Moederland: Cato Peddar on what brought her to investigate her family history
‘Still, here I am.’
In the course of my work as media officer at Quakers in Britain, I spend some time each week, in Zoom meetings or on telephone calls, explaining the pronunciation of my name. ‘No, not “Kate-o”, “Cuh-too”. It’s Afrikaans, short for Catharina. No, I’m not Afrikaans, just named for my grandmother.’ Sometimes, when this label gets too heavy, I exaggerate to lighten the load, ‘No, half South African, through my mum.’
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