South African History Online

Speech by President Nelson Mandela at the re-dedication of the 1820 settlers monument

Grahamstown, 16 May 1996

Your grace;
Ladies and gentlemen,

There are monuments which stand as mute pointers to a fixed and ever-receding
past. Devoid of life, they have little meaning outside the history books and the
minds of learned people. This National Monument is not of that kind. If it were
it would not have found the resources to recover from the devastation if
suffered two years ago, and improve itself in the rebuilding.

There are monuments which are dedicated to commemorating the past in a way
which nurtures a particular tradition of our land, contributing to its vitality
and growth. Such living monuments make a contribution to our society and enrich
the life of our nation. But they may also exclude others. The 1820 Settlers
Monument, perhaps, started its life in that way.

There are monuments which open the past to scrutiny; recalling it in order to
illuminate it and transform it into part of our living and changing society; and
merging the tradition from which they emerged with the rich diversity of South
Africa's cultures. Such monuments, if they are successful, are a beacon for the
future of all our people as much as a memory of the past.

Because this monument has set itself the goal of belonging to this last
category, and because it has so forcefully identified with change and the
reconstruction of our country, it is a great honour for me to share in its
re-dedication today.

Pawns in a larger game, the 1820 Settlers came to the part of Africa at the
behest of an imperial power seeking to use its own poor and unemployed in a bid
to advance conquest and imperial ambitions. Though their own impulse to freedom
rendered them largely unsuitable for that task, they were nevertheless caught up
on the wrong side of history, unable or unwilling to acknowledge as equals those
into whose homeland they had been implanted.

The founders of the monument two decades ago sought to redeem that
limitation, without denying it, by dedicating the monument to the universal
application of the ideals which the English Settlers cherished for themselves.
Today, our country a democracy, and our people masters of their own destiny, we
are re-dedicating the monument to the universality of those ideals at a time
when we are working together to make them a reality for all.

Clearly, great strides have been taken in broadening the scope of the
Monument's activities and towards turning it into a national resource centre for
the arts and culture. By providing the infrastructure for the National Arts
Festival and the School Festivals; through the many cultural projects and
teacher training and development which it makes possible, the Monument is making
a significant contribution to our nation's cultural life and the education of
its people.

The plans for a National Festival of Science and Technology are most
encouraging. Apartheid's education system and the exploitation of science for
repressive purposes have, for most of South Africa's youth, robbed science and
technology of the excitement and the attraction which it should have.
Popularising science and demonstrating the capacity of technology to help us
meet the challenges of improving the quality of life will enrich South African
cultural and intellectual life.

These and other plans give reason for confidence that the Monument will rise
to the challenge we all face, turning our goals into reality. In particular the
far-reaching aim of making this national resource one which all our diverse
cultures feel to be truly their own, will require hard work. But it is a task we
must accomplish.

The coming of age of our democracy is also the recognition that national
unity and reconciliation live in the hearts of our people rather than in law.
The New Patriotism is a force that propels us towards a vital and unifying
national culture which respects, promotes and celebrates our diversity.

To the extent that this Monument succeeds in achieving its goals, it will
help us all to realise the broader vision of a new South Africa. In rededicating
this restored and improved building, we are reaffirming the purposes for which
it was built:

"That all might have life and have it more abundantly"

I therefore have the pleasure of unveiling the plaque commemorating the
restoration and re-opening of this Monument.

Issued by: Office of the President