Remembering a traumatic past

In my reading of slavery I came across an initiative called The Slave Dwelling Project where they provide prospective clients with an overnight stay in accommodation previously occupied by slaves.

Founded by Joseph McGill who wanted to feel closer to his past, the initiative has grown into presentations at universities and a yearly conference. McGill co-wrote (with Herb Fraziera) a book on his experiences called Sleeping with the Ancestors.

At first glance this idea seemed scary to me. Won’t one meet ghosts, real or imaginary, from a past that is bound to make one feel uncomfortable? However, after reading the objectives of this enterprise I could see the merits.

The aim is to:

Change the narrative of American history and address the legacies of slavery,
Preserve and sustain slave dwellings,
Promote education about slavery and the contributions of African Americans

Then I realised that in the current climate of finally facing our traumatic history of slavery this could benefit those in South Africa interested in examining and coming to terms with their past.

To my limited knowledge there isn’t really a focussed drive in our country to search for and preserve dwellings of the slave past, apart from officially preserved buildings like the Slave Lodge and various museums.

The desire to interact with the traumatic events in the past is fairly new here and there are still those (mostly descendants of the masters) who feel that the past should be forgotten and everyone should “move on”.

Among the core values of the Slave Dwelling Project that I think will be useful to us at the southern tip of Africa are:

Uplift the voices of the enslaved
Tell the truth, keep it real – no sugarcoating
Accept psychological and physical discomfort in service to our Mission
Tell stories that help us learn and connect
Ground our work in researched history
Collaborate and work as a team

You can find out more about this project by following this link
https://slavedwellingproject.org/