The new St George’s Cathedral Crypt Memory and Witness Centre launched its activities by commemorating 13 September 1989 – when more than 30 000 South African’s marched from the Cathedral to the Grand Parade to protest agains the violence of the apartheid regime and to claim the rights of citizens of this nation.

This peace march caught the imagination of all South Africans and solidarity marches sprang up every where: 85 000 in Uitenhage; 50 000 in Bloemfontein; 40 000 in East London; 20 000 in King Williams Town; 20 000 in Durban; 18 000 in Johannesburg; 7 500 in Kimberley; 5 000 in Oudtshoorn and 2 000 in Grahamstown.

“Nothing, nothing can overwhelm the spirit of a people that yearn to be free. They are unstoppable.” – Patron Archbishop Emiritus Desmond Tutu

Sunday, 13 September: twenty year later saw South Africans commemorating this day in history with a special service in the Cathedral coordinated by Fr. Terry Lester. “We seek to celebrate the courage and endurance of the human spirit in its quest fro freedom to remember the names of those whose names we don’t know,” said Fr. Terry.

A special tribute was also made to the 23 people who lost their lives in te aftermath of the 6 September 1989 tri-cameral parliament election, and the many, known and unknown, who have lost their lives in the struggle against apartheid.

And in celebrating a whole new beginning in remembering, the St George’s Cathedral Crypt and Memory and Withness Centre launched a unique exhibition earlier that week to capture the excitement, hope and heartbeat of the marches. The Cape Town Partnership was one of the contributors to fund this project.

The design of the exhibition is structured around three broad themes:

• The Darkest Moments – reminding us of the brutality of the apartheid police state, in which military occupation of the townships, detentions, torture and deaths in turn provoked sometimes violent responses.
• Standing for the Truth – the actions and campaigns carried out by the church, other religious communities and the mass democrativ movement in the quest for a new dispensation.
• The Peace Marches – a glimpse of hope and of a new way of being.

The public can view this unique exhibition daily from Monday to Friday from 09h00 till 16h00, Saturdays from 09h00 till 13h00 and Sundays from 08h00 – 10h00, and then after the service from 11h30 – 13h00.

For further information on the St George’s Cathedral Crypt Memory and Witness Centre, contact Fr. Terry Lester on 021 424 7360 or write to them at Crypt@sgcathedral.co.za or visit the website at www.stgeorgescathedral.com

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