The Krotoa Linkage
Krotoa was caught in the vortex of social and economic change and wrestled with this wave of change
The Activist
Krotoa (known as Eva to the Dutch and English settlers) was the niece of Autshumao, a Khoi leader and interpreter to the Dutch (he was known as Harry/Herry first by the English and then by the Dutch.
In the six years as an interpreter Krotoa grew into a fiercely independent and very sharp woman.
In Service
Krotoa gave excellent interpretation and diplomatic service to the Dutch, but equally she provided the same for Chief Oedasoa and her people.
Krotoa established herself as a staunch friend of the Dutch, negotiating a co-operative relationship between the fort and the followers of her rich relative Oedasoa.
The Symbol
She, in her own right, actively opposed the takeover plans the Europeans were making in the early 1600s at the Cape.
"She was a remarkable woman who, in six or seven years, had bridged the divide between Europe and Africa and as some people have attested to, became a symbol of what the new country could become”
