Dear Emily

Dear Emily Hobhouse

Were you aware, on your voyage on 7 December 1899 that you were on your way to save a nation? With your Aries starsign you were a natural caretaker, you were shocked to find out about the 34 concentration camps in 1900 – did it scare you away? Humiliate you to the core of what your nation is capable of? No you stayed….

You used your connections with your aunt to obtain the right to travel to Bloemfontein. Thank you for your report you wrote, “Report of a Visit to the Camps of Women and Children in the Cape and Orange River Colonies” which delivered seven months after your arrival, an investigation. Six months after your report, Lord Kitchener ceased to send families to the concentration camps. After their farms were cleared, they were allowed to join their brave husbands in the bush.

Isn’t it ironic, that your country won the battle through fighting against the women and children, but you, with enemy blood pumping through your veins, were the custodian of their poor souls? Not even the weak, yet death-horrifying cry of young Lizzie van Zyl drove you back to England.

Upon your return in England you only received harsh and unwanted criticism from your own people, but you persisted on your mission to obtain funding for our foreign nation.

Even after you have convinced my stubborn ancestor fathers to surrender, you stayed. You assisted in rehabilitating and healing the trauma of our nation’s heartbeats.

Your work were not finished after us, you went forth to save another nation with the First World War. You are an honour citizen in South Africa, you got a town and a submarine, yet nothing can compare that you are the reason I am here today.

Thank you Emily Hobhouse, for helping our nation to survive.

Warmest Regards,

Nadia

Footnote: 26,370 Women and children died in the concentration camps, 24,000 was children. I wonder where we would be today if it wasn’t for this war?