TES Ambassador Exchange Soweto: Day Three: Apartheid Museum and Dinner with the SA endos

Today after work, Kershlin took us to the Apartheid Museum.

We stayed in the museum until they shut off the lights (literally!), but there was still so much left to see. It has been fascinating to hear about Apartheid from multiple sources, both from official historical sites and from the people (of numerous ethnic backgrounds) who lived it. Apartheid was a system of racial segregation enforced through legislation by the South African National Party (NP) governments, who were the ruling party from 1948 to 1994, when the African National Congress (ANC) took power.

We've now seen two historical sites here in Johannesburg (Joburg, Jozi!). We visited Liliesleaf (a wonderful and under-visited historical site about Apartheid and the Rivonia trial). This year is actually the 50th year anniversary of the raid on Liliesleaf farm, once the headquarters of Umkhonto we Sizwe, the military wing of the ANC and the Congress Alliance. The farm is also where they found the evidence that sent Nelson Mandela to prison on a life-sentence (he was in jail at the time of the raid). Click on the link below for more information about Liliesleaf and the Rivonia trial.

http://www.liliesleaf.co.za/

The Apartheid Museum provided a comprehensive history of early Johannesburg, the historical racial, ethnic, and class tensions in SA that lead to the creation of Apartheid in 1948, and the long years of internal resistance and struggle that finally lead to the dismantling of the policy between 1990-1992.

http://www.apartheidmuseum.org/

Prior to leaving the US, I downloaded "A Long Walk to Freedom", as I have only read sections of it. But everyone here has been so welcoming and thoughtful that we've had too lively of a social life for me to get very far along in my reading!

Case in point, tonight we went out for dinner with some of the fellows and consultants to Moyo to enjoy some traditional Pan-African food and entertainment. Kershlin drove us around Zoo Lake, a nice green space in the city, where the restaurant is located. We all thoroughly enjoyed ourselves.