Three Days in Joburg

It's already our last night in Joburg and I am so excited to reach Durban. I really enjoyed Joburg as it provided a wonderful orientation and baseline for our time in South Africa. I realize how little I knew about the South African mentality before arriving, and I am blown away every single day. I am going to quickly tell you about my last three days in Joburg.

On Saturday, we visited the Hector Pieterson memorial. For those of you who don't know, Hector Pieterson was a twelve-year old boy who died on 16 June 1976 during the Soweto Uprising. This was a protest against the use of Afrikaans in the school system (a language associated with the brutal Apartheid). Students lead a peaceful protest which got out of hand when police open fired on the group, killing students like Hector Pieterson. His image became iconic for the fight against apartheid in South Africa. Here is a link: http://www.sahistory.org.za/people/hector-pieterson

The museum was interesting because it provided multiple views of the catastrophe. Many police officers felt that they were cornered and surrounded by stone-throwing students and had no choice but to shoot for self protection. Many of these police officers were Black officers who were employed by Apartheid and were only doing their job in harsh economic times. Other completely innocent and anti- Apartheid White South Africans reported physical and verbal harassment from protesting Black students.

The Soweto Uprising was both unique and representative of South Africa under the Apartheid: it was incredibly complex. People often simply the South African struggle from Apartheid as a purely racial conflict, which it was not. Race was certainly an issue, and the main issue, but the conflict crossed the lines of race notably when the Apartheid regime employed Black South Africans. Further, there were White South Africans who valiantly fought for the end of Apartheid, and likewise there were Black South Africans who supported Apartheid.

This visit prompted me to think about the complexity surrounding commemorating a disaster. While the Soweto Uprising was fighting the incredibly oppressive and horrific Apartheid regime, they fought the regime with violence. Is violence against violence really going to solve anything? Well, it seemed to. However it certainly makes you question the way we celebrate wars, victories of wars, veterans, etc. Anyways, now 16 June 2013 is National Youth Day and is a day that celebrates the country's youth.

Afterwards, we visited one of Nelson Mandela's houses. He lived there for two years in 1994 with Winnie but never enjoyed his time there. Apparently he could neither sleep nor relax there. We didn't pay to enter because it is quite a tourist trap, but it was still interesting to see.

On Sunday, we visited the Voortrekkers Monument. This was very interesting and provided a different perspective on the racially divided history. To briefly summarize, the Voortrekkers were the Dutch colonialists who moved inland after the British colonialists came to the Cape. It is absolutely fascinating (and slightly disturbing) the similarities this has to the Pilgrims and Native Americans. The Dutch colonialists were very similar to Puritans and moved inland to focus on their religious practices. They were very much the bible-carrying and covered wagon driving colonialists. When they ran into natives (Xhosas or Zulus) they would often conflict with each other and often the Voortrekkers would kill the natives. Eventually, they established themselves in an area. They had massive conflicts with the natives. This culminated in the Battle of Blood River on the 16 December 1838 where 470 Voortrekkers fought 10-15,000 invading Zulu warriors. The Voortrekkers prayed to God before the fight, saying that if they could overcome this massive invasion, they would devote their lives to the lord. Alas, with horses and machine guns, the Voortrekkers won the battle. Afterwards, they had a celebration which was disturbingly similar to Thanksgiving. Afterwards, the 16th of December was the national day celebrating the Voortrekkers.

Even more interestingly, as opposed to the U.S. who blatantly deny committing a horrific genocide against Native Americans, today this monument stands as a remembrance of the past. It was fascinating that the Voortrekkers dressed, travelled, worships and lived JUST like the pilgrims. It was one of the most bizarre situations I have ever had- a complete deja vu experience. Here is some more information: http://www.voortrekker-history.co.za/

On Monday, we visited Constitutional Hill. Here, the new Constitutional Court is built out of the very bricks that imprisoned the freedom fighters and many others unjustly and barbarically. The prison is made into a museum; we were able to visit the isolation cells, women's quarters, and several other places. This was where Ghandi was imprisoned and came up with his non-violent revolution theories. The most impressive part for me was the new Constitutional Court that was absolutely filled with incredible symbolism, from the prison bricks lining the walls to the trees symbolizing growth. South Africa is so devoted to remembering the past and moving forward in a positive and equitable way.

South Africa is so ahead of the United States in many ways. The common mentality is that "human rights are human rights"; the constitution applies to everyone, not just South African citizens. I have met so many people who are determined to fight for the plight of people who cannot represent themselves, it is extremely inspirational. People here are extremely forward thinking and have this wildness about them. So far, I am truly enjoying my time here.

Also- final comment: South Africans truly believe in paying taxes. Zed told us that he would not be able to live with himself if he didn't do his part to support the poor. He considers taxes as part of the solution, not part of the problem and a civil responsibility of privileged South Africans. The state is considered a social security system that supports its less fortunate and less privileged members. I really enjoyed this philosophy and resonate with it.

Again, like in Kenya, I apologize for grammatical or spelling errors - I'm posting this before bed!