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| Janiel recognizes viewing things from a distance is not enough. |
Arrival at
the District 6 Museum heightened my awareness about the recent history of this
town. Upon entering the museum, placed on the wall, a plaque read: “ALL WHO
PASS BY, remember with shame the many thousands of people who lived for
generations in District Six and other parts of this city, and were forced by
law to leave their homes because of the colour of their skins. FATHER, FORGIVE
US…” It’s different to learn about history from behind a desk at school;
walking into the museum and seeing the faces and words of real, beautiful
people left me in tears. In a singular movement, people were kicked out of
their homes and rushed to live in areas where Table Mountain, which was once
tangible, had now become a taunting backdrop.
Make no
mistake that the separation between Blacks, Whites and Coloured was made
evident. Homes that seemed too expensive to touch, separated by a highway, and
on the other side shacks made of zinc and board, clearly unstable, brought me
to a mixture of tears and anger. The hardest part to grasp is the fact that
only a couple days back I had witnessed this; it wasn’t a picture from many
years ago. People fail to realize that pretending not to see an issue doesn’t
mean the issue is not apparent. We’re all here for a purpose, so to let greed
and ignorance fuel our decisions is shameful. It has become too easy to forget
that Band-Aids aren’t enough to fix a broken bone.
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