14 December

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 conceptualization, organization 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.