The Emily100 movement is set to re-enact the 1926 state funeral of British pacifist, feminist, and humanitarian Emily Hobhouse in Bloemfontein, Free State, on 31 October 2026. The event, which was attended by over 20,000 people, will be brought back to life with 650 people taking part in the recreation, wearing clothes specially made to match those of the time. The re-enactment aims to connect younger generations to an important chapter in South Africa's history.
Emily Hobhouse was a woman ahead of her time, born in 1860 in Cornwall, England. She became involved with the South African Conciliation Committee during the Anglo-Boer War and established her own fund, the South African Women and Children Distress Fund. Her humanitarian work led her to witness the injustices in British concentration camps in South Africa, and she published a 40-page report on the conditions in June 1901.
Hobhouse's report on the concentration camps was initially discredited by British imperialists, but a commission appointed to investigate conditions confirmed her findings. She continued to assist in relieving hunger and distress in South Africa after the war, raising money for a planting and ploughing plan, and establishing 26 spinning and weaving schools, and one lace-making school.
The Emily100 group has relied on 30 photographs and one film taken of the 1926 procession, as well as a journal kept by Maynie Fleck, one of Hobhouse's "right-hand ladies", to recreate the funeral. The re-enactment will feature 200 girls from local schools leading the procession, accompanied by the Free State Youth Wind Ensemble. The event will also include a re-enactment of Jan Smuts' speech and other elements of the original programme.
The life of Emily Hobhouse is being celebrated through various events, including a new exhibition on her life, demonstrations of lace-making, spinning, and weaving, and a recreated section of a concentration camp. A musical theatre production, "The Story of Emily", will also be staged at the Sand du Plessis Theatre in Bloemfontein from 28 to 31 October.
The musical theatre production, written by Deon Opperman and featuring music by Janine Neethling, aims to honour Hobhouse's legacy and celebrate her humanitarian work. According to Nico Scheepers, director of the production, the event is a labour of love, and it made no sense for Hobhouse to go against an entire country and government just because it was the right thing to do.
The Emily100 movement's efforts to re-enact Hobhouse's funeral and celebrate her life aim to inspire younger generations and highlight the importance of her humanitarian work. Elsabé Brits, author and project lead for Emily100, described Hobhouse as a pacifist, feminist, humanitarian, and whistleblower who exposed the injustices in British concentration camps at great personal cost.
Key points
- The Emily100 movement is re-enacting Emily Hobhouse's 1926 state funeral to bring new life to her story and connect younger generations to an important chapter in South Africa's history.
- Emily Hobhouse was a British pacifist, feminist, and humanitarian who exposed the injustices in British concentration camps during the Anglo-Boer War.
- The re-enactment of Hobhouse's funeral will feature 650 people, including 200 girls from local schools, and will include elements of the original programme, such as a re-enactment of Jan Smuts' speech.
