Mathers, Kathryn

Mathers, Kathryn

Kathryn Mathers

1 June 2002Feature

Conscientious objection and the support of COs is vital work in itself, but often one of the reasons people choose to become COs is not that they have a fundamental objection to militarism, but that they have a deep opposition to the type of activities the military engage in on behalf of the state. In this article Kathryn Mathers offers a good example by locating the struggle against conscription in 1980s South Africa in the wider struggle against apartheid.

The most telling image of my adolescence in 1980s South Africa was the silhouette of a war memorial, like many found all over the world, listing the names of soldiers killed defending our borders. Some of these soldiers were con-scripts. Most white South Africans could ignore the social and political consequences of apartheid, which cre-ated their privilege. “Our boys on the border” were an ever-present reminder to them of where they lived.

The “border” was that ephemeral place, more…