The Day of Reconciliation acts as a catalyst for reconciliation and nation building.  Our first democratically elected South African president and the Patron-in-chief of The Freedom Park, Dr Nelson Mandela, captured the essence of this day in his address on Nation Reconciliation Day, 16 December 1995:  “There are few countries which dedicate a national public holiday to reconciliation. But then there are few nations with our history of enforced division, oppression and sustained conflict. And fewer still, which have undergone such a remarkable transition to reclaim their humanity . . . This Day of Reconciliation celebrates the progress we have made; it reaffirms our commitment; and it measures the challenges.”