What we know for sure is that had we lived differently as a species, there would probably be no need to have a Day of Reconciliation. Because, mostly, it is a day when we remember how large the failures, the hurt, the pain and the self-inflicted suffering. This, down the generations. Never learning from our mistakes.
I worked in the field of HIV/Aids in KwaZulu-Natal in the early 1990’s. The virus had just begun to take hold in the country but, just as it is with Covid, conspiracy theories abounded; nonsense was taken as truth; lies and distorted thinking went unchallenged.
Our MD, Michael Worsnip, looks back at the rationale behind the design of the ‘Genus Homo’ exhibit at Maropeng. He discusses why it was critical that South Africa’s history as well as the diversity of humanity on the planet be taken into consideration when deciding how to represent modern humans in this exhibit.
A poem by Maropeng MD, Michael Worsnip