We got back to JNB in the morning and had to wait for Mom to arrive that evening. So the Soweto tour it was. I was really reluctant, I mean what's so fun about seeing poor people living in shacks?
There's a lot of history and heroism and shame there.
Originally set up as a place to put black plague victims and later mine workers, Soweto (short for South Western Township) became a focus for the struggle against apartheid. In 1976 the students protested against the introduction of Afrikaans as a medium of instruction. On June 16th the student protest was met by police dogs and bullets. Hector Pieterson (12) was not the only student killed that day, but because of the iconic image of him being carried away critically wounded he became a symbol of the cause. (picture from the museum in Soweto).
Yes, visiting the poor people in the shacks and getting shaken down for a "donation" was uncomfortable. But the museum is a powerful place.
It was Nelson Mandela's 90th birthday while we were there and the celebrations were everywhere. We saw his Soweto house and his current house. Not protected by electric fences like most of affluent JNB, but with laser beams and armed guards. Irony abounds.
BTW, South African sites are .za because that's how you say south in Afrikaans. Which also BTW seems like an ideal language for cursing or at least muttering curses under you breath.
No comments:
Post a Comment