Apartheid

I began reading Nelson Mandela's autobiography, Long Walk to Freedom, as I left Toronto for South Africa. In it he says that in his language there is a saying that translates as "I have crossed famous rivers". It means that one has traveled a great distance, that one has had wide experiences and gained some wisdom from it - which is how I am already starting to feel about this CSC experience.

Apartheid literally means "apart ness". It was a system of racial segregation enforced by the governments of South Africa between 1948 and 1994, under which the rights of the majority non-white inhabitants of South Africa were curtailed and white supremacy and Afrikaner minority rule was maintained. That apartheid was still in effect as recently as 20 years ago means that its influence continue to have a monumental impact on the South Africa of today. On coming here from an entirely different culture, one needs to gain at least a sense of what this country has been through and how the past continues to shape the future.

On the afternoon of our day in Johannesburg we went as a team to the Apartheid Museum on the outskirts of Soweto. Even the admission tickets create an effect, being randomly stamped "white" and "non-white" to indicate which entrance to use. Photos are not allowed inside but the visit was a sobering, unsettling and a moving experience. Such oppression and so many atrocities over so many years, such euphoria when it ended with such hope for freedom and for the future - and yet so recent that everyone in South Africa has been powerfully affected, even the children who were not alive at the time. Apartheid was the harsh reality for all adults with whom we will interact during our time in this country. As the African proverb goes, "until the hunting stories have been told by the lions they will always glorify the hunter" ... the Apartheid Museum gives voice to the lion.

Ironically, just after leaving the museum we heard reports that 93-year old Nelson Mandela was hospitalized although later reports indicated that his ailments are not serious. Mandela's story is incredible and the freedom fighter turned elected president is an living icon in South Africa and around the world.