1.2 THE STORY OF SARAH BARTMANN
On 9 August 2002, the remains of Sarah Bartmann, a South African KhoiSan woman, were laid to rest in the area of her birth, the Gamtoos River Valley in the Eastern Cape.
She was born in 1789 near Hankey, in an era of conflict and uncertainty. Captured as a slave, she was taken to Cape Town and from there, shipped off to London where she became the object of racial exploitation, having been displayed as a “scientific curiosity”.
She was then moved to Paris, where she continued to be exhibited by an animal trainer in degrading displays for public amusement. Here she caught the attention of French scientists, who subjected her to further humiliation. She died at the age of 25, as the result of a succession of illnesses which were never given proper medical attention.
Her body parts were preserved and exhibited in the Museum of Natural History in Paris, where they remained on display until 1974, after which they were placed in storage.
From the 1940s a few attempts were made to have her remains returned to South Africa, but the case only became prominent after the eminent American biologist Stephen Jay Gould published an account of her in the 1980s after he had come across her remains in a store room of the Paris Museum.
In 1994, when Nelson Mandela became president of the newly democratic South Africa, he launched an international campaign requesting the French National Assembly to have her remains returned to the land of her birth for a proper and dignified burial.
After much debate and public consultation, the place of burial was decided upon. It was a small koppie or hill called Vergaderingskop, (meaning “meeting hill”) just outside the rural town of Hankey, overlooking the green Gamtoos River Valley in the Eastern Cape where Sarah was born.
The funeral date was set for 9 August, Women's Day in South Africa and International Indigenous People's Day.
Her remains arrived on South African soil on 3 May 2002 and, after 187 years, she was finally home. The casket was flown to Cape Town and on Sunday 4 August a KhoiSan cleansing ritual and dressing ceremony took place in preparation for her burial.
On Friday 9 August, about 2 500 people gathered around the koppie in Hankey to celebrate her life and attend her state funeral.
“It was a day of music, dance, poetry, theatre, praise-singing and speeches.” But, more importantly, it was a day that became a pivotal point for the descendants of KhoiSan people in search of their ancestral identity.
A poem written by the South African poet Diana Ferrus was read out at her funeral, as it was this piece of writing that played a key role in personalising her story and persuading the French government to support Mandela's campaign to bring Sarah back home.
Sarah Bartmann can be regarded as one of the most famous KhoiSan people of her time, and she has come to be regarded as a national symbol of the marginalised first peoples of Southern Africa. She is also a figure representing the struggle for gender equity, human rights and racial equity. Her gravesite therefore represents the reaffirmation of human rights, the dignity of women and the promotion of national reconciliation through the recognition of the marginalised cultures of Southern Africa, more particularly the KhoiSan.
In her introduction “Connecting the Individual and the Social” , Yvette Abrahams reminds us of the historical reality that the original KhoeKhoe name of 'Sarah Bartmann' is not known as the result of the dehumanising nature of colonial slavery. The name “Sarah Bartmann”, its spelling, pronunciation and final adoption by the Reference Group is sourced from her baptismal certificate, which she carried until her death. She was baptized into the Anglican Church while in Britain on 7 December 1811 and this certificate remains the only known official record relating to her. However, the name, “Sartjie" is commonly used both affectionately and disrespectfully, depending on one's historical outlook and intentions. For the Reference Group, the official adoption of the name “Sarah Bartmann” was part of the quest of reclaiming her identity, respect and heritage.
A POEM FOR SARA BAARTMAN
I've come to take you home – home, remember the veld?
the lush green cool grass beneath the big oak trees
the air is cool there and the sun does not burn.
I have made your bed at the foot of the hill,
your blankets are covered in buchu and mint,
the proteas stand in yellow and white
and the water in the stream chuckle sing-songs
as it hobbles along over little stones.
I have come to wretch you away –
away from the poking eyes
of the man-made monster
who lives in the dark
with his clutches of imperialism
who dissects your body bit by bit
who likens your soul to that of Satan
and declares himself the ultimate god!
I have come to soothe your heavy heart
I offer my bosom to your weary soul
I will cover your face with the palms of my hands
I will run my lips over lines in your neck
I will feast my eyes on the beauty of you
and I will sing for you
for I have come to bring you peace.
I have come to take you home
where the ancient mountains shout your name.
I have made your bed at the foot of the hill,
your blankets are covered in buchu and mint,
the proteas stand in yellow and white –
I have come to take you home by Dianna Ferrus