“Before we started this project, Hardekraaltjie only existed in the memory of the community.”

– Chefferino Fortuin
Community liaison of the Hardekraaltjie project and co-editor.

This book invites readers to share in the memories of members of the former Tiervlei community in the Western Cape of South Africa.

Their narratives bridge the realms of history, culture and memory while memorializing the lives of the community and their memories of their ancestors buried at the Hardekraaltjie cemetery. The void of information regarding the cemetery and its relation to the people of Tiervlei, currently known as Ravensmead, is filled by the oral accounts of the narratives shared in this book. The Hardekraaltjie cemetery was opened in 1910 and closed in 1946. This book should also serve as a community resource for use in classrooms, discussions of family histories and the development of a greater understanding of the lived experiences of people facing a set of circumstances as expressed in the narratives contained in this book.

This book could be the pioneer of a series of literary museums that encapsulates overlooked and forgotten community histories in South Africa.