Johannesburg's Apartheid Museum

quote from Nelson Mandela outside Johannesburg's Apartheid Museum

If you have a short time in Johannesburg, the Apartheid Museum would be my top recommendation.  It lays out the history of apartheid and the resistance to this complete and brutal segregation of races during the middle 50 years of the 20^th century.  The segregation and brutality preceded the formal structure of segregation that became codified as apartheid, and this, too, is detailed in the museum’s exhibits.

one of many such signs on display at the Museum

On our visit last week, there was a special exhibit on Nelson Mandela, still the beacon of hope for oppressed people everywhere, and the shining light of modern South Africa.  The exhibit featured his transitions from angry young man to guerrilla leader to his 27 years in harsh bondage as a political prisoner to revered leader of a reborn nation. 

Nelson Mandela's home in  Soweto

He once told his son that he would be the first black president of South Africa, long before that dream came true.  In the process of becoming that leader, Nelson Mandela transformed his own thinking, through great hardship, from hatred to forgiveness, preparing the way for him to lead the country from white rule to democracy, through the Truth and Reconciliation process, led by Bishop Tutu, to a country governed today by its black majority. 

South Africa still has many problems, including massive corruption and poverty.  People continue to vote for the African National Congress party, despite its corrupt leadership, because it was the party that led the country to freedom.  Former President, Jacob Zuma, was removed from office because of his corruption that greatly enriched him, his family and his cronies.  Meanwhile, there is hope that a new president, Cyril Ramaphosa, will help rebuild the country from its “lost decade” under Zuma. 

We also visited the Hector Peterson Memorial.  Hector was a 12 year old boy killed by police bullets n 1976 when students protested against the new law requiring all schools to teach in Afrikaans, the hated language of apartheid.  There is a museum with photos and interesting personal stories about the many children who joined the adults in fighting apartheid.

Nelson Mandela's small bedroom in Soweto home

Nearby is the house where Nelson Mandela lived briefly, now a museum also.  The street outside is a riot of energy and color, with lots of restaurants, craft shops, locals and tourists.

Everything about Nelson Mandela is celebrated in South Africa.