Tuesday, January 22, 2019
Constitution Hill
“It is said that no one truly knows a nation until one has been inside it’s jails. A nation should not be judged by how it treats its highest citizens, but its lowest ones – and South Africa treated its imprisoned African citizens like animals.” – Nelson Mandela
Two Tuesdays ago, I visited Constitution Hill in Johannesburg. Constitution Hill is a former prison complex and military fort that is now a living museum and the home of South Africa’s Constitutional Court. First, we visited Number Four, the section of the prison that housed black prisoners and Mahatma Gandhi from 1922 to 1924. The atmosphere of the courtyard is oppressive, despite the fact that it is in the open air. The sun shines bright, beating down on the red brick and white cement buildings crowned with barbed wire. The inequality between white and black prisoners is evident. In 1953, Number Four had a capacity of 979 but held 2,027 prisoners – cells designed to hold 30 prisoners often held 60. In comparison, white prisoners in the Old Fort section of the prison complex usually had a small cell to themselves. Inequality was also evident in the food given to the prisoners. White prisoners were given more nutritious, hearty daily meals while black prisoners were given the smallest, least nutritious meals.
Isolation Cells
Isolation Cell
Prisoners Diets
The prison system was designed to maintain racial discrimination during Apartheid. People whose only crime was that they were black were thrown into prison with murderers, rapists, and thieves. In 1960, one out of every eight members of the black population was convicted. The most striking part of my experience at Number Four was learning about the hope and courage of the prisoners despite gang violence, torture, and isolation. Prisoners created blanket and soap sculptures and maintained cultural practices in resistance of Apartheid.
Between the walls of Number Four and Constitution Hall are the Great African Steps. The steps highlight the contrast between the colonial prison walls of oppression and the modern African design of the Constitutional Court. Bricks from the demolished Awaiting Trial Block were used to construct the steps and the and the walls of the court room. The front of the Court Building consists of a wall with the words “Constitutional Court” in all 11 official South African language. To enter the court, you must pass through a large wooden door carved with carvings symbolizing the 27 fundamental themes of the South African Bill of Rights in all official languages plus sign language. The foyer of the court is composed of slanted columns and wire tree branch sculptures that hang from the ceiling. The area serves as an architectural metaphor for lekgotla, the meeting place of African villages, often beneath a tree, where legal disputes were resolved. Unfortunately, we weren’t able to go into the actual court room because it’s currently under construction, but we were able to examine various South African art pieces outside of the court room. On the wall outside of the court room, a neon orange sign reads “A Luta Continua,” Portuguese for “the struggle continues.”
The Great African Steps
Lobby of the Constitutional Court
“A Luta Continua” Artist: Thomas Molcaire
“This place, given that the roof is gone, no longer has the same impact it had on me when I was kept here. There is a little bit of freedom now that I can see the sky. But the anger is not gone.” – Victor Nkabinde, former political prisoner, remarks on the remnants of the Awaiting Trial Block.
The last stop of our visit was “The Flame of Democracy” inside of the remnants of the Awaiting Trial Block. This flame was installed to celebrate the 15thAnniversary of the signing of the South African Constitution. Embedded in front of the flame is the Preamble of the Constitution.
Awaiting Trial Block
The Flame of Democracy
My experience at Constitution Hill was filled with both immense sadness and incredible hope. While walking through Number Four I felt sadness pressing against my heart like a brick. It’s unbelievable to me how violent and hateful we can be to one another, when really at our core we are all the same: human. Walking up the Great African Steps and through the Constitutional Court made me feel an astounding sense of hope for the future of South Africa. It’s unbelievable how far this country has come in the past 24 years. In addition, the South African Bill of Rights is an inspiring piece of literature that ensures that every South African regardless of race, religion, belief, or opinion can live a just and equitable life with dignity. South Africa still has a ways to come, but I am confident that its citizens will continue to make strides to ensure that every South African’s rights are protected.
Wednesday, January 23, 2019
Freedom Park
“//hapo ge // hapo tama//hapo hasib dis tamas kai bo.” – Khoi Proverb
“A dream is not a dream until shared by the entire community.”
Two Wednesdays ago, I visited Freedom Park’s //hapo museum. //hapo recounts the history of South Africa across time and space in seven parts.
Epoch 1: Earth
The museum experience begins with an African story of creation breathtakingly illuminated on a large screen. The story tells of how the Creator created all life on Earth. The first message the Creator sent to people was to be compassionate to each other and to all of creation. Thus, humans started cooperating with another and practicing ubuntu (literal translation: “I am because we are”), or the belief that humanity is connected by a universal bond of sharing. They believed that they could realize their potential to become the best human beings they could be by practicing ubuntu.
Epoch 2: Ancestors
Next, the museum explores the spiritual relationship between the living and the dead, beginning with the myth of the Chameleon and the Lizard. According to legend, the Creator sent the chameleon to bring to the people the message of eternal life. But the chameleon moved too slowly, and the Creator changed his mind, sending the lizard to give the people the message of death. The lizard was the first to arrive, and the people accepted his message. However, they became confused as loved ones who had passed began appearing in their dreams. The people began to see death as a transition into a spiritual realm that was closer to the Creator. They began communicating with ancestors, who provided advice, protection, and direction to the loved ones they left behind.
Epoch 3: Peopling
As Africans began to solve the problems of food security, diverse and complex societies , such as Great Zimbabwe and Nubia, began to emerge. Powerful kings held great political power by controlling trade routes and regional markets. In addition to large, powerful kingdoms, there were also small, effective village-based communities with decentralized political authority (chiefs, groups of elders).
Epoch 4: Resistance and Colonization
About 24 generations, people from Europe began invading in order to gain greater economic power. In the spirit of ubuntu, the Europeans were welcomed by the Africans. However, they colonizers became greedy – enslaving millions of Africans, destroying the land, and drawing borders where they did not traditionally exist. This had a lasting impact that is still seen today.
Epoch 5: Industrialization and Urbanizations
“Our forbearers mined the land before 1886.”
With the discovery of gold in South Africa, the European colonizers began exploiting Africans for economic gain. This industrialized form of mining was different from traditional African mining, which was seasonal and communal. On May 1910, the Union of South Africa was created and a “color bar” constitution was adopted. Various legislative acts were passed that suppressed the Native South African population. Native South Africans were paid less than white workers for the same jobs, were forced to live in barren areas that were far from cities and were robbed of their land (left with only 7% of the arable land, later 13%).
Epoch 6: Nationalisms and Struggle
In 1912, the African National Congress (ANC), Nelson Mandela’s political party, was founded to fight for the human rights of Black South Africans. In 1924, the Afrikaner- led National Party came to power. The party believed that they were culturally superior, and that God had chosen them to lead South Africa. Thus, they developed Apartheid, a system designed to keep Black South Africans under the control of white supremacy and capitalist exploitation. The ANC responded with boycotts, marches, and defiance campaigns, which resulted in violent repression by the white-controlled government.
“The Weight of Oppression”
Epoch 7: National Building and Continent Building
After a set of negotiations in the early 1990s, Apartheid ended. On May 9, 1994, the new mixed-race parliament elected Nelson Mandela as president. This part of the museum explores how South Africa has moved from Apartheid to a constitutional democracy.
Walking through the //hapo exhibit was a spiritual experience for me. Although I do not have recent ancestors from Africa, I feel connected to the spirit of ubuntu. It also awakened a desire to learn more about African history and culture. It’s frustrating to me that American primary and secondary schools do not teach African history.
“The role of education at all social levels and in particular of young generations, remains one of the best ways to stop the proliferation of racist and discriminatory discourses and to foster intercultural exchanges.”- UNESCO
In addition, there is a false narrative that is often taught to Americans that native Africans were savage, uncivilized individuals, as if to somehow justify the cruel and violent enslavement and suppression of Africans. //hapo taught me the importance of challenging the western historical narrative that I have been taught. As a result, I have resolved to dedicate more time to learning about and understanding non-western historical narratives, viewpoints, and decisions. Additionally, I am learning to accept the feeling of discomfort when confronted with viewpoints that contradict what I have been taught. Lastly, I have learned the importance of asking myself tough and uncomfortable questions regarding societal inequalities along racial and socioeconomic lines. Rather than ignoring the reality of Apartheid and its continued effects, I have been thinking about how I, as a white American tourist may be contributing to Apartheid by supporting affluent mostly white-owned businesses. This is a difficult issue for me to address, as the majority of economic power here is held by the minority white population, but I have realized that there are small ways that I can support black South African owned businesses, such as buying souvenirs from local artisans and buying snacks from my neighborhood corner store. I hope that as I continue my studies here in South Africa, I will continue to challenge the social constructs I hold and grow in respect and understanding for differing perspectives and experiences.
Thanks for reading!
