Scores of people gathered at Philippi Village for the launch of Crossroads: I live where I like by Koni Benson on Saturday 19 November.
The event was organised by the Crossroads Reading Group in collaboration with Benson.
The book, with cartoons in it that portray the struggle of women in Crossroads during the apartheid years, was published in May last year.
One group member Chwayita Wenana, described the event as educational, informing the community mainly about the history of Crossroads.
“We felt it was important to tell our stories on our own instead of letting other people from outside tell them,” she said.
“There are many women still alive who were part of the struggle and are willing to share their experiences. We also encourage young people to read about their history.”
Old Crossroads resident Nomaka Bijana (73) said the event evoked old memories. She said the struggle was not yet over.
“I was among the women who were fighting for independence in Crossroads. We stayed here by force. At that time white people were killing us, but we stood firm. Many people died fighting for democracy.”
She said she wished the government could build a museum in Crossroads, where their history could be depicted.
“My concern is our children going to white schools and not learning about our history. The white people won’t tell them what they were doing to their parents during apartheid.”
The District Six Museum’s head of education Mandy Sanger urged group members to keep on telling their own stories.
She said people misunderstood the museum, thinking it represents people from District Six only, whereas it aims to prompt communities to tell their stories.
“In our democracy, we have ignored a lot of resistance struggles that occurred at the local level, particularly in areas such as Crossroads,” said Sanger.
“Such omissions are among the challenges we face, and we value celebrities more than ordinary people.
“For example, nobody cares how the women of Crossroads stayed organised at a very tough time.”
She pointed out that the women of Crossroads were prepared to die fighting for their rights.