Genadendal Valley of Grace: A long walk through the history of the first mission station in South Africa by Isaac HT Balie, Shumani Printers 2020
This year marks the 25th anniversary of the renaming of the presidential residence in Cape Town. Cultural historian, Dr Isaac Balie wrote a comprehensive memorandum to the former State president, Nelson Mandela for the name change.
On 1 February 1995, Nelson Mandela made an official announcement that Westbrooke on the Groote Schuur Estate would be renamed Genadendal. On 10 October 1995, Mandela went on a visit to meet the Genadendal inhabitants in the Overberg town and to hear their stories of the early pioneer work in South Africa. Included in his tour, was a visit to the Genadendal Mission Museum, whose content were declared as National Cultural Treasure in 1991 - to experience the tangible evidence of their rich spiritual, educational, economic and cultural contributions during Genadendal's golden period.
Cultural historian, Dr Isaac Balie weaves historical observations and secondary sources into his narrative and provides an annotated bibliography which will assist those seeking to undertake further research. By tracing the development of Genadendal, this fully illustrated book is strongly recommended to both scholars and casual readers. This book release is scheduled for Thursday, 24 September 2020 on the Genadendal historical square.
For media enquiries and book orders, please contact: genadendalmuseum@gmail.com or +27 827620644