My interest is uncovering stories of people who prided themselves on the richness of their environment, heritage and culture. This knowledge provides me with clarity about my humanity, identity and the mission that defines my world view. I am a !Xam, KHOE women, aboriginal descendant of the first indigenous peoples and later our enslaved fore-bearers on whose backs the phenomenal wealth of this l
and was built. I make no apologies for rejecting the authorised narrative and telling authentic stories which have been untold for centuries as a form of resistance. I worked and studied at Iziko National Museums of Cape Town for 10 years (1998-2008), first at Groot Constantia Museum followed by an internship at the Slave Lodge Museum,
As part of the internship I concluded a mini thesis on Cape Slavery at University of the Western Cape under the guidian-ship of historian Dr Andrew Banks. My studies in museums and heritage at the Robben Island museum gave me the opportunity to engage and work on projects with other countries, in this case - Sweden and Zimbabwe, many museum practitioners who, like ourselves, were challenged to turn colonial collections into African peoples’ museums. Transcending History Tours is essentially a labor of love, that reflects a deeply personal story. It is not a mainstream tour company. We reach behind the veil of shame to draw out inspiring stories of people that crossed borders and mixed their blood centuries ago. Those who transcended dispossession, genocide, slavery and servitude. We emphasise and acknowledge the deep scars of colonialism and apartheid on our lives as Capetonians and South Africans today. By speaking our truth we are starting to heal the inter-generational
trauma of the genocide of the First People and the legacy of the Afro-Asian slave trade to Cape Town. We affirm our cross cultural relationships and inter-connectedness San, Khoi, San, Nguni and enslaved peoples. Part of our work includes addressing the legacy of prejudice between ‘Black’ and ‘Coloured’ people. My work is about creating a deeper consciousness about freedom and democracy which includes dismantling patriarchy and the solidarity of LGBTIQA+ persons.
