Jo'Burg and Farewell to Africa

June 27th

Our last morning of our Southern Africa trip was full of important historical landmarks.  We took a tour of Soweto (the name comes as an abbreviation of South Western Township).  This is a historic town with strong ties to apartheid as was a place where many blacks were forcibly moved to in order to create white only areas.  It is also home to the Soweto Uprising which was initiated by students who wanted fair education (the government had created a policy to teach only in Afrikaans to keep the black population from being educated in English).  Many young people died there even though the student's protest was a peaceful demonstration.  We visited the Hector Pieterson Memorial and Museum and learned much about this difficult time in South Africa's history.

We also toured the surrounding neighborhood.  Our Johannesburg guide brought our attention to
variety of housing in Soweto.  As some families start to rise in social status, they stay in Soweto and build up their homes rather than move out.  It is inspiring to see their love of their neighborhood and to see how this advancement could be provide hope for those who are financially struggling.  It was common to see a wealthier house next door to a home that resembled a shack.  Many homes also served as businesses.  We saw a variety of businesses run from the homes, garages, or smaller structures.  Some were hair salons, upholstery and carpet makers, car repairs, and home goods.


The final part of the Soweto tour was to see Vilakazi Street which is the only street in the world to claim two Nobel Prize winners as residents.  Both Nelson Mandela and Archbishop Desmond Tutu had homes there.  Tutu's wife still lives there and Archbishop Tutu lives in both Atlanta and Johannesburg.  We were able to see their house from across the way as the guide mentioned that Mrs. Tutu does not like tourists in front of her home.  In fact, she has been known to throw rocks at people who come too close. 


It was disheartening to see a different kind of vulture (as opposed to the birds in Botswana) staking their claim across the street from the Mandela House, which is now a museum not his residence.  At the time of our tour, it was thought that Mandela was close to death.  It seems that some of the international press wanted to be in prime position for this event.  It was a sad sight; however, Madiba, as he is affectionately called in South Africa, did not pass away as the media had anticipated.  (As of the writing of this post, reports still indicate that Mandela's health is improving.)

Mom and I returned to the hotel for lunch and to finish packing.  We were later taken to Johannesburg Airport for our long trip back home.  Mom and I flew to Zurich and then to Chicago.  I then took my twelfth and final flight back to Denver.