The Department of Military Veterans

5th Annual Imbokodo Lecture dares to challenge the status quo

25 August 2022

In drawing Women’s Month to a close, the Department of Military Veterans (DMV) in partnership with Robben Island Museum (RIM) and Freedom Park (FP) is hosting the annual Imbokodo Lecture at Freedom Park in Gauteng, this coming Friday 26 August 2022.

Initiated by RIM in 2018, the Imbokodo Lecture Series, deliberately hosted in August annually, forms part of RIM’s educational programs. Its primary objective is to create a platform for critical debate and exchange of ideas about the past and reflect on actions for the present and future generations of South African women.

The 5th RIM Imbokodo Lecture will focus on the lives and roles of women who spent time on Robben Island (RI) and other prisons during the period of banishment and exile, with Krotoa being at the forefront. The aim of this colloquium is to acknowledge and appreciate women’s struggles -as an integral part of the liberation movement amidst the popular skewed patriarchal dominant perspective.

“In 2022 Krotoa, whose name means, a girl in the wardship of others, becomes the figurehead for the Imbokodo colloquium but we mark her role and that of the women who were sent to the Island before and after her and the many women who are military veterans and served time in exile or in prison. The sad reality is that most of the women have not been given identity and we suspect that others did not enter the archival records. This non-entry to the archival record may have been influenced by the focus authorities had to record keeping at that time,” said Abigail Thulare, RIM CEO

The DMV represents the interest of all women military veterans and their dependents, including women military veterans living with disabilities. It unites women military veterans organizations, whose members have experienced the sufferings of conflict and war, and whose forces fought side by side or faced each other in combat, but whom today want to contribute to the maintenance of a democratic and united South Africa.

“The significant role played by women military veterans in the struggle for freedom, democracy reconstruction and development of our country, ought to be acknowledged and as such celebrated and honoured daily,” said DMV DG Irene Mpolweni.

Women such as Krotoa, Katyi and a host of unnamed women who endured the harsh treatment at the hands of different masters on Robben Island (RI) and other prisons throughout South Africa should be honored.

The current unending struggles of women of South Africa, Africa and the world did not start from the 21st century but rather are a struggle that spans the centuries. This year’s Imbokodo Lecture shines the spotlight on this rich background of women struggles over the centuries. Through this colloquium RIM, DMV and FP will celebrate the social, economic, cultural, academic, and political achievements of women, by providing a safe space for critical debate, lifelong learning and intergenerational dialogue.