12th ANNUAL MPUMALANGA ORAL HISTORY CONFERENCE
01 September 2026
Mashishing - The Department of Culture, Sport and Recreation will officially be hosting the 12th Annual Mpumalanga Oral History Conference from 9 - 11 September 2026 in Thaba Chweu Local Municipality.
“This year’s Conference will be hosted under the theme: Narratives of Justice: Oral Histories of Humanity, the Rule of Law and Voices of Democracy.”
“The Conference aims to assist communities in retrieving neglected indigenous and community knowledge as a way of promoting social, economic and cultural development. Furthermore, it facilitates interdepartmental synergies and partnerships with other stakeholders to ensure that oral history is integrated in all public initiatives as well as to close gaps that exist in the current history of the province,” says MEC Leah Mabuza.
The Conference will be a three-day event comprising of various pillars:
1.
Presentations of Conference Papers based on the Theme and sub-themes by researchers. These will range from learners, novices, to highly academic papers.
2.
Exhibitions by Museums, Library Services, crafters and publishers.
3.
An excursion to Boomplaats Bakone Historical Settlement with a Time Travel Experience titled, “The land belongs to us” by Johannes Dinkwanyane (1842-1876). This is an educational method using local heritage in a learning process, to create reflection on contemporary issues and provide tools for community building.
The details are arranged as follows:
DATE: 09 – 11 September 2026
VENUE: Mashishing Town Hall (Lydenburg Civic Centre), Thaba Chweu Local Municipality, Ehlanzeni District
TIME: 08:00 – 16:00 (daily)