Sharon's excursion experiences

I just came back from our excursion to Johannesburg and Kruger National Park and it has been so educational. The highlights of the trip for me were visiting the Hector Pieterson Memorial Museum, Apartheid Museum and the Soweto Boys and Girls Club.

On Easter Sunday, we arrived at the Hector Pieterson Museum, which commemorates the Soweto student protest on June 16, 1976. The ambiance of the museum was very dark and the memorial stirred all of our hearts. The museum displayed many photographs and captions that recaptured the events leading up to June 16^th. Reading and hearing testimonies of the events was very burdensome but their stories need to be heard. After reading through statements of witnesses and protesters, I imagined myself in Soweto, partaking in the student demonstrations. Would I have chosen to risk my life for the struggle against apartheid? Bantu Education Act angered black South Africans and they refused to receive an education solely taught in Afrikaans, also known as the language of the oppressors. I realized how blessed I am to have the opportunity to freely study and receive an education in whatever subject I desire.

It was interesting because when we arrived in Johannesburg I just started reading a nonfiction written by Mark Mathabane, who grew up in Alexandra, a township we passed driving from Tambo International Airport to the hotel. As we were going to the Hector Pieterson Museum, I was reading about Mark’s experience in the Soweto Uprising and his actual account on the day of June 16, 1976. My trip to the Pieterson Museum, coupled with reading Kaffir Boy, heightened my knowledge and awareness of how courageous the Soweto students were.  

On Monday, Family Day in South Africa, we spent the whole day at the Soweto Boys & GirlsClub. It was so awesome interacting with the kids and helping out with whatever they needed assistance with. I love working with kids and my internship placement at the CTRC doesn’t give me many chances to interact with the younger generation, so I was overjoyed when I got to hangout with kids all day. I made a game board with Wylie, that we also learned how to play. 

Sharon & Wylie learn to play game on the game board they created for the children

After we accomplished the board, many of the girls wanted to play with our hair. It was so cute how the younger girls would braid our hair and then unravel their creation just to braid it all over again. Some of the girls gave me some dance lessons as well, which I am excited to practice in the comfort of my own room =). Spending the day at the Boys & Girls Club allowed me to reminisce about past missions trips I participated in with my church. For 3 weeks during the summer, we help out at a Christian primary school called Logan Hope (Love Our God and Neighbor) located in the outskirts of Philly. The students are primarily of Cambodian descendent and they live in a poverty stricken community, plagued with gang violence and drugs. Now that I think of it, there are many similarities between the two organizations working in their respective areas. During our 3 week stay, our team develops strong bonds with the students and teachers at Logan Hope and that keeps us coming back each and every summer. In the same way, I wish that I could come back to the Soweto Boys and GirlsClub frequently to develop significant relationships with the kids.

Pillars outside the Apartheid Museum:
Democracy, Equality, Reconciliation, & Diversity

The Apartheid Museum was incredible. The setup, in terms of the layout of the museum, and the exhibits were informative in a way to allow individuals with no knowledge of apartheid to fully understand South Africa’s struggle for freedom and equality. The museum was so big that we can literally spend the whole day there, but we only had until lunchtime. Luckily, we had a phenomenal tour guide to help us navigate the awaiting exciting information. My favorite exhibit in the museum was one dedicated for Nelson Mandela. I do not think I realized how pivotal and gargantuan his role was in the struggle for freedom during the apartheid, but as I spent a considerable amount of time reading about his accomplishments and watching his televised public appearances, I was amazed by his achievements and humbleness. At the entrance to his exhibition, there were many portraits of the leader in chronological order. From far away, the portraits look like photographs but in reality, they were paintings created by a very talented artist (I unfortunately forgot the name). The artist was asked to paint Mandela’s portrait while he was in 27 years of imprisonment because there was no way of knowing how Mandela was aging. It was unbelievable how the artist captured Mandela’s exact facial features just by copying the most recent photo of Mandela available at that time and manipulating the aging process with his paintbrush.

My favorite part of the exhibition was the Mandela walk, where the museum categorized many of Mandela’s profound quotes by content and a corresponding color. They included my favorite Mandela quote under the respect category, which is, “For to be free is not merely casting off one’s chains, but to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others.” This quote really resonates with me because I do believe that it is the duty for every human to live in a way that helps fight in the struggle for the realization of human rights everywhere. It is crazy to think that we only have less than 3 weeks left in Cape Town. I do not want to leave this beautiful country but I know I will be coming home as a changed person with a passion to help those who are oppressed.