A Remembrance of Things Past  - Memory and the Military in South Africa

A series reflecting on Remembrance Day and the layered history of South Africa. November 11 is universally associated with the remembrance of those who had died in the First World War. At 11 am on 11 November 1918, the guns on the Western Front fell silent after more than four years of continuous warfare. In South Africa, Remembrance Day is a heady mix - it commemorates the fallen soldiers of WW1, WW2, the Korean War and the wars associated with the dismantling of apartheid. Marked at the Cenotaph in Johannesburg by a service, The Cenotaph (from Greek kenotaphion, “empty tomb,monument, sometimes in the form of a tomb, to a person who is buried elsewhere.”),is an inclusive war memorial, having been rededicated to all South Africans who died for freedom in all wars and conflicts. It has mostly gained acceptance in the post-apartheid period among war veterans from all sections of the population.

'Reconciliation is an inspiring idea but if it is only an idea it will eat you up. True reconciliation is beyond right and wrong, beyond romance, beyond revenge. When you can wave goodbye to your fears and hopes and be fully present with the person in front of you - whoever that may be - only then can we talk of reconciliation.In this country we have astonishing role models for this, both famous and unknown, so we must keep our eyes open. From the outside it sometimes looks difficult -impossible, even -but when it does happen there is no question of easy or difficult -it just fills our lives to the top. It needs attention, it needs courage and it needs sincerity-but at the end of the day it just needs doing and then things are very clear. After all, what other option do we have?" Anthony Osler, Zen Master and author of Stoep Zen