On Saturday, we spent three and a half hours learning about apartheid in the Apartheid Museum. The building is quite impressive, designed to be symbolic of the struggle of the blacks in Africa, and the long road to equality. .JPG)
When you purchase tickets, you are given passes saying “European” or “non-European” and then you must enter through separate gates depending on your card. As you walk through the gate there are huge replications of passbooks, a necessary document blacks had to carry on them when in white areas or fear imprisonment. After a long uphill journey, symbolizing the long uphill road to justice, you enter the museum.
When you purchase tickets, you are given passes saying “European” or “non-European” and then you must enter through separate gates depending on your card. As you walk through the gate there are huge replications of passbooks, a necessary document blacks had to carry on them when in white areas or fear imprisonment. After a long uphill journey, symbolizing the long uphill road to justice, you enter the museum. We were treated to an historical overview of the entire history of apartheid, beginning with the discovery of gold in Johannesburg which led to migrant black miners, through the development of the city slums, the relocation of black people into townships, and the 1948 ruling which made apartheid law. The museum did a good job contrasting the lives of blacks and whites in South Africa during apartheid and also showing the propaganda perpetrated by the government to strengthen their position. It then showed the incredible fight of black resistance to fight for their right for equality under the law.
One jaw dropping moment was when we watched a video of the architect of apartheid, President Verwoerd defend apartheid. He called it “good neighbourliness”, the whites and blacks living separate lives as good neighbours. It was almost disgusting to hear him speak, and all the people applaud.
The museum also had a temporary exhibit on Nelson Mandela which was interesting. I never realized how traditionally Xhosa Mandela had been raised. It’s amazing to see the story of his life told so completely.
The museum was a sobering experience. We left it with our emotions raw, our heads reeling and our minds puzzled as to how this could ever have happened. We also left with a prickling mind about Jeremy. This is part of his story, both sides of it. Jeremy is bi-racial, his parents experienced apartheid on different sides of the fence, one as the privileged, the other as the sufferer. How do these two sides of him come together when faced with this history? Where does Jeremy fit into this story? This baby, who slept the entire time tied to my chest, has no idea about this part of his identity. It will be our job to help him come to terms with this two-sided history, and indeed the two-sided identity which he holds.
One jaw dropping moment was when we watched a video of the architect of apartheid, President Verwoerd defend apartheid. He called it “good neighbourliness”, the whites and blacks living separate lives as good neighbours. It was almost disgusting to hear him speak, and all the people applaud.
The museum also had a temporary exhibit on Nelson Mandela which was interesting. I never realized how traditionally Xhosa Mandela had been raised. It’s amazing to see the story of his life told so completely.
The museum was a sobering experience. We left it with our emotions raw, our heads reeling and our minds puzzled as to how this could ever have happened. We also left with a prickling mind about Jeremy. This is part of his story, both sides of it. Jeremy is bi-racial, his parents experienced apartheid on different sides of the fence, one as the privileged, the other as the sufferer. How do these two sides of him come together when faced with this history? Where does Jeremy fit into this story? This baby, who slept the entire time tied to my chest, has no idea about this part of his identity. It will be our job to help him come to terms with this two-sided history, and indeed the two-sided identity which he holds.
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