Writing back to history rewrites parts of the 17th century journal (Daghregister) of Jan van Riebeeck. By paging, reading and searching through the fragile document for specific passages, the video highlights the intentions of the Dutch colonizers and the resistance of the original inhabitants of the Cape, the Khoikhoi and San people. By using a lightbox to illuminate stills of the video footage capturing certain passages of the journal, the fragile texture of the parchment and the ink of the words is emphasized. Through physical interventions in these passages of the journal, via underlining, rewriting, tipexing and highlighting, the original text is subverted. In this dialogue with the journal the work challenges how the historical narrative is presented in the present and offers an alternative view.