Judith Westerveld, a multimedia artist with roots in both South Africa and in the Netherlands, reflects with her work on the omnipresent impact of the Dutch colonization of South Africans. Through diverse audio-visual installations, film, photo collages, and performance, Westerveld questions and unveils who is remembered and acknowledged, and whose stories and perspectives are consequently lost.

With language, memory, oral history, and archival material, often central to her practice, she actively uncovers how historical narratives are preserved and who is silenced. It is crucial to be aware of the constructed nature of history and memory to understand how historical narratives are formed and why we have certain ideas of the past. Through this lens, she aims to highlight the everlasting impact of the colonial past on the present.

In Message from Mukalap, the unique sound recording from the man Mukalap brings attention to the language he speaks in; the Khoe language !ora. It highlights how certain narratives, stories, and perspectives are not preserved in history. In the recording, Mukalap brings attention to the ignorance of Europeans, as they present their history as a conclusive and essential memory. Many perspectives and nuances are left out. “Just listen,” he asks us. In her response, Westerveld acknowledges his message. In English, Dutch, Afrikaans, and !ora combined, she tells him she hears him and listens. The loss of a language in history is more than the loss of a way of speaking. How can we preserve and historicize in this post-colonial context?

Messages from Mukalap is featured in a block dedicated to Judith Westerveld’s work on the colonial legacies of South Africa.