Voortrekker Monument

Don’t go if you’re afraid of heights. When I went (as a small girl) I spent the entire time at the top clinging to my mother coz I was so scared … That’s all I remember … :) being scared and wearing a purple velvet skirt.

The significance of this building lies in the unification of a people, and as such it takes an important place in history.

It is also a major Art Deco expression.

The upper floors give excellent views of Pretoria.

It’s a destination laden with political emotions, for both black and white South Africans. For some people the Voortrekker Monument, more than any other building in South Africa, symbolizes apartheid. But to a great many Afrikaners, the Voortrekker Monument is a symbol of their roots as political and religious refugees from Europe, carving out a primitive existence with meagre resources, and eventually building something worth calling a nation.

The political message broadcast by the Voortrekker Monument is hard to ignore, but over the last few years I’ve felt comfortable taking non-South African (and non-white) friends to see the historical depictions on the inside. Clearly, between the black and white of apartheid, there are also some very emotional grey areas.