Missing Decades, Hidden Labor: Reconstructing and Interpreting Industrial Heritage in South Africa
By Sarah Rovang, 2017 H. Allen Brooks Fellow
Standing in Pretoria’s Church Square a few weeks back, the sounds and sights of urban construction were omnipresent. Dozens of workers hefted shovels and axes under the midday sun as part of a new public work, stripping the existing surface of the square in preparation for a larger renovation. As I paused to snap a few photos of the statue of Dutch Boer president Paul Kruger at the square’s center, I heard laughter as a voice from behind me called out “You should take our picture — we are the real heroes!”