Well, it’s been a whirlwind 3 weeks, I can hardly believe everything we have seen and done. Our last day was spent in a most fitting and perfect way – a day long tour of the community of Soweto, finishing with a visit to the incredible Apartheid Museum.
Soweto is not at all what I expected it would be, and I now know that Canadians generally have no correct ideas of the place. First of all, it’s a HUGE city – almost 4½ million people live there! Is a bustling city like any other, with multiple suburbs, schools, the biggest hospital in South Africa, 2-3 major soccer stadiums, a university…the list goes on and on. The range of the houses, from very opulent homes owned by professionals, to more modest middle class houses, down to the very worst shantytowns (they call these “informal settlements” in SA, which simply means they have established illegally, and primarily by refugees to the country).
The one thing I did notice, is that the sense of community and aliveness that seem to have been missing so far from my experience of JoBurg – this I found in Soweto – if Jozi has a heart and soul, then Soweto is it. The city has a bustling economy, and is growing rapidly – with a whole new business in B&B’s, restaurants and tourism. Our guide was a young man, born and bred in Soweto, and the pride he has in his community was very evident – he told us time and again how everyone in his city gets along in the spirit of ubuntu. You can see a real change here than in the white townships – gone are the electric fences and security gates, and people LIVE on the streets, and from our guide described, they have a rich and active community life.
He drove us all around town, and showed us the wide variety of communities, houses, businesses, and we were completely astounded by Soweto – it is clear that Sowetans are very proud of their community, and want people to know that they are a happy people above everything else. With the opening and closing ceremonies of the 2010 World Cup to take place in their major stadium, its clear they cannot wait to share Soweto with the world. I now know that this is the heart of JoBurg, where its sense of live, culture and energy comes from.
Soweto is not at all what I expected it would be, and I now know that Canadians generally have no correct ideas of the place. First of all, it’s a HUGE city – almost 4½ million people live there! Is a bustling city like any other, with multiple suburbs, schools, the biggest hospital in South Africa, 2-3 major soccer stadiums, a university…the list goes on and on. The range of the houses, from very opulent homes owned by professionals, to more modest middle class houses, down to the very worst shantytowns (they call these “informal settlements” in SA, which simply means they have established illegally, and primarily by refugees to the country).
The one thing I did notice, is that the sense of community and aliveness that seem to have been missing so far from my experience of JoBurg – this I found in Soweto – if Jozi has a heart and soul, then Soweto is it. The city has a bustling economy, and is growing rapidly – with a whole new business in B&B’s, restaurants and tourism. Our guide was a young man, born and bred in Soweto, and the pride he has in his community was very evident – he told us time and again how everyone in his city gets along in the spirit of ubuntu. You can see a real change here than in the white townships – gone are the electric fences and security gates, and people LIVE on the streets, and from our guide described, they have a rich and active community life.
He drove us all around town, and showed us the wide variety of communities, houses, businesses, and we were completely astounded by Soweto – it is clear that Sowetans are very proud of their community, and want people to know that they are a happy people above everything else. With the opening and closing ceremonies of the 2010 World Cup to take place in their major stadium, its clear they cannot wait to share Soweto with the world. I now know that this is the heart of JoBurg, where its sense of live, culture and energy comes from.
One of our first stops in Soweto was the Regina Mundi Catholic Church, the largest Catholic Church in the community, and a site of great historical significance for the community – the name means “Queen of the World”. In the days of Apartheid, blacks were not allowed to be seen in public in groups of more than 2 persons, for fears that they might be plotting against the government – they could be (and were) arrested should any gatherings take place. So, the churches became the places where people could congregate, and this church became a haven of sorts for that purpose, and the site of many political meetings. “When protesting students were fired at by police on their way to Orlando Stadium on June 16 1976, and Hector Pieterson and many others were killed, the students fled for sanctuary to Regina Mundi. With buckets of water at the ready, they managed to douse the teargas canisters thrown into the church by police. But then police stormed the church, firing live ammunition. Although no one was killed, many were injured and the church's sacred symbols were damaged. The broken marble alter, the bullet holes in the ceilings and the damaged figure of Christ all bear testimony to the terrible lack of restraint shown by police that day.” Although the church is now undergoing some renovations, they are leaving some of the bullet holes, the damaged alter, and statue of Jesus with the blown away hands, all as painful reminders of the sacrilege that was visited upon the church that day.
The next stop on our tour was the Hector Pieterson Memorial & Museum, commemorating the transformative events of June 16, 1976. This was an incredibly moving building (and the memorial built outside) – Hector, 12, was one of the first casualties of the Soweto uprising of 16 June, 1976, when over 500 high school students were killed as they protested over the imposition of Afrikaans as a medium of instruction in township schools. The resulting reaction by the police, rioting ad subsequent protests by students across the country, was the spark that started a massive change across the Nation towards the end of Apartheid. So the events of that day hold a very special significance for both the nation, and the people of Soweto, and fitting that it should be memorialized appropriately. 
Our lunch break was at a Soweto institution, Wandie’s Place. Excellent (and abundant) buffet, more eating! The walls of the place are papered with cards from people all over the world, and a wide variety of famous people have eaten here, James Brown, lots of Hollywood stars and politicians. Quite the place!Then we visited Mr. Mandela's old house in Soweto, which has now been turned into a Museum. Such a tiny little place, really, but opulant by the standards of the neighbourhood. Down the street is the house of Bishop Tutu, hence the street is famous for having two Noble Prixe winers once living on it.
Our final day in South Africa concluded with a visit to the Apartheid Museum, a truly marvelous museum complex, that takes a few hours to walk through and absorb. Mr. Mandela was very, very smart when he decided to build these museums and memorials, as many of them were finished within a few years of his release, or his terms as President. They are all incredibly powerful symbols, and allow a very concrete sign that the events of the past will not be forgotten and will be properly memorialized and documented. They were all places that were extremely well done, both to accurately document the horrors of those times, and express hope for the future. The Museum is really well done, very informative, tells the whole history of colonization, apartheid, and the aftermath. Some of my favourite parts were the entry way – when you arrive you are given either a “Europeans Only” or “Non Whites” entry card, and then you have to enter through the separate doors marked as such – this takes you through two parallel hallways, showing the experience of being segregated. Very well thought out way of helping you understand how it must have felt to be treated like that. And then you walk up a long outside walkway, which has these great installations of photos (front and back) of people of different races, life-size, as if they are walking up with you, and they have been mounted onto mirrored panels – it is designed to show how all the races belong together in the journey of the South African nation, and the mirrors allow the viewer to become part of that journey, that community. One of the most effective public art works I have ever seen, really well done. Hence, I took a lot of photos of it…
The sign upon your exit from the Museum perfectly sums up South Africa’s view on all of it:“Coming to terms with the harsh realities of apartheid and its lasting effects is a process of unburdening. It is painful to some and liberating to others. Take a moment to walk and contemplate the beauty of this, our country. Think about what has gone before and what is still to come.
And then walk away free".
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