Political Influence

The massive wooden doors to the court building
at Constitution Hill. 

I have wanted to visit South Africa for quite some time.  I cannot even count the number of people to whom I have said that exact sentence, or something close to it, before I realized how untrue it was.  I actually have never had a desire to visit South Africa – rather, I have felt an obligation to visit.  I felt an obligation to visit the country in Africa with the largest population of white citizens, making it the most racially diverse country on the continent as far as the black–white ratio goes.  I felt the obligation to visit the country whose apartheid history parallels the brutality of America’s pre-civil rights movement history.  I felt an obligation to visit the country that kept one of my heroes hostage for twenty seven years of his adult life to later embrace him as president of that same land.  If you know me and you know my passions, it is no surprise to you that I wanted, or felt obliged, to visit South Africa.

Inside of the court building. 

It seems illogical to be as invested in racial equality as I am and not have experienced South Africa for myself – even if just for two weeks. Also, as someone who has previously lived in West Africa and is now currently residing in East Africa, I was looking forward to experiencing another ‘directional section’ of the continent.  Of course within these ‘sections’, each country it unique and has its own rich culture.  That being said, it means something to me to have visited at least one country in each part of the continent.  And, I could not have been luckier to experience South Africa with the girl my mom calls her ‘other daughter’: my dear friend JoJo.  JoJo is someone who has accepted and embraced and all of the ways that I ‘defy’ the expectations society has for me.  She has supported my passion for race relations and has listened to far more than her fair share of my often-lengthy rants/reflections/outrages on the current state of race relations both in our country and around the world.

Since South Africa’s historical and political influence was the real reason behind my interest in visiting, we intentionally planned several politically and/or historically significant stops into our agenda. These stops included Constitution Hill, Soweto, the Apartheid Museum in Johannesburg, the Slave Museum in Cape Town and Robben Island. 

Soweto is the town, not far from Johannesburg, where Nelson Mandela’s family home is.  I felt so very honored to not only visit his neighborhood but also step inside his former home.   Mandela’s street has become a hot spot for tourists, lined with vendors selling ‘African’ souvenirs and tourist–friendly restaurants inviting you in for a savory bite.  I would imagine that the touristy Soweto that we experienced is nothing like the Soweto where Mandela actually lived.  The new feel of Soweto made it less appealing to me because it did not feel authentic – although I am still glad to have been able to see it for myself.  While we were roaming the streets being tourists, I learned that Desmund Tutu has a home on the same street of Mandela, which was very exciting news to me, as I am a huge support of the bishop.

Quotes painted on Mandela's street, and me sitting in front of his home. 

After walking around Soweto and enjoying a delicious lunch there, we headed to the Apartheid Museum, which impacted me more than any of the other stops of this nature– even more than Robben Island, which was the stop I expected to impact me the most.  I learned a great deal while touring the museum and felt the discouraged, fearful and outraged spirits of South Africa’s citizens of color as I read more and more about the hardships people of color experienced during apartheid.  I have only had such an strong, overpowering reaction like this twice before: while standing in the slave castles in Ghana and while touring the Holocaust Museum in Washington D.C.  I guess it is part of the human condition to feel disgusted when reading about government sanctioned courses of action resulting in the hanging of its citizens, the open firing and killing 69 people in one afternoon and the like.  I honestly felt numb as I walked through the Apartheid Museum, reading about such inhumane and brutal actions.

Preparing to enter through the proper entrance based upon
the card we were randomly given 'to be' for our tour. 

Jo and I were fortunate enough to tour the museum with a native South African woman named Fulufhelo, a close friend of JoJo's aunt who had been traveling around with us for the day.  While we walked, Fulufhelo shared her personal experiences during apartheid and the years directly following.  Her accounts brought the facts and and stories of the museum to life in such a powerful way. Her perspective of Mandela, his release from prison and his presidency was much less flowery and supportive than I would have imagined. Since all of my knowledge of Mandela and apartheid had

One of the eight pillars outside museum; a few 
others are responsibility, freedom, equality, respect.

been from second hand sources and the often biased media, I took great heed to hearing her first hand account and honest reflections about this time in South African history.  One of Fulufhelo’s comments that really stuck with me was that she shared that many South African people of color felt that Mandela sold out on his people when he was released from prison. She explained that after decades of brutal, harsh, and inhumane treatment, by oppressive white leaders, which regularly ended in death, people of color were told by Mandela to forget those actions and embrace unity and moving forward together.  Now I don’t know about you, but I’d be damned if I would just up and forgive, forget, hold hands and skip happily into the future less than a decade after being brutalized, harassed and dehumanized.  And, as Fulufhelo explained it, that is more of these what people of color were asked to do in South Africa once Mandela became president.  Of course I am oversimplifying a very complex situation, but this perspective was not one I had previously considered when evaluating Mandela’s contributions to South Africa’s history.

Method in which many ANC supporters were murdered, to be later recorded as suicides. 

My favorite image from the museum.  My sentiments exactly!

Finally, in terms of politically significant points of interest, we visited Robben Island, the home of the prison where Mandela was held for 18 of his 27 years in prison.  We took the chilly boat ride to the island, visited the prison and toured the rest of the island.   Each tour on Robben Island is led by a former inmate, who shares the history and former daily operations of the prison as well as his personal story.  Being guided around by a former inmate, many of whom were imprisoned for activism during apartheid, added a very sincere dimension to the tour.  Additionally, we saw the cell where Mandela spent 18 years and learned a lot about the history of the island, including where politically active inmates met to discuss sensitive issues without the guards knowing and about some of the other notorious inmates, besides Mandela.

The cell where Mandela lived for 18 years. 

Did I have a moment of englightment about the topic of racial equality during my time in South Africa? Not exactly. It is really quite challenging to sum up my experiences in and feelings about South Africa in a few sentences.  However, at the very least, I can say that visiting South Africa for myself, feeling the residual effects of apartheid decades later and talking with both black and white native South African people was an experience unlike any that I have had in other countries.  The trip definitely confirmed many assumptions that I had about South Africa and it also offered me a great deal of new information to consider as I continue to work in the realm of race relations.
For that, South Africa, I thank you.