The South African
In July 2016, South Africa will commemorate the Centenary of the WWI Battle of Delville Wood, when 3 200 troops of the South African Infantry Brigade arrived on the battlefield of Delville Wood in the department of La Somme (France). This battle became one of the deadliest Somme engagements of the First World War, in which the Union of South Africa lost almost two-thirds of the complement of its Overseas Expeditionary Force in less than a week of warfare.
As part of the remembrance of the Delville Wood battle, the French Institute of South Africa, the Alliance française network, the Goethe Institut and the South African Holocaust & Genocide Foundation are organising a series of events in Johannesburg, Durban and Cape Town to commemorate the Union of South Africa's engagement in the First World War. This project has obtained the "Label du Centenaire", a French certification highlighting the most innovative and structured projects around the memory of WWI.
Historians will participate in a shared discussion of a century of commemoration of WWI in South Africa. Playwright and director Sylvaine Strike will create a performance alongside an exciting young cast to poetically convey the experience of young men who volunteered to be sent to the European battlefront, as well as the feelings back home in South Africa, a country geographically remote from the worst horrors of WWI. Finally, a showcase of animated short movies about WWI will be screened to provide a contemporary perspective on these events and experiences.
In Johannesburg
Thursday 9 June | 19.00 | Goethe Institut
(119 Jan Smuts Ave, Parkwood, Johannesburg)
Round-table on the Memory of WWI in South Africa with Bill Nasson (Stellenbosch University), Tilman Dedering (UNISA) and Marion Edmunds (documentary director)
Friday 10 June | 19.00 | Alliance Française of Johannesburg
(17 Lower Park Dr, Parkview, Johannesburg)
Screening of Animated Short Films on WWI
In Durban
Tuesday 14 June 2016
10.00 | Durban Holocaust Centre (by invitation only)
18.30 | Durban Holocaust Centre
Performance of the play Devil’s Wood, directed by Sylvaine Strike (with Daniel Geddes, Thabo Rametsi & Tishiwe Ziqubu)
Wednesday 15 June | 18.00 | Cape Town French School
Performance of the play Devil’s Wood, directed by Sylvaine Strike (with Daniel Geddes, Thabo Rametsi & Tishiwe Ziqubu)
More information
www.ifas.org.za
Last updated 23 May 2016