Final Words

My time in South Africa has really opened up my eyes in a new way to the world around me. With my return to the states, I have noticed things that I would not have before taking this class.

Just like in South Africa, United State citizens are also in the middle of a reconciliation process. This process is similar to that in South Africa, yet very different. In the states, minorities faced a lot of discrimination, but not as much as in South Africa. The Apartheid period was extremely more violent then the Civil Rights Movement as many more people lost their lives in South Africa. I think this fact has made the reconciliation process more attainable in the United States. However, like Americans, South Africans have came an extremely long way in a very short time period.

All the sights and things we learned in South Africa have made me more interested in the equality movement in the United States. I always knew that the work Martin Luther King jr. and other American freedom fighters did was very important, but I did not know how vital it was into shaping the country we live in today. My South Africa trip made me appreciate our own history much more than in the past.

However, the horrible pictures we saw at places like the Apartheid Museum opened my eyes in a new way. Are the things I learned in school really exactly what happened? I would imagine there is much more to the Civil Rights Movement then what we were taught. I am sure some horrible things happened that are not talked about today.

Since I returned to the states, I have seen things that have made me think differently then I would have before. I live in a very diverse suburb or Chicago called Evanston. My town is mostly all white and black. It is great to live in an area like this, but it is also very segregated at the same time. There are train tracks dividing the wealthier area, which is closer to the lake and mainly white, and the lower class area, which is mostly black. This is very similar to many areas we saw in South Africa, where highways or big fields divide races and social classes.

Fortunately, there is absolutely no hostility among the races in my town, and it seems to be similar to that in South Africa today. It is great to be able to live in an area with different races that can relate to each other and live peacefully. I find it amazing how far we have come, and this is something I never would have thought about before visiting South Africa.

Racism vs. Ignorance

The anti Apartheid Movement and the Civil Rights Movement are eerily similar. In a very similar time frame, blacks of both countries fought their white oppressors in search of freedom and equal rights. Both African Americans and black South Africans were treated with hate and disgust for unapparent reasons. However, I believe the whites in these two countries had different mind sets during this period.
In Apartheid South Africa, the discrimination of blacks turned extremely ugly with the discovery of gold and diamonds. The Europeans took advantage of the blacks to further their well being and wealth. As racist as Apartheid was, it was mainly the doing of the European government and police.
This government used propaganda to influence their fellow European citizens. The government was extremely racist with theirs ideas, policies, and treatment of black South Africans. However, regular European citizens, I believe, were somewhat ignorant. They did not really know the exact situation of blacks, and the fact that they lived in separate locations helped the government blind the rest of the public from the realities of Apartheid. The everyday European understood that Apartheid was furthering their social status, but they did not understand the degree of which violence was used against the blacks.
Mrs. Styne, one of our lectures, helped me to come up with this understanding. She lived in South Africa during the Apartheid and was a white person, blinded by the European governments propaganda. She studied in America and did some research concerning Apartheid, and was not only disgusted, but she was blown away. I found this very amazing and helped me understand the situation of many white South Africans during this time period.
Unfortunately, the reality of the Civil Rights movement period was far from that of South Africa. African Americans were treated in very similar ways compared to black South Africans. However, this was not only by the government and police.
Everyday white Americans treated blacks with hatred and disgust and alienated them, along with the government and police. I believe this situation made it much harder on African Americans during this time. Like black South Africans, the enemies of African Americans were the government and police. However, in addition to these enemies, African Americans were forced to hate their white counterparts. Fortunately, not all white Americans acted with hate towards blacks, but many did.
This idea is disturbing and something I never though about until today. White South Africans were the minority during Apartheid and could be said to have been prejudice against blacks, but they did not fully understand the situation, except for those with the power who were making laws. In the United States, whites were the majority and were extremely racist. Whites knew exactly what was happening and furthered the hatred, instead of trying to do something about it.
I find it interesting to link these parallels. As horrible as many people think the actions of Europeans were during the Apartheid, I think those of white Americans during the same period were far worse.

Levels of Reconciliation

We have recently been giving much thought to the idea of the psychology behind reconciliation and what needs to be in place for this process to occur. There are many ways fellow citizens, oppressors, victims, and different governments can help move this reconciliation process in the right direction.
From our readings and discussions, it has become apparent that many believe in reconciliation on two separate levels. The micro level of reconciliation concerns one person reconciling with their former victim or oppressor. This is a very vital step in the reconciliation process, and must be done in order to reach the next step. The second step is called the macro level of reconciliation. Like macro economics, this is defined by the entire nation, and the process enabling all of a nation’s citizens to reconcile.
In certain situations, the micro level of reconciliation can be relatively easy to find, but this is not always the case. It is more likely that two people can reach out to one another and discuss the past, and eventually come to an understanding. However, the macro level of reconciliation can be very difficult to achieve. The ability of an entire nation to recognize wrong doings and reconcile is an enormously harder idea to achieve. In a nation, there will always be many different view points and millions of people with their own opinions, which can make this process near impossible.
I believe South Africa has achieved reconciliation on the micro level. This is because blacks and whites do interact, even it is sometimes on a very minimal level. The fact that I, a white person, am able to have conversations with anyone here and am treated with respect enhances this belief.
While considering the macro level of reconciliation, I am not too sure if South Africa has achieved this. I believe the process has started but is not fully accomplished. In this country people still often segregate themselves in every aspect of life. I believe for this level of reconciliation to be accomplished, people of this country must become one and accept the past, and realize that to move forward, everyone must work together.
My definition of reconciliation does not necessarily mean the same thing as forgiving. While forgiving makes the reconciliation process much easier, I do not think its a necessary aspect to the process. I think it will take more time in South Africa for blacks to truly forgive their former oppressors and understand the reasoning behind Apartheid. However, I believe the country is close to achieving reconciliation on a macro level.
I believe the United States is in a very similar situation to that of South Africa. The United States have achieved reconciliation on the macro level as races can work, live, and relate to each other peacefully. However, I think reconciliation is yet to be achieved on a macro level. There still is racism and hatred between the races, but fortunately it is much less than in the past.
It is good to know that both countries have came so far from their not so distant past. This is an ongoing process and I am sure that sometime relatively soon both countries can achieve this accomplishment on the next level.

Breaking Walls

An older white South African named Doc Foster lectured us today and had a lot of interesting stuff to say. He talked about the psychological side of race and race relations. He started by saying how race does not even exist, since there is no type of machine that can read one’s race. I found this unbelievable, but then remembered a discussion we had about how humans will look for anyway to categorize the unfamiliar.
An interesting concept we talked about today as well as before was the contact hypothesis, something I was able to personally relate to. When people have a common goal and know it can be somehow achieved, they are motivated for success in extraordinary ways. This process can bring people together no matter who they are. During World War II, both white and black soldiers needed to fight as one to survive. This created enormous amounts of trust and team work, which can tear down previous barriers in the span of two seconds. And when battle was over, this allowed for interracial relationships that might have not happened if not for that common goal. From my own experience, I have found this similar to playing on athletic teams in the past. In football, everyone has each others back. If one person messes up, the play is often a failure. Therefore, you must trust your team mates and know that everyone is there for one thing, to win. Even if you do not like a particular teammate personally, you can trust them.
Without this contact among different races, people often find people of other races intimidating because they have never interacted with them. This is why people often segregate themselves with people that are familiar, and in return feel comfortable. Unfortunately, it is common that this familiarity is due to race. It is very common in all parts of society, especially in schools. I have noticed on a few college campuses, as well as my high school, that the cafeteria is segregated among races. With white students in one area, blacks in another, and so on.
This is unfortunate to see, especially today when all these barriers were thought to have been broken down. However, this informal segregation, I believe, could be solved with a simple solution. If members of all communities could somehow be inspired to pursue the same goal and work as a team, this problem might be solved.
No one could say that this contact hypothesis is false. It has worked in the past and could also work today. It is easier said than done, but the formation of a common goal could bring society so much further.
I believe there will always be a very minimal aspect of informal segregation in society, which is not necessarily a bad thing. People are different and will always have different colors of skin which will be recognized by other people. A discussion about race is not a form of racism, which some people might unknowingly think, which I have in the past. People are so concerned with not trying to offend others they pretend they are colorblind. This should not be the case as we should accept this notion but it should not be linked to anything else. People must forget stereotypes and brake down barriers between races. If this can happen, we can truly all be one people.

segregated education

Since the Civil Rights Movement, the United States has came very far concerning equality among the countries different races, which is a great achievement in the countries history. However, there is one aspect of American culture that I can think of in which the races are not equal. Education in the United States is still very much segregated.
I am from the north shore of Chicago and went to a private high school. However, all the public schools in my area are fantastic and just as competitive as any other high schools in the country. Unfortunately, the same can not be said for inner city schools. These students are at an enormous disadvantage in so many ways. It is very sad to see, but many inner city public school students lack the necessary funds for computers, textbooks, and in many cases, teachers. It is completely unfair that the suburban public high schools (mostly white) are so much better off than their inner city counterparts (mostly black and hispanic). I believe it to be the most unacceptable part of our society today.
My studies in South Africa has shown me a very similar aspect to education during the Apartheid period. The idea of Bantu education was introduced to give further advantages to the white Europeans in the country. The Hector Pieterson Museum showed me the reality of this idea, and I was disgusted.
Obviously, schools during this period were segregated. However, the two different sides of schooling were drastically different. The idea behind Bantu education was to teach children in a way that would help their potential careers. Whites were taught everything important in the reality of the world, in other words, everything necessary for a student to learn in school. On the other end of the spectrum, blacks were taught the bare minimum. They were taught how to work with their hands and other similar aspects of life. This idea further disadvantaged black students. Blacks in this school system could not be expected to ever be successful in the real world.
Fortunately, with the end of Apartheid, blacks were able to end this horrible fate and now receive equal education across the country. However, this came at an enormous cost. When this idea was put into action, black students had an uprising because this was completely unacceptable. This uprising forced many students and families to sacrifice so much, such as their lives. These martyrs, in the end, proved to be very meaningful to South Africa.
I find Bantu education to be the exact equivalent to the public school system in the United States. Inner city students can not be expected to reach the level of suburban public school students. In many cases, they can not even be expected to graduate high school, let alone graduate at a 12th grade level or go to college. The end of Bantu education has given me hope and I would love to see the United States public school system show some equality in the future.

Forgive, Never Forget

Before coming to South Africa I knew very little about the Apartheid and did not appreciate everything that freedom fighters like Nelson Mandela did for their country. I am beginning to understand how heroic and important these people were. They made huge sacrifices for the good of their brother and sisters. However, in return many innocent people were killed and treated like animals by the European government and police.
Over the last 16 years, Africans have came such a long way and seem to have forgiven their previous oppressors. I have a hard time seeing how this is possible in such a short time. During the Apartheid period, the whites were vicious and attempted to destroy the dignity of their African counterparts.
The Apartheid Museum and the Hector Peiterson Memorial Center have really opened my eyes. Reading books only brings so much attention to the situation Africans faced during that period. In the museums, pictures made me understand what really happened during the Apartheid. I was amazed with what I saw and it really made me angry. I felt that if I was in the shoes of black South Africans, I would hate the white man more than anything else in the world and would have an extremely hard time trying to forgive them.
In Soweto, I pursued this with a conversation with Shepperd, better known as Rasta Man. Rasta Man worked at the backpackers that I stayed at and was a great guy. I told him that I was having a hard time understanding how black Africans could be so forgiving. He replied, in short, “Always forgive, but never forget.” Furthermore, as what I had expected, I was told that many older Africans who saw the Apartheid with their own eyes had a much harder time forgiving and still somewhat detested white people.
I have given much thought to this conversation I had with Rasta Man. I think that one main point of this forgiveness is due to African culture. In America, I feel as though many citizens are much more self oriented than community oriented, the opposite of African culture. Perhaps this is why when I tried to put myself in their shoes it was hard for me to find a sense of forgiveness. I feel that Africans, as one large community, found forgiveness together. They understand that horrible things had happened in the past, but hating others would never undo this reality. Instead, they would remember and greatly appreciate the courageousness of their brothers and sisters. They were put in a horrible situation in which they were taken complete advantage of in their homeland. However, they had the internal strength and bravery to never give up, no matter what they faced.
I find this reconciliation process truly amazing. So far, I have met some amazing people. I really appreciate the fact that they are so open to talking about their past. However, even after many conversations and much thought, I still am not sure if I would be able to be as forgiving as these people.

University of Witswaterstands

In my short time in Africa I have really enjoyed my trip to Soweto and have seen a lot of culture I have never experienced in the states. Were staying in a backpackers hostel in East Orlando, and the workers all are all locals and are very nice. They have told me about their lives and showed me around the area. Every face I have seen in Soweto outside my group is black, which is what I pretty much accepted. It is great to have seen people come such a long since the apartheid, and everyone I’ve walked to really appreciates the work their parents are relatives have done for them and are willing to talk about all aspects of their history.
However, one thing I noticed that was very unexpected occurred when we arrived at the University of Witswatersrand. We walked around the campus and it almost seemed as we had gone back 25 or 30 years. I was expecting a mostly black student body, which was far from reality. Obviously these probably aren’t the correct stats, but from what I saw, it seemed as though over about 85% of the students we saw were white, Muslim, or Asian. We saw very few black people at the campus.
It is awkward because outside of the campus, I don’t think I’ve seen any Muslims or Asians. It seems as though the campus should have much more black students since it is in Johannesburg. It is unfortunate because the racial mix of the student body is the exact opposite of the cities population. During the Apartheid, white and non white students had separate schools respectively. It was unfortunate to see that it is somewhat still the same case today.
In the states, affirmative action helped blacks in situations similar to these. By giving minorities an advantage in getting into schools and being hired, they were helped drastically. I feel that something similar should be implemented in South Africa. However, it obviously would help the majority instead of the minority. I think it is important though that blacks continue their education after high school to continually improve the state of their country. Many important leaders of the anti-apartheid movement were uneducated and still did a great job at leading their country. However, a strong education can only help ones leadership skills.
One large part of the anti-apartheid movement was to help blacks and whites receive equal education. As this might be the case, the University of Wits did not seem to hold this true. I feel that it in opportunity Africans have created for themselves but might not be taking full advantage of for whatever reason. An education is a very important part of life and helps people’s futures in enormous ways. South Africa has come such a long way in the past 20 years and I think this process of reconciliation is still continuing and at one day will be complete. From my experience so far, mainly coming from my experience at the University of Wits, this is the conclusion I’ve made.