n Historia - Valuable insight into South Africa's violent past

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Because they Chose the Plan of God: The Story of the Bulhoek Massacre of 24 May 1921, Robert Edgar : book review

Abstract

It has become increasingly evident in recent years that knowing about past injustices can help in teaching important lessons for the future as well as healing the wounded South African nation. This little book comprising eight chapters, along with numerous illustrations, provides a narrative of the Bulhoek Massacre of 1921. Various historians have written about the origins of, the casualties in and the reactions to this massacre. Flowing from his PhD thesis on the Bulhoek Massacre, completed in 1977, Robert Edgar here provides a summation of that material as well as some updated information on the topic (this book is essentially a reprint of the 1986 Ravan Press edition). In order to explain how and why this massacre happened, the book describes the life history of Enoch Mgijima, an African prophet, and the activities and beliefs of his followers, the "Israelites."