Krotoa is present: A 17th Century story that refuses to die

The story of Krotoa !Goa /gõas of the Goringhaicona is very relevant in contemporary South Africa. This narrative of a young woman who grew up in the household of Jan van Riebeeck and who was battered by a clash of cultures, highlights a neglected and contested aspect of our shared history. The proposed book as well as Sylvia Vollenhoven’s play Krotoa Eva van de Kaap, connects the dots between what happened in the 17th Century and what is still happening in the modern world.
Krotoa Is Present also delves into the turning point for Krotoa’s story that lay dormant for so long? What has brought it alive in the 21st Century, to mean so many different things to so many people? It is a complex journey. Along the way the writer engages with the formal archive, modern experts, artists, activists, healers and an array of people who are connected to her story. Filming the author‘s journey offers dynamic extensions of the story‘s reach.
Events of the past and present are woven together so that history illuminates the modern developments and our current perspectives shine a light on the past. An important part of the story is having the courage to combine rational research with traditional knowledge and intuitive processes.