2: Mandiba!

1.02.2014 – 1.02.2014 semi-overcast 24 °C

A nice sleepy start to the day with me spending a good hour during the night wide awake looking at the ceiling (well, actually at my e-book!) Our first full day on African soil was spent in Soweto understanding how the other half live and the life and times of Apartheid.

Interesting day… For starters, Soweto is no longer one big slum! (Although I already had an inkling, based on my guide book, that it was no longer the down and out that you visualise). Most parts of the infamous suburb are very middle class, there are even some large houses that the richer members own! Our guide did take us into one of the poorer areas (KlipTown) to meet with a youth worker who is working to improve the education of the children living in the area. The youth centre provides computer training and internet access, tutoring after school, sports events, arts training.. all of this and they ensure that each child gets two meals a day! All of this happens from donations!!! Very worthwhile cause and one we all freely donated to!

On a “poorness” scale, I would rate that the people living in KlipTown have it better than most people living in Mongolia! I was actually suprised to see the interior of one of the houses and it was a big step above some of the places we visited in Mongolia… Note to self, if I’m going to get a sponsor child look towards Mongolia before S Africa!

Nearby to KlipTown is a large abandoned coal fired power plant. Apparently, it was the power station that provided power to Johannesburg but not to Soweto during the Apartheid years… Today, its a beautiful pop art icon! A great way to turn an otherwise eye sore into something gorgeous. Power was only installed into Soweto mid 90s!

We also did a great drive through the whole suburb ending down at Mandela’s + AB Tutu’s residence… Slightly touristy today but back in the sixties and seventies it would have been an interesting (if slightly scary) part of the world to live in… Apprently, the Mandella residence was a regular visiting place of the police and riot squad. Stories by the children of Mandela sends a picture of constant nightly terror with regular visits from the authorities…. I also didn’t realise how involved Winnie was in the political activism. One of the quotes from the kids was “we didn’t know for how long Mum would be with us…”

Our last stop was at the Hector Pieterson museum. He was a child who was shot in the mid 70s after demonstrating with thousands of other children at having to learn Afrikaans as well as English. One day, all schooling was in English, the next day year’s 8 and above had to do all of their classes in Afrikaans… To be nice, the word “challenging” comes to mind, considering English isn’t even your first language and you’ve had no formal training in Afrikaans. (It’s more farcical when you realise that many of the teachers couldn’t actually speak Afrikaans themselves….)  Unsurprisingly, the black communities started to complain about this new requirement for learning all classes in Afrikaans. The complaints lead to strikes and eventually to this large, albeit, peaceful demonstration. The demonstration was much larger than the police had prepared for… Once the students started to hurl a rock or two, the police felt overwhelmed and opened fire on the students…. The fall out from this demonstration was that sanctions were imposed on S Africa and eventually Apartheid was abolished in the mid 90s.

 

I’m trying to make this chapter of the blog more “real” so am having a go at using YouTube to support this… I reckoned on maybe no internet coverage, but didn’t think about the fact that they may put bans on the use of YouTube… And, I can’t upload the video because it overwhelms this site…. Sorry team, you’ll have to wait til I can use YouTube!

Totsiens! (Goodbye in Afrikaans)

 

 

 

4 thoughts on “2: Mandiba!

  1. Hi travel partner! I have truly missed my daily updates of our adventures! This chapter will be very exciting! I plan to go and see L

  2. Sorry I plan to go and see Long Walk to Freedom when it comes out! I hope Hollywood doesn’t take poetic licence but I have heard it is on the mark! Idris Elba is wonderful apparently! So on with our adventures!!

  3. Great to see weary is back Di, can’t wait to hear more. Ps this post is no 2, but can’t find no 1, not sure if I missed something.

    • Nope you didn’t miss anything.. I didn’t bother to blog about the flight over…. I’m finding it harder and harder to write about airports and aeroplanes… Don’t I sound like a travel snob! 🙂

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