MADIBA NELSON MANDELA – THE GREAT ONE
I remember being a kid in 1990 and watching with my parents the historic moment unfold on TV of Nelson Mandela’s release from prison. To this day it gives me goose bumps when I see video replays of the elections of 1994 which saw black South Africans vote for the first time for their beloved leader Madiba. Engraved in my memory are the scenes of thousands of citizens lining up for miles, around trees, school yards, villages,etc….waiting expectantly to vote. What a great day that was for democracy. With that in mind, it is gut wrenching to think that years later we are fixated on Mandela once again. Only this time, we all wait/pray expectantly for him to fight away death.
It took me almost ten(10) months into my stay in SA to organize a trip to Soweto – the battleground, shall we say of the Apartheid struggle in South Africa which Nelson Mandela dedicated his life to ending. From a non-South African/outsider’s perspective, it was a painful and sobering reminder of the sacrifices and struggles those before us had to endure in order for us to have the freedoms we enjoy today.
So from my amateur perspective 🙂 Hope you enjoy my photo journey of my day trip to Soweto, South Africa.
THE APARTHEID MUSEUM
In order to get the full experience of Soweto, it is best that you start of your tour at the famed Apartheid Museum. This venue provides a glimpse into the painful past of all that was evil about Apartheid. (I hate to sound like a teacher,lol….but for those of you who don’t know, Apartheid means segregation on the basis of race) Along for the tour where my co-workers who also had not been to Soweto, and my friend Teba who was visiting me from Switzerland.
The instructions speak for themselves – we had to enter the museum like people would have under Apartheid
I think I entered in as a white person…..
(A white person is one who in appearance is, or who is generally accepted as, a white person, but does not include a person who, although in appearance obviously a white person, is generally accepted as a colored person. A native is a person who is in fact or is generally accepted as a member of any aboriginal race or tribe of Africa. A colored person is a person who is not a white person nor a native)…..S.A. Population Registry, 1950
My friend Teba reading the statement……..
This one I found to be the most interesting: Under apartheid you could change your race up to 1985….smh.
The identity card issued to black South Africans so they could move around the country
HECTOR PETERSON MEMORIAL
Chances are you know more about Hector Peterson than you think you do. Have you ever watched the movie SARAFINA – well, the events of the movie, (ie the school children of Soweto starting an uprising against the police as rejection of the apartheid system) are a result of the murder of a young school boy in Soweto called – Hector Peterson.
I won’t do justice explaining the story, so I suggest you watch the movie. It is indeed a great way to enjoy and learn at the same time the struggles of Soweto during apartheid.
FUN FACT – As a kid, I along with every other kid in my neighborhood, was fascinated by the protest dances of South African youths in the movie. So one of the many things I learnt in SA was how to do a traditional S.A. protest dance along with carrying a “long stick” as your protest weapon and singing in Zulu….”Amanthe laaaaaaaaaa! Reponse: Awaaaaaaaaaatu.:)
Our tour guide explaining to us the history of Hector Peterson
The famous picture of the school boy Hector Peterson after he was shot by Police in Soweto. Carrying him is a fellow student who rumors have it was never seen again after this picture was taken. Along side is Hector’s sister crying out for help.
Amen andAmen……
The group in front of the Hector Peterson Memorial
Meanwhile, as all this is happen Mandela is locked up in this prison cell on Robben Island……………..photo curtsy of my friend Aguibou who visited Mandela’s former cell this February
Photo of the actual cell where Mandela spent 18 of his 27 years in prison
THE NEW SOWETO
As my grandma used to say, “no condition is permanent”! In February 1990 Nelson Mandela was released from prison and in 1994, he won South Africa’s first free elections to become President. Since then, the Township of Soweto has gone through many radical transformations. Though it still maintains its vibrant black population, no longer is it the heartbeat of black life in Johannesburg.It is now an up and coming black suburb with growing pains like any other city in S.A.
However, on Sunday afternoons such as the one we embarked on, it is a good feeling to journey back into Soweto’s history, so that we never forget how far we have come, and how much people like Nelson Mandela sacrificed to get us where we are today.
A mural on the streets of Soweto of Mandela’s release from prison and Archbishop Desmond Tutu welcoming him
Street Signs in Soweto…….all that history in every direction
Mandela’s former house in Soweto has been turned into a museum
So I had to get a pic in front of it for keeps 🙂
We saw this lady sitting in front of the house and my friend Teba says she looked like Mandela…lol
Teba in front of Mandela’s house
COOL FACT ALERT: Vilakazi street in Soweto, is the only street in the entire world to have two (2) Nobel Peace Prize Winners with residences on it….ie Nelson Mandela and Desmond Tutu
The New Soweto…………
Sundays on Vilakazi Street, Soweto……………..Pam and Teba getting grooving with the local musicians
And the rest of the group joined in………………
The girls doing what we do best……………posing for photos on Vilakazi 🙂
Like I said, Soweto has changed: You can go bungie jumping here at the Soweto Towers…..(no one wanted to, only me,lol)
And of course, Soweto is home to Soccer City……….the stunning Soccer Stadium made famous by World Cup 2010 which South Africa hosted.
That’s all for now folks….hope you enjoyed the pics! Peace & Lots of Love Always 🙂
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