Today marks the 136th anniversary of the historic Battle of Majuba Hill. It was the decisive battle in the First Anglo-Boer War, which ended up being the only war lost by the British Empire since the American Revolution. The battle is considered one of the most humiliating defeats ever suffered by British forces.
Over the past weekend, more than one thousand Boer nationalists celebrated this anniversary at the battle’s historic site. Festivities included an exhibition of historic Boer flags, traditional dances, lectures on the history of the battle, a shooting competition, a cooking competition based around a traditional Boer dish (Potjiekos), oxen wagon rides for children, and many more Boer cultural activities. The biggest highlights of the weekend, however, proved to be the climb of Majuba mountain, the battle re-enactment, and a (rather politically incorrect) cantus held on Saturday evening.
This event wonderfully helped to restore national pride in the hearts and minds of a people currently experiencing the darkest hour in their history. Sadly, however, the theme of the Sunday morning sermon to conclude the celebrations was “love thine enemies”. In one of the most cucked performances I’ve had to endure firsthand in my life, the preacher actually managed to preach a pacifistic message to a crowd of nationalists celebrating one of their people’s greatest victories on the battlefield.
Despite the anticlimactic conclusion to the weekend, however, the cultural exercises of the weekend proved for a truly remarkable and, in a sense, ineffable nationalistic experience.
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