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.
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It does seem amazing that people have been able to move past the hurt and pain inflicted upon them during apartheid. I wonder if all of it is real or if the dialogue is meant to provoke thought. That is, if people keep telling themselves something over and over again maybe it will come true.
ReplyDeleteThere must, at the same time, be some hate left over. The solider, for example, did not seem like he had totally come to terms with the way he was treated by white people. Also, as Chris mentioned in class today, I am sure there are Afrikaans who will say that things were better during apartheid. But in a society where the narrative is, lets make peace, do these people have a place to safely voice their opinion, or will the new South Africa snuff these people out?