Josh's excursion characterized by exhilarating people

We just got back from a weeklong excursion to Johannesburg and Kruger National Park.  If I could sum the week up in two words I would say it was characterized by – exhilarating people.  Without fail, I was reminded of the sincerity and openness of so many of this land I have come to view as my second home in such a short time.  If I could sum up this idea of “exhilarating people” in one event, it would certainly be the moment I shared with Jabu – a local man we met in Sharpeville on Human Rights Day.

Here are some excerpts from a journal entry I wrote that day:

I am currently in the bus on the way back from Sharpeville.  It is here on March 21^st, 1960 where 69 were shot ad killed by South African police.  Thousands had congregated at the police station to protest the passbooks they had to carry on them.  There are multiple stories on how the shootings started, but the bottom line is the people where shot in the back as they ran away across a field to their homes.  My mind just kept pondering how the families of those victims can forgive?  I remember in the apartheid museum watching a clip of a pastor during apartheid.  He said he knew God would free them from their persecutors and that they must trust God.  Then he questioned but why, why do so many people have to suffer?  It was not until Hector Pieterson, a 12-year-old boy, was killed until international actors really took measures of sanction against apartheid, why did it take this child’s death to stir up the international community – including the UN’s Security Council?

Such events make me question the connection between God providing man ability to make his/her own actions, and yet He remains the sovereign, all-knowing, controlling God.  It’s a difficult concept to wrap your mind around.  God is in complete control, yet as people, we still make our own choices with respective responsibility and consequences.  I guess for me, it just goes to show that faith is not about sitting back and absorbing, it’s about taking a stance, challenging, questioning, and living.  True faith is not learned by standing by, one must take action.  And for those in Sharpeville, they took action against what they knew was wrong. 

While in Sharpeville, I connected with Jabu – someone who met Marita when UConn first started coming to Sharpeville in 2010.  He told me that his grandfather was one of the 69 who died on that day (March 21^st, 1960), and his grandmother had recently passed.  When we visited Sharpeville’s cemetery – where the 69 and other community members are buried – he and I lingered behind the group.  Jabu took me to his grandfather’s grave and asked me to kneel down and place my hand on the grave.  He began speaking in his native tongue – a Zulu dialect – and then asked me to speak to his grandfather (he later explained it is Zulu tradition to speak to ancestors, and when one has a problem to go to ancestors and tell them the problem so they can guide and reveal guidance through dreams).  As I spoke, I said that I would have loved to meet him (Jabu’s grandfather) and that he would have been proud of Jabu.  I discussed how there has been no true “justice”.  Those apart of the apartheid system and involved with Sharpeville have not come out and publically apologized.  No, few have made such apologies and confessions.  But I said his death was not in vein, it helped pave a path for Jabu to experience freedom.  Yes, there are still many problems in South Africa – stark inequality and persistent poverty to say the least – but his grandfather would be proud to see Jabu grow up in a nation here he no longer had to carry a passbook everywhere or have laws discriminating against him because of his skin color – which is something out of his control.

Later, when leaving Sharpeville, I gave Jabu my favorite hat – a blue hat with the new UConn emblem on it.  I told him my grandfather was an avid HUSKIES fan and he died a few years ago.  I told Jabu I know he never had the chance to grow up knowing his grandfather, so I wanted to give him this hat to remember his grandfather and what he died for.  I told him the hat would be a reminder of the moment Jabu and I shared together. 

The excursion provided a great opportunity to see where the events I have learned so much about actually took place.  Being in the museums where the events took place and watching video clips from the events made everything come more to life.  But ultimately, it was through conversations and interactions with people that I learned the most this week – as has often been the case throughout my time here in South Africa.  South Africans definitely place a greater emphasis on building relationships with others, and I have enjoyed the ease with which you can start a conversation with pretty much anyone you come across.

The trip also provided a great opportunity to get closer to people here on the trip and even have some conversations with some students I don’t see very often at dinner!  I enjoyed rooming with Bryan and being taught the ins and outs of different types of music.  I think by the end of the week he was tired of me asking to do another physical competition with him, so I’m sure he’s glad to be back in Cape Town! 

All in all, I feel refreshed.  It was exciting getting off the plane to return to a place of familiarity!  I love the people here in Cape Town, and am looking forward to strengthening and building new relations with more Capetonians and the people I am with here on the trip in this final 5 weeks!  This week I also start my new internship placement, so stay tuned to here about that in next week’s blog post, I have been excitedly awaiting it for quite some time!