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| Sign at the Museum |
On Saturday, (our first full day in South Africa) we visited the Apartheid Museum. It’s harsh and brutalistic structure and decoration reflected the seriousness of the content of the museum. There was a ton of information there, and unfortunately I did not get through all of it. I really enjoyed the detailed exhibit about Nelson Mandela (I read almost everything). I especially liked this quote of his: “For to be free is not merely to cast off one's chains, but to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others.” I like it because it demonstrates the importance of respecting and loving those around me, which is very important in my living a Christian life.
The atrocities and harshness of laws and daily life under apartheid was very moving. As Vanessa first noted, it is interesting that the blacks in South Africa were fighting for their rights at the same time that the civil rights struggle was going on in the USA.
Like in the USA, de juro segregation may have ended in South Africa, but de facto segregation still exists. Although blacks and whites are now allowed by law to get the same schooling and jobs, many blacks lack the resources necessary to get a higher education and a better paying job. Neighborhoods that used to be mandated black or white neighborhoods have begun integration, but only very slowly.
It is hard to see so much change, yet so much still stays the same. It makes me wonder to what extent racism and segregation still exists in my own country.
What have I simply never been exposed to, and what have I not noticed or chosen to ignore in my own community?
-Leah Amstutz
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Signs during apartheid era |
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Casspir truck used during apartheid |
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Museum Garden |
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Picture of Mine workers at the Museum |
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| Vanessa and Lacey Hanging out in the garden |
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| Hanging out at the Museum Garden |
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