Since last posting, I was lucky
enough to have embarked on a truly eye opening excursion with the group to
Johannesburg. We spent the good portion of the week traveling the city and
going through museums, and ended the time with an incredible three day
adventure through Kruger National Park. When I first read through the itinerary
for the week, I wasn’t too thrilled to see the number of museums we’d be going
to. However, I could not be more thankful that these specific locations were
made a part of our time in JoBurg.
The site that struck me the most
during excursion was absolutely the Apartheid Museum. Right from the beginning
of the tour, we were brought into the world of the past. We were given tickets
prior to entering the museum that either stated “White” or “Non-White.”
Depending on what your ticket said, that was the door which you used to enter
the museum. This made quite an impression on me because I had never before
physically experienced racial separation, even if it wasn’t completely being enforced.
As I walked through the museum, everything that I have been learning about
Apartheid in class and from conversations with locals came to life. One
particular portion of the museum that struck a cord in me was all about the
police brutality during that time. The tour guide told us about how the police
would freely kill a prisoner for no reason and then state the prisoner had just
committed suicide. This really broke my heart. I can’t fathom the idea of being
so innocently murdered for nothing other than your skin color and the people
you love being fed false information about your tragic death. The cruelty and
evil of Apartheid continues to amaze me. How could humans behave so horribly to
one another? Better yet, how are we CONTINUING to do it?
I struggle with ideas like these,
like what is it going to take before we start to accept and love one another.
Luckily, another experience in JoBurg gave me some hope. Dani’s aunt Cheryl
kindly had a group of us over for a dinner party while we were in the city. Her
aunt has been a very significant political figure in South Africa, and hearing
the experiences she shared were nothing short of inspiring. Hearing about her
time, as well as her friends’ time, during the struggle and what they’re doing
now to address it made taking action seem so DOABLE. Ever since that dinner
party, I’ve been brainstorming a variety of ways in which I could return home
to Massachusetts and hit the ground running with service opportunities. Mother
Teresa’s quote, “do small things with great love,” is becoming more and more
clear to me each day in South Africa.
 |
| Dani, Emily, & Onna |
No comments:
Post a Comment