Courageous South Africa

(Navyn) “I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear.” Nelson Mandela

Apartheid, the Afrikaans word meaning “the state of being apart”, literally “apart-hood” was a system of racial segregation in South Africa enforced through legislation by the National Party, the governing party from 1948 to 1994. Perhaps I had forgotten that it was only in 1994 as I walked the graduation stage at Boston College, that the policy of apartheid came to an end. It is shocking to think about how recently these policies prevailed yet once Nelson Mandela took office, how quickly legislation was drafted that affirmed the new democratic values of South Africa which focused on human dignity, equality and freedom. The result was legislation perhaps more progressive than even that of the United States. Article 1 of the Bill of Rights reads: “No one may be discriminated against on grounds of race, gender, pregnancy, marital status, ethnic or social origin, color, sexual orientation, age, disability, religion, conscience, culture or language.” How many more years will it take the rest of the world to catch up? How much longer can we debate these inherently obvious issues of equality in our great land of freedom? Some day, we too will look back in disgust that we actually lived in a time when men and women didn’t earn the same pay, when a gay couple could not marry or when racial profiling was so prolific. Surely, South Africa has a long way to go, but as a point of reference, 40% of their parliament is made up of women, while our Congress has just under 20%.

To understand the history of South Africa we visited the Apartheid Museum in Johannesburg where we were each given an identity card telling us if we were black, colored or white and therefore which entrance to use. Tests included skin color, nose shape, and even a pencil test. If a pencil stuck in your hair you were labeled black. Our family, like many, was split up because we all have different attributes (Paul’s big nose, Maya’s brown skin, Halle’s thick, curly hair, Zara’s green eyes). Entire districts were bulldozed and thousands forced to move to new segregated neighborhoods. The new designated townships for the black population were set up far away from viable jobs, which of course led directly to poverty. The politically correct name for a shanty town or slum is an “informal settlement” and consists of millions of people living in shacks made of wood planks, corrugated tin, empty shipping containers, or whatever else was available. The living conditions still to this day are not ideal. HIV is still a problem, 1,000 people could share one water tap, risk of fires are high as people need to keep warm in the winters, up to thirty people could share one toilet, it is dangerous for young girls to use these “facilities” at night, and the methane gases from the garbage dump foundation pose additional health risks. But…you would never imagine what was happening on the inside unless you dug a little deeper.

In a dimly lit shack, in the informal settlement we were visiting, the rain thundered down on the tin roof above as we listened to the Iliso Youth Choir. Their young, powerful voices sang so proudly it drowned out the rain and could have reached the heavens. Tears rolled down their cheeks as they sang songs remembering the darker times when their leaders were imprisoned. The youngest ones listened intently to the music all around them that filled the room with hope, passion and dreams just beginning. The sense of community, togetherness, and feeling of pride in celebrating their culture took my breath away. I wished I could pack them all in my suitcase so that you too could hear their extraordinary voices. Today we celebrated Youth Day with these talented young people. Youth Day is a public holiday in South Africa in remembrance of June 16, 1976, when 20,000 high school students took to the streets of Soweto, protesting the replacement of indigenous languages with that of an Afrikaans/English mix in the schools. Many innocent young people died on this day during their peaceful march against apartheid, and the world saw first hand the brutality of the government.

Youth Day from Salem Explorers on Vimeo.

To complete the historic journey, we visited Robben Island, where Nelson Mandela was imprisoned for 18 of his 27 years behind bars. Our guide Thulani, was a political prisoner, and endured prison life from 1984-1991. He was accused of being a terrorist for blowing up buildings. It was an African National Congress (ANC) strategy after 50 years of non-violent tactics to try to interrupt the infrastructure in order to bring president FW de Klerk to the bargaining table. At every stop along the tour he told us his personal stories of struggle and heartache. One day, the warden told him he would have a visitor the next day, his father. Thulani then paused for several minutes and in the silence, his emotions came roaring back and his eyes welled up as he began to tell us the rest of his story. He was pulled out of line, expecting to see his father, but instead was told his father would not be coming because he had been shot eight times. We sat in his cold, damp cell trying to imagine how one could endure such hardships. He slammed the heavy door shut just as his warden would do every night – the noise echoing like a bomb down the narrow corridor. He shared times of celebration too as he was there when Mandela was released and he participated in the cheers that rang out with the good news.

One of the unexpected lessons learned while traveling throughout different countries is how you begin to see your country from a different perspective – as an outsider looking in. We spent the day with a terrorist. He was captured red handed. Guilty of breaking the laws, no doubt. He was tortured and locked away. But was his cause a just one? Would some classify him as a hero? How is he any different than the definition of a terrorist today? What would we think if we met a terrorist and heard the story from their side? These questions and answers are rarely black or white (no pun intended), yet today, we only saw Thulani as a hero. A kind-hearted man now with a wife and two daughters trying his best to be strong and share his story.

Stellenbosch. Wine Country

Stellenbosch. Wine Country

Just in case visiting slums, apartheid museums and prisons don’t sound like your idea of a fun family holiday, please know that South Africa has been at the top of my favorite vacation places since I first visited in 1999. There is truly something for everyone. In addition to many safaris options in Kruger National Park, you can visit Johannesburg, drive The Garden Route, and visit Cape Town, one of the most beautiful cities with a long and varied list of unique activities. You can hike to the top of Table Mountain, surf, golf, drive down the coastline to the peninsula and the Cape of Good Hope, visit the penguins on Boulder Beach, drive through the most romantically picturesque wine country, Stellenbosch, go diving in the Ring of Death around Seal Island with the great white sharks and even watch South Africa beat Angola 2-1 in the World Cup soccer stadium downtown. (click on PHOTO tab above.)

The soccer game reminded me of the movie Invictus about the South African rugby team who surprised all and won the World Cup in 1995. The poem Invictus was a favorite of Nelson Mandela.

INVICTUS

By William Henley

Out of the night that covers me/Black as the pit from pole to pole/I thank whatever gods may be/For my unconquerable soul.

In the fell clutch of circumstance/I have not winced nor cried aloud/Under the bludgeonings of chance/My head is bloody, but unbowed.

Beyond this place of wrath and tears/Looms but the Horror of the shade/And yet the menace of the years/Finds and shall find me unafraid.

It matters not how strait the gate/How charged with punishments the scroll/I am the master of my fate/I am the captain of my soul.

—————————————–

Thanks to Francine, Greg, Laura and Liza for making the trek to visit us!! It was great to see all of you.

6 Comments

  1. Aline B on July 7, 2015 at 10:17 pm

    Thank you Navyn for the summary of your travel to South Africa. Your description bring to me an emotion and truly I have a respect to people like Thulani, full of bravery and hero… Thank you for sharing an excerpt from Iliso Youth Choir , you’re right to say that you could ship them in your suitcase and we get to listen them. For the June 16th, the celebration is respected in all Africa as an international “day of the African Child”. The 20,000 high school students of Soweto inspired many people to seek justice. Many blessings from us!

  2. Caroline on July 2, 2015 at 6:44 am

    Navyn,
    Each of your posts provides the spark to keep adding to my bucket list. Your summary of South Africa is inspiring, yet provides pause for all of us as we read of yet another church in the south (USA) being set on fire….in 2015! Thank you for sharing so much history of the struggles and progress in South Africa….it sounds amazing!
    Miss you all! xo, C

  3. Kay McNulty on July 1, 2015 at 9:59 pm

    I have enjoyed all of your posts from your travels, but Navyn, this on South Africa is outstanding. Thanks to you and your family for bringing the world to us.

  4. Ginny Allen on July 1, 2015 at 12:19 pm

    Dear Navyn,
    It seems it has been a while since your last post and this was well worth the wait! I am feeling such a variety of thoughts and emotions. Reading “Invictus” took me back to high school days, when I had to memorize it. At that time in my life, I think I was absolutely clueless about what it meant. Reading it again now, at the end of your thoughtful reflections of your experiences, gave it whole new meaning.
    Love, Mom

  5. Papa on July 1, 2015 at 12:19 pm

    Hi Navyn,
    Your vivid description of South Africa invoked a lot of emotion for me since I have been to almost all the places you mention. The horror of Robben Island has had an indelible imprint on my mind. Remember, I was a young boy in Tanzania when Mandela was “arrested”. With glee, many years later, I watched him walk out that prison with tears of joy rolling down. The monument in Soweto dedicated to Hector Peterson who was shot down at the tender age of 12 protesting the introduction of Afrikaans was a graphic reminder of atrocities of the apartheid regime. On a happier note, Soweto is the only place in the world where two Nobel Peace Prize winners lived on the same street, Desmond Tutu (whom you have met) and Mandela.
    Papa

  6. laura ramsden on July 1, 2015 at 11:50 am

    Perfect summary. Thanks for letting us crash the fun. 30 day countdown is on…! Say hi to Fausto.

Leave a Comment