous with changing times in the Eastern Cape that can be viewed in this exhibition.

The opening of the exhibition last night gave us the opportunity to view and/or read the contribution of so many other fearless women covering the period from the late 1700s to contemporary South Africa.

The exhibition includes factual and anecdotal information, poetry and photographs. Among the stories documented are those of the province’s first missionaries and settlers like Janet Soga, a Scot who was married to the first black Xhosa minister; Harriet Ward, the province’s first journalist, and botanist Mary Elizabeth Barber, who used to exchange ideas with Charles Darwin.

Having been born and raised in the city’s northern areas, it was interesting to note that the Gelvandale area was named after a strong woman - trade unionist Katie Gelvan. And was I surprised when I saw that the women of Kirkwood, where I spent my high school years, were also featured. Yes, I was!

Adding to the beautiful event were the speakers like Chief of the Khoisan people Margaret Coetzee Williams who, in her address on Sarah Baartman, focused on the importance of how Saartjie’s return home should remind us of the restoration of the dignity of all "the people in the womb of Mother Earth".

NMMU Vice-Chancellor Prof Derrick Swartz welcomed guests at the launch of the exhibition

Verne Harris from the Nelson Mandela Foundation focused his address on "Patriarchies of the Post-Apartheid" and imparted insight into the late Nelson Mandela’s respect for and empowerment of women.

But what would an event like this be without ingredients like the perfect location, good food, drink, music and company. The lawn in front of the NMMU Governance Building on the Second Avenue Campus was the perfect spot for the event in a big tent; even the flowers in the garden smiled at being part of the occasion.

I have to return to the exhibition to read all about these strong women. Perhaps I will be motivated to make a greater contribution to the area where I live.

The exhibition is open daily until November 2015.