Pick-up met meubilair langs een weg met een drolpeer, bij Shewasaulu, Zuid-Afrika 1968

Willem Jacob van den Berg took this photograph of a pickup truck, loaded with furniture, beside a ‘drolpeer’ tree in Shewasaulu, South Africa. Though undated, the image gives us insight into South Africa during van den Berg’s lifetime, particularly regarding the intersection of landscape, labour, and identity in the region. The 'drolpeer' or ‘dumbya’ tree, is native to Southern Africa. Its presence here isn’t merely incidental. It grounds the image in a specific geography, shaping local economies and cultural practices. We also see a pickup truck filled with furniture: a potent symbol of migration, displacement, and mobility, especially during periods of political and social upheaval. The presence of furniture suggests a life in transit, hinting at themes of dispossession, relocation, and resilience. As historians, we can draw upon archival research and oral histories to enrich our understanding, reflecting on the meanings of home, belonging, and identity in a rapidly changing world.