Looking back, middle school was filled with days spent memorizing explorers and their discovered sailing routes. Never did I imagine, though, that I would one day follow Bartholomew Diaz’s route to the southern-most tip of Africa.
As I stood on a hilltop overlooking the majestic junction of the Atlantic and Indian oceans at the tip of South Africa, I thought of how different — and yet similar at the same time — the world today is compared to the world of early explorers. Today, mankind is exploring the reaches of outer space, while prejudices, disease and war still plague the world. Few places personify this dichotomy of scientific genius and basic human struggles as well as South Africa.
The first day in Cape Town my chemistry class visited the Koeberg nuclear power station, where we learned how nuclear energy is harnessed and provides 95 percent of the power supplied to Cape Town and its occupants. Equations, formulas, diagrams and exhibits made our heads hurt as we slowly came to understand the incredible power that can come from splitting nuclei — a concept that would certainly have been inconceivable in Diaz’s day. Our guide, Pauline, was proud to tell us that the power produced in South Africa by her company made up 60 percent of the power supply in all of Africa. To me, this wasn’t a sign of corporate accomplishment but instead striking evidence of the lack of development and energy in the remaining 11.2 million square miles of Africa.
The following morning I went on a historical tour about apartheid in Cape Town, which included a visit to a township and Nelson Mandela’s former prison. The township I visited, called Khayelitsha, was created as a result of the apartheid government and has more than 1.2 million occupants. In the 1950s, a law was passed that prohibited people from black and mixed races from living in the cities. At that time, families were forced to leave their homes with little or no possessions and illegally settled on the outskirts of town in shanties. Eventually, the government created townships to consolidate the widespread poverty in black neighborhoods, and then families — regardless of size — were squeezed into one or two room shacks.
Essentially, South African townships are areas of contained poverty within the suburbs of cities. Unfortunately, the end of apartheid did not close the townships. Township residents did not have the resources or abilities to change their social standings, and so the vast majority of the townships’ residents remain in poverty. Throughout the years, the government has sought to provide benefits like education, electricity and no taxes to townships to curtail the poverty level, but despite these opportunities for social mobility, circumstances have not drastically changed. No one is restricted by law anymore to live in a township, but some people simply cannot pull themselves out of their present circumstances.
Following the township visit I took a ferry ride to Robben Island to see the prison where former President Nelson Mandela was held in solitary confinement for 18 years of his 27-year sentence. During that time, prisoners were ranked based on their crime and treated accordingly. Mandela was ranked D, one of the lowest levels. He lived in a small cell, maybe two body lengths by one in size, received few rations, had — at best — one visitor every six months and had his letters heavily censored. Mandela and other black prisoners were forced to work in a lime quarry, which caused permanent damage to many prisoners’ vision. Mandela’s release at the end of apartheid signified a new era of equality for South Africa, and at the age of 77 he was elected president of South Africa. His presidency is perceived as spotless by most South Africans; he is their George Washington. Despite his age and long incarceration he was able to lead his weak, struggling and divided nation and create lasting reforms.
My visit to South Africa was spectacular and far too short. The beauty of South Africa has captured my heart because, despite its past and present struggles, it has the hope and determination to change. Tourism is now booming and South Africa is very eager to show the world how much a nation can truly change. You should check it out for yourself next summer when it holds the 2010 World Cup.
Take a moment to appreciate how far South Africa has come from its apartheid past. The nation is a story in progress from which the rest of the world should learn.
Katie’s column runs biweekly Tuesdays. She can be reached at kerember@semesteratsea.net.
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