Wednesday, March 26, 2014

Soweto

What a day it has been! Today we drove to Sowto which was a settlement made as a result of apartheid, when black Africans we forced out of the city to make way for white domination, and forced to live in small "matchbox" houses and community a very far distance into the city for work. Soweto is known for the attacks that took place at a peaceful protest in June 1976. Schoolchildren were protest the Bantu education which mandated that all schools be taught in Africaans, which was the langue of the white people, and other horrible, oppressive laws in terms of education. The children formed themselves and decided to protest the law. Their peaceful demonstration turned bloody when police opened fire on the children. Young lives were lost and this launched the extreme violence of the national government. It was powerful and moving to read witness accounts of the day of the attacks and the courage of these children, so young. Our hosts, Jack and Joan, didn't live far from the location of the attacks and yet they remember that because of the way the national government controlled things it took days for them to know anything about it. We visited the Hecor Petereson Museum, named after the first young boy killed in the shooting and saw the beautiful monument built in his honor and of all those who died that day and following days as the senseless killings continued.

From there we visited the home of Nelson and Winnie Mandela, which is on the same street as Desmond Tutu. It was just a little matchbox house, still retaining the marks of bullets aimed at the house when Winnie was living there while Nelson was inprisoned. We heard a different story of Winnie today, so often portrayed in America as a tyrant. We heard of her courage and compassion for her people. Their house was littered with honors Winnie received throughout her life. She was or is the mother of the nation. 

After lunch we visited an AIDS ministry and heard the story of a true saint and "mother of Soweto". She has sacrificed being with her family for the sake of children without family as a result of AIDS. It's amazing the work Carol is doing!! I would love to be involved in the work she is doing, in helping kids and really being a central location for her community to come and receive help of all kinds, to be empowered and resourced to thrive.

At dinner, Jack, our host, told us a story of when he visited Mandela in prison and shared Holy Communion with him, as Nelson invited his captors to share in the holy meal. A man of such magnimity, as Clark described him, who had the heart, compassion, courage, grace to be at the Table with his jailers, who reached across cultures and bridged gaps that seem impossible to forge. Such poewerful, powerful stuff.

There is much more to write, but if you've even made it this far, I'm sure you're tired of reading. There is more to come. For now, sleep. 


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