It was quite the week in
Johannesburg. First thing we did was stop in at the hotel, which was SO nice. I
have to say my favorite thing was the breakfast we had every morning, I
couldn’t get enough!
The first museum we visited was the apartheid museum. This
place really hit the emotions hard. It reminded me very much of the Holocaust
museum in DC, in the way that it brought such a sobering effect on you and made
you really reflect on the tragedy that took place. I was nearly moved to tears
on several occasions. Oddly enough. I wasn’t as upset over the overt displays
of human suffering that the museum pictured. What made me so upset, and I think
this sadness really stemmed from anger, was watching how white South Africans
justified their egregious acts. I think watching them justify pass laws, and
township raids, and watching police beat young men and women made me upset
because it reminded me of our country today. There are people in our
country suggesting the same sorts of laws for Muslim Americans and for immigrants,
and there are African-Americans facing that brutality and injustice from police
every day. We have had our own version of township raids in the version of
“stop and frisk” aimed at the “ghettos” of our nation. Not only is this
ignorant, but it is willingly reigniting a mindset we have already seen leads
to awful outcomes historically, which is just unacceptable. Another part of the
museum that made me both upset and angry was a video of the 60’s; it pictured
iconic and triumphant moments of the civil rights movement, coupled with the
crack down on black South Africans that took place the very same time. This
didn’t make me angry I don’t think, but very pensive. The video just showed how
liberation isn’t full until your liberation is extended to everyone across the
world. That video didn’t only make me think about race issues, it made me think
about human rights and class and especially gender issues. Sure, as a woman in
America, I consider myself to be a free person and I enjoy many rights, although
I am not treated completely equal to men. But what is my liberation, what is my
freedom when there are still women across the world held captive as sex slaves,
married to abusive older men, denied economic rights, or genitally mutilated
against their will? It really made me think about the global implications of my
own freedom, and how it really should be used to make a difference for those
who are suffering under harsher circumstances than I.
Other museums we visited were the
Hector Pieterson museum in Soweto, and a museum on the Sharpeville massacre in
Sharpeville itself. We also did a tour of Constitution Square, which held the
prison where Ghandi was held. The prison also was chilling. In addition to
seeing the very small holding rooms, learning about the gang hierarchy, seeing
the awful food they had to consume and imagining the gag-worthy smell they had
to endure 24/7, the isolation cells were very disturbing. I walked inside one,
and shut the door almost completely to try to understand what it would have
been like. Even the strongest of men and women would have their sanity tested
if in that situation for long enough. On the back of that door, I read the
markings of real people who were subjected to that torture at the cost of
political liberation. It was very intense to see their actual messages still on
that door. One of them said, “From Ikwezi: WAS HERE ON XMAS EVE OF THE 24/12/76
OF SPRING, WHAT A SAD STORY.”
We also went to the Boys ad Girls
club, which was a very uplifting experience after these museums. First I helped
to clear out garden space, and I surprised myself with the amount of manual
labor I could provide in a short time span. I was happy to be able to provide
some sustainable help to the center, especially because the more I learn about
short term voluntarism, especially with children, the more I reject it. Then,
one of the most fun things I did was stage an impromptu dance class teaching
the choreography of “Sorry” by Justin Bieber. The kids seemed to have a lot of
fun dancing to the music. We proceeded to play with the kids in various summer
camp-like games throughout the afternoon, and I made an extremely cute little
friend Kopando. She was my buddy for the remainder of the day. I figured out
very quickly that her friends loved my glasses, and subsequently I was seeing
fuzzy for the rest of the day. I really loved volunteering with the center, and
it is obvious that they provide a very necessary service to their community.
They have improved the lives of those kids and their level of self-confidence
immeasurably.
The next day we travelled to Kruger,
which was amazing. I never thought I would witness lions mating 30 feet away
from me while the sun set. We also saw elephants, giraffes, wildabeasts,
buffalos, ostrich, a python, rhinos, and many many more animals that I can’t
remember the names of. It was an amazing experience, and I really loved being
disconnected from the world because it gave me ample time to read! On the break
I read two and a half books and was so happy about it. I never make time to
read and when I do I remember how much I love it.
Overall,
our spring break was both a very fun and very educational experience. Now for
our last month in Cape Town!
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