THE FUSE

I still remember how, more than 50 years ago, Miss Ontong, our Grade 4 teacher, read us the story of “Onse Jan”. The history of the three ships that arrived in Cape Town on 6 April 1652 was gripping. Recent disagreements about the proposed new history curriculum made me think back to that story. Much water has flowed into Table Bay since then, as we have since become disillusioned by the realisation that the “facts” of the time did not tell the full story. This reminds me of the African proverb: Until the lion has his or her own storyteller, the hunter will always have the best part of the story.