We made the best of our one night there, and managed to get in a double tour for the price of one - Soweto and the Apartied Museum.
Soweto, which stands for South West Township, was amazing. I knew it was the largest, but had no idea it had a population of 3.5 million! We took a mini van in, our African guide and all us white folk. We stopped at a gas station in Soweto for snacks, and it felt friendly and safe. It was like that throughout the tour, with nice people happy to show us their way of life. We even were shown inside a house there. It felt a bit intrusive, but they all assured us it was fine.
I bought some little African figurines that caught my eye. I had said I would not be buying anything on this trip, but I did like them, and it was an easy way to contribute to the community.
After that it was a couple of hours in the Apartied Museum. In some ways, including how it affected me, it was like Berlin. Throughout history, peoples are treated differently and oppressed. Free speech goes, people are jailed without trial for their beliefs and hatred prevails. But in the end, good seems to triumph over evil, and things become as they should. Like Berlin, it is hard to believe now that such a thing occured during our lifetime.
My favourite part was a huge picture of Desmond Tutu smiling and watching television. On it, De Klerk and Mandela were receiving their Nobel Peace prizes - great shot.
Another very moving moment for me was reading the words of the South African Constitution. There is was in the first section, no decrimination based on a lot of things, including sexual orientation - the only constitution in the world to specifically say that.
After Johannesburg, it was back into the overland vehicle, with a few changes of people, and off to a South African classic - Kruger.
No comments:
Post a Comment