During the first nine decades of Bloemfontein’s existence as capital of either a Boer republic or a British territory, the city received an impressive array of royal visitors from abroad, particularly from Britain. While all of them visited Bloemfontein as part of a tour of the central region or the whole country, they either insisted or were keen on visiting the city.

Almost 150 years ago, Bishop Charles Jolivet and four Sisters of the Holy Family Congregation in Pietermaritzburg arrived in Bloemfontein by ox wagon to establish a Catholic school and convent. The newly built red-brick double-story convent building, designed by the talented Bishop Jolivet, stood at the top end of Green Street behind the First Raadsaal. Entrance to the property was obtained from the nearby Eunice Road (President Brand Street).

Human memory is enthralling in that it can record experiences, store them away in a deep vault of subconsciousness and hearken back triggered with the right questions and guidance from an oral historian. It is a symbolic role in the construction of a historical memory, actively promoting the need not to forget and developing in different ways and in a variety of settings the symbols and events, that would foster the preservation of the vivid recollection of the lived traumatic experience.

Thirty years after the end of apartheid it is hard to imagine what life was like for black South Africans under the apartheid rule (1948–1994). Although this period in South Africa’s troubled history is well documented, the testimonies of people’s personal experiences of apartheid portray a startling picture of conditions in the so-called ‘locations’ (townships). Interviews conducted with elderly residents of Bloemfontein’s (Mangaung) Batho township (est. 1918) by oral historians of the National Museum provided interviewees with an opportunity to testify about their experiences of the apartheid system.

Each year Bloemfontein’s Catholic Portuguese celebrate their May Feast at the Sacred Heart Cathedral in St George Street. This religious festival – typically held over a weekend in May – honours Our Lady of Fátima. Rosa Maria Jardim of Bloemfontein explained that the local May Feast was originally initiated by the Portuguese community to “honour and thank the Virgin Mary for blessings received”.