BRIEWE AS VERNAAMSTE KOMMUNIKASIEMIDDEL TUSSEN KONSENTRASIEKAMPBEWONERS, KRYGSGEVANGENES EN HULLE GELIEFDES TYDENS DIE SUID-AFRIKAANSE OORLOG. (Afrikaans)

Correspondence as the foremost means of communication between concentration camp inhabitants, prisoners of war and their loved ones during the South African War. (English)

During the South African War tens of thousands of non-British white residents of the South African Republic and the Republic of the Orange Free State were incarcerated in many camps in South Africa as well as overseas, which led to the forced separation of families and loved ones. This separation and the lack of news led to both prisoners of war and the inmates of concentration camps finding their imprisonment practically unbearable. However, the resilient prisoners made use of various strategies to handle the stressful effects of the separation. Prisoners of war as well as the inhabitants of concentration camps turned to writing letters and sending photos as the only way of communication. Probably even those who had not previously been avid writers of letters started writing. By so doing both groups of prisoners tried to overcome the intense longing for loved ones and to bridge the distance between them. They not only endeavoured to write to their loved ones as often as possible, but also to avoid the censors by their ingenuity. This study briefly investigates letters as the foremost means of communication between prisoners of war, inhabitants of concentration camps and their loved ones. The article furthermore focuses on the ways in which prisoners outwitted the censors; on news from the camps; on the value of mail and on the suffering caused by the lack of news and letters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gedurende die Suid-Afrikaanse Oorlog (1899-1902) het die grootskaalse inkerkering van tienduisende nie-Britse blanke inwoners1 van die Zuid-Afrikaansche Republiek (ZAR) en die Republiek Oranje-Vrystaat (OVS) in talle kampe in Suid-Afrika en die buiteland tot die skeiding van gesinsen familielede gelei. Hierdie gedwonge skeiding en die gebrek aan nuus het daartoe bygedra dat die krygsgevangenes en konsentrasiekampbewoners hulle inkerkering as bykans ondraaglik beleef het. Die ondernemende gevangenes het egter verskeie strategieë gebruik om die stresvolle gevolge van dié skeiding te hanteer. Die gevangenes het hulle tot briefwisseling en die stuur van foto's as die vernaamste kommunikasiemiddele gewend. Voor die uitbreek van die oorlog was 'n briefwisselingkultuur reeds in die ZAR, OVS, Natal en die Kaapkolonie gevestig. Die voortslepende oorlog en die gedwonge skeiding van gesins- en familielede het 'n nuwe kommunikasiesituasie geskep waarin selfs diegene wat normaalweg nie briefskrywers was nie, die pen opgeneem en begin skryf het om kontak met geliefdes te behou. Hierdie briefwisseling het met baie frustrasies en vreugde gepaardgegaan, soos die talle voorskrifte, die "vernietiging" van briewe deur die sensors en briewe wat nie op die bestemde tyd afgelewer is nie. Die gebrek aan briewe het baie lyding tot gevolg gehad, maar die ontvangs van verskeie briewe en 'n foto was 'n bron van vreugde. Om hierdie redes behandel hierdie artikel die briefwisseling deur die konsentrasiekampbewoners en die krygsgevangenes tydens die Suid-Afrikaanse Oorlog as die vernaamste kommunikasiemiddel, asook die frustrasies en vreugde wat dié briefwisseling ingehou het. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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