I’ve been slacking on the blog front, so I’ve got a bit of catching up to do. The trip over to South Africa was long but comfortable. We had a layover in Senegal although, unfortunately, we weren’t allowed to depart the plane. Nonetheless, it was cool to see some part of Western Africa, even if only from a plane window. When we arrived in Johannesburg, a driver came to pick us up from the airport and took us to our B&B which is in a suburb of Johannesburg. Immediately upon entering the Joburg airport, it was evident that the World Cup was right around the corner. South Africa has SO much national pride—almost every car has a South African flag flying, many street vendors and stores are selling jerseys and other Bafana Bafana (the SA team’s name) memorabilia, and there are countless billboards lining the highways with soccer advertisements. Many people we meet instantly assume that we’re here for the World Cup, and then we have to tell them that it’s actually just mere coincidence.
This past week we’ve been in Johannesburg in order to learn about the history of South Africa. After arriving, we went out to dinner as a group in Melville and then returned to the B&B to go to sleep. This is when I learned that it may be an important life skill to learn the Celsius to Fahrenheit conversions. It was quite cold outside, so we thought that 29 degrees C was an appropriate temperature on which to place the thermostat. Well, actually that’s about 85 degrees. So, Dana and I woke up in the middle of the night, sweating. Dana thought she was having a hot flash, but I assured her that she wasn’t alone. I turned the temperature down and since then we’ve learned that 21-22 degrees Celsius is a good range.
The first full day we woke up early and went to the Voortrekker Monument, made in 1938 to commemorate the Great Trek made by the Afrikaaners in 1838. Now it’s a pretty controversial monument because it stands as a reminder of the oppression that the Afrikaners imposed upon black Africans during the apartheid.
Afterwards, we attempted to go to Freedom Circle, a monument that signifies the opposite of the Voortrekker Monument—a site that celebrates all South Africans and the overcoming of apartheid. Unfortunately, our driver got lost and so we weren’t able to go. Instead, we continued to our next destination, Constitutional Hill, which lies on the site of an old apartheid prison. Constitutional Hill was an awesome place built to intertwine South Africa’s history with its future through the use of symbolism and poetic justice. For example, the Constitutional Court is built out of bricks that formerly constructed the prison. The former women’s prison quarters currently house the Center for Gender Equality. There’s also a museum on Constitutional Hill, and we got a great 2-hour long tour of the grounds. We got to see prison cells where Mandela and Gandhi stayed, and the Constitutional Courtroom. The Constitutional Courtroom also emphasizes importance of remembering the past but looking to the future. There are glass windows around the entire room to signify “transparency” of government.
On day 2 we had an all day tour of Soweto, a suburb of Johannesburg that had great significance during the apartheid. It’s home to the Soweto Uprising of 1976, when black school children in South Africa protested the laws imposed by the National Party government upon their educational system. Soweto is a place of stunning wealth disparity, like much of South Africa. On one side lie some of the wealthiest homes in Joburg, while the other side is a slum. In 50 square miles live 3.5 million people.
All day we had a tour guide who rode in the front seat of our van and told us about many events that occurred in South Africa’s history. I got so much more from the experience because he was with us.
We also stopped at a church in Soweto that was crucial during the apartheid resistance struggle. The church still bears the scars of the apartheid violence, with broken windows and bullet holes still evident.
Also, as a group, we visited a township aka “informal settlement.” These are the people living in the most extreme poverty conditions. We bought bags of oranges and handed them out to the kids, as they suffer from malnutrition due to a lack of fruit. Going through these slums would normally be considered unsafe or intrusive, but we hired a local to walk with us so that we were not merely unwelcomed visitors. The remarkable thing I always notice about the poorest people of South Africa is that, despite their conditions, they look so happy. Unfortunately, we thought it would be more appropriate not to bring our cameras, but later our guide told us that pictures are appreciated as they think it will help alleviate their conditions when the international community sees their way of life.
On the third day, we went to a church service in downtown Johannesburg. The church, Central Methodist Church, is run by a pastor named Paul Verryn who is extremely controversial as he has opened up the church to Zimbabwean refugees who now live there full-time. Many of these refugees are Zimbabwean orphans, and attend school within the church as well. On day four we volunteered at the church teaching classes. The refugees are all so bright and driven; they blew us away. My group was to teach about the Russian Revolution, the causes of WWII, and about the League of Nations…let’s just say none of us were really experts in the field. But, fortunately, we winged it and it was fine. What I thought was most interesting was, when talking about revolution in general, one of the Zimbabwean boys recognized the fact that, if all of the Zimbabweans keep fleeing the country, revolution cannot occur and change cannot take place.
On day four we also met with Paul Verryn, who is such an interesting and inspiring man. He is facing skepticism by many and is enshrouded with scandal and charges of rape of young boys, as well as a general anger for opening up the church to refugees amidst a xenophobic congregation.
Additionally, we had a meeting with Allister Sparks, a prominent South African journalist. He spoke to us about the state of South African affairs. Our professor, Bill, has some serious connections, and so we’re able to meet some really prominent figures within South Africa.
Lastly, today I had the chance to meet up with Sabrina!! Sabrina picked up Chaele, Samera, Dana and me, and we went to see her house…which is BEAUTIFUL…and then we went to a shopping mall that was SO cool. Way cooler than any mall in the States. It was all indoor but it was designed to appear to be outdoor—it had really high ceilings, and the ceiling was painted like the sky. It looked like you were walking down the streets of Tuscany.
Okay well now I’m off to bed; I have to catch a morning flight to Cape Town tomorrow. Adios!
