There is limited to no information on the role of black women in the South African War or their part in the concentration camps. A lot of literature focuses on the sufferings of Boer women and children in the camps (Wassermann 2005:334). The struggles experienced by Black women during the South African war has been somehow side-lined. The roles and sufferings of the Boer women has always formed an important part in the historical literature of the South African War (Wassermann 2005:334). In cases where the role or suffering of black women is mentioned, it has always been through the lenses of the Boer women or as a part of a shared suffering. The commemoration of women in general has always been overlooked. More so the commemoration of black women and this is something that we don’t often discuss in research. Therefore, there is some sort of amnesia that exists around this topic. The presentation will focus on the amnesia that exists on the commemoration of Black women who suffered during the South African War.

Dr Mpho Manaka (nee Maripane) is a lecturer in Archaeology at the University of South Africa and founder of the Pretoria Archaeology Club for Schools. Trained as an archaeologist from the University of Pretoria, Dr Manaka has spent the last few years studying and pursuing a career in historical archaeology. Her main focus is on conflict and how war events of the past still continue to shape current politics. Over and above her qualifications, she holds a short course certificate in battlefield archaeology from the University of Oxford. She is passionate about the inclusion of history and archaeology in the basic education curricula.

• Date: Thursday, 01 June 2023 Time: 19:30
• Venue: The Auditorium, Roedean School,
•  35 Princess of Wales Terrace, Parktown, Johannesburg
• Charge: Non-members: R50, members: free