Abstract:
The master narrative of Apartheid South Africa created a specific identity for white boys and
men and, together with this identity, a very particular role and place within the South
African context. This identity was exemplified in the men who were conscripted into the
military from 1967 until 1994, and who participated in operations on the border regions of
Namibia and Angola as well as within local townships in the war of liberation against
apartheid and minority rule. Many veterans have been left grappling not only with the
traumas associated with combat but also with the loss of their identities as war heroes in a
country under changed political control. As a result, many of their personal stories and
experiences of combat have been silenced by society at large and also, to varying degrees,
within their own families, the Church, and among the younger generation who have grown
up under a different dispensation. The conflict between vacillating narratives of villains who
fought on the wrong side of history and victims of a closed socialisation system has supported
the identity struggle faced by many veterans today. Against this backstory, this article
explores the effects of storytelling as a trauma release using a narrative approach.
CONTRIBUTION: This article offers a contribution to the use of storytelling in pastoral conversations
as a trauma release for untold stories. This insight links to the focus and scope of the journal as
a pastoral narrative approach has been used under the umbrella of Practical Theology.
