On Friday, 8 August 2025, the Genadendal Mission Museum became a gathering place for memory, music, and heartfelt reflection as the museum hosted ALMAL se Stoepstories. This oral history initiative celebrates the voices of Genadendal’s women, keeping the valley’s living heritage alive through intergenerational storytelling.
The afternoon began with the warm, brassy tones of the Genadendal Brass Band. The official welcome came from Mrs. Sylvinia Oliver of Bredasdorp, a motivational speaker whose words on resilience and purpose set the perfect tone.
Four extraordinary local women then took their seats on the stoep: Mrs. Connie Fisher, a retired teacher in her 80s; Mrs. Elizabeth Kupido, 72, a former factory worker; Mrs. Joan Erasmus, 75, a former crèche teacher; and Mrs. Cathleen Beyers, 66, a devoted mother of three.
Each story, deeply personal yet universally understood, was like a thread woven into the shared fabric of Genadendal. Through ALMAL se Stoepstories, the Genadendal Mission Museum reaffirms its role as a living space for dialogue, reflection, and the safeguarding of the community’s most precious inheritance — its stories.
