A French delegation visit South Africa to commemorate the battle of Dellville Wood during the First World War, where more than 3 000 South African soldiers died between 15 to 19 July when they captured and held the wood against German artillery. Arts and Culture Minister, Nathi Mthetwa, hosted the French delegation, which included Jany Fournier, the mayor of Longueval, the village next to the battlefield.
I was honoured when the Mayor of Longueval Municipality in France, Mr Jany Fournier asked to come to South Africa because he has ensured that we enjoy great honour & prestige in the Municipality he leads by naming the street in front of the memorial as “SOUTH AFRICA STREET”. pic.twitter.com/wpOZKeJMqU
— Min. Nathi Mthethwa (@NathiMthethwaSA) February 15, 2019
Out of the 3 153 men that entered the wood only 142 men walked out of the wood. The battle of Dellville Wood was a slaughter. Nothing was left except for one living witness that is still there, which is a tree that survived the 1916 battles.
Thapedi Masanabo, the curator of the South African museum at Delville Wood in France, takes care of the memory of the fallen South Africans.
“The memorial site dates back to 1926 and what you have in the museum, tells the story of South Africa’s participation in World War One and World War Two.”
Masanabo says, at one stage, there were 21 000 black South Africans in France that served as a labour corps.
“The battle of Delville Wood was fought exclusively by white South Africans, and then the very first black South Africans to come to France arrived on 20 November 1916. That is a few months later. The majority were deployed in the harbour because they were not allowed to fight. What discouraged them from carrying arms was their skin colour according to the white South African and British standards of the time.”
Thousands of Black South Africans however, also died during the Great War. Their names have been added to the Wall of Names at Freedom Park. Arts and Culture Minister Nathi Mthetwa says that as government, they need to correct history.
“It was a very painful experience that South Africans of all colours left their home soil to participate in the First World War. They fought side by side, they fought together black white everybody, but in death they were separated; separated by the discriminatory law of the former rulers of this country and we have decided as the democratic government that we need to correct history.”
Min @NathiMthethwaSA now addresses the French Delegation and distinguished audience. https://t.co/HOnLMZUiQR
— Arts & Culture (@ArtsCultureSA) February 15, 2019
— Arts & Culture (@ArtsCultureSA) February 15, 2019
Jany Fournier, the mayor of Longueval, says history of the battle have cemented the relationship between South Africa and his village.
“To me, it is something that is emotional for me the relations that have been created so far between South Africa and the village of Longueval with the memorial that they have and the commemorations that they have every year.”
Every year in July, the village commemorates the fallen South Africans with ceremonies.
Watch: Tonight as we commemorated the lives of those who sacrifed themselves for our own sake, I was encouraged in knowing that we have not lost our identity, that we are passing on our ways & our culture to the new generation who will preserve it through our African art forms. pic.twitter.com/RjJDsdvVZu
— Min. Nathi Mthethwa (@NathiMthethwaSA) February 15, 2019
