‘I thought about collective guilt and individual responsibility, how impunity allows sin to continue to walk among us.’ Photo: Jan Smuts holds the Cato’s mother (his granddaughter, 1944), courtesy of Alfred Gillett Trust
Moederland: Cato Peddar on what brought her to investigate her family history
‘Still, here I am.’
by Cato Peddar
24th May 2024
In the course of my work as media officer at Quakers in Britain, I spend some time each week, in Zoom meetings or on telephone calls, explaining the pronunciation of my name. ‘No, not “Kate-o”, “Cuh-too”. It’s Afrikaans, short for Catharina. No, I’m not Afrikaans, just named for my grandmother.’ Sometimes, when this label gets too heavy, I exaggerate to lighten the load, ‘No, half South African, through my mum.’
