ALL ABOUT KALLIE

Dear Reader

I have been working as an academic researcher in South African political history since 1970. Most of it during the so called Apartheid dispenstation of South Africa. However, my aim is not to ellaborate on the legacies of Apartheid, but to take out the good of the past and build onto that. As a former president of the old Transvaal Republic, the very old wise Pres Paul Kruger, had phrased it: "Take the good from of the past and build the future on it." Most of the time I had to research the work of political leaders but never had the chance to research my own history. Maybe most of us have the urge to write an autobiography in some form or another. Especially when you realise the importance of history and the preservation of information. Unfortunately modern times people do not give much value to history anymore. In South Africa the trend is to take maths and science and computer courses in schools and universities. Science, engineering and technology are all seem as more important than history because history cannot get you the demanded academic credits or a suitable career path. True scientists of course will not agree because the study of civil history differentiates into a array of disciplines. Students cannt understand a specific discipline without knowing the background (read history) of a subject. In short, the history or background or origin or birthdate or date of commemoration is important. For example 9/11. Although it is contemporary history, it will always be a very significant date in the foreseeable future and thereby hangs a tale...

Journalists are actually contemporary historians. Oral history is recorded everyday even in an audiovisual fashion.

And then there are private document collections of political leaders which are donated to libraries (e.g the Library of Congress in Washington DC Public Record Office in London ) or musea or research institutions.

In the same way Blogger.com is an opportunity to preserve contemporary- old-or ancient history for the layman in the street. Not all people need to be famous to establish their own archives such as the Ronald Reagen arhive in the USA as for example. Subsequently my kareldebeer.blogger.com will contain my own differentiated version of history in the making. As part and parcel of Citizen Journalism. Afterall, the 'de beer' name perpetuated into the well known diamond company's name: DeBeers. My idea is to link my direct and indirect relatives to this very interesting part of our personal family history in Kimberley and Petrusburg, South Africa and beyond.