Living memorial planned

A LIVING memorial that will instil pride in the people of the northern areas is on the cards for Bethelsdorp.

The development of a cultural living memorial is the brainchild of the Northern Areas History and Heritage Project (NAHHP), which has partnered with the municipality.

The project is still in its early stages, but it is hoped the development will highlight the history of one of city’s oldest areas.

The centre will host various cultural and heritage programmes, as well as exhibitions.

It will also host youth dialogue programmes which will look at issues affecting the area.

A meeting will take place at Sanctor High School at 6pm today to discuss the plan.

The memorial will be home to various cultural activities aimed at attracting residents, specifically the youth.

NAHHP member Colin Abrahams said: “So many people have suffered from the injustices of the past, and through this project we aim to bring pride and integrity back to the people of the northern areas.”

He said the memorial would cater to people from all corners of the northern areas by hosting cultural activities, as well as various exhibitions to highlight the plight of the people during some of the area’s darkest days.

Municipal spokesman Mthubanzi Mniki said the partnership was logical because the NAHHP had invested a lot of time and effort into researching the project.

“It is a community project and cannot be done by the city alone,” he said.

“There is a lot of work, including research, that has been done by the NAHHP and therefore it makes sense to partner rather than starting the process afresh.”

Mniki said a site in Varsvlei, Bethelsdorp, had already been earmarked as a possible location for the memorial.