The tours definitely proved the extent of violence during apartheid. Sharpeville and murder of Hector Pieterson are two well-known events that occurred in apartheid that lead some South Africans and the world to realize how horrible apartheid was. On March 21, 1960 a large group of South Africans protested outside the Sharpeville Police Station without their picture ID that stated their classification. All black and coloured citizens were required to carry these passes with them at all times. If they were ever found without the passes they were most likely arrested. When the police noticed the large crowd they grabbed their firearms began to shoot. Some police drove on vehicles that looked similar to military tanks while shooting. In the end 69 people were killed and many more were injured. We were told that most of these people were shot in the backs as they were running away from the police. Later that day we went to the cemetery where all 69 people were buried. We walked down the row in silence and aw. I don’t think the horror of that day hit us until we actually saw the 69 tombstones lined up. I instantly noticed the ages on the stones, the youngest was 12. I couldn’t believe that a 12 year old was involved in this protest. I find it amazing that during this time even 12 year old kids understood that they were being treated poorly and were willing to risk their lives for their rights. While in America today it’s hard to get anyone to protest their rights.
Hector Pieterson was a 13 year old boy who was killed by police during the Soweto uprisings. Students were protesting the change of both English and Afrikaans being taught to them in school. Most children did not speak Afrikaans, it was just another way of the Apartheid government oppressing the black community. If they did not understand what was being taught to them they would not be able to learn and in affect would have fewer chances of getting jobs and living successful lives. The police again began to shoot at the crowd in order to end the protest. It was mind boggling to hear that a young boy was killed because he and others wanted to learn in a language they actually understood.
One of my favorite parts of this trip was the Apartheid Museum. At the beginning of our tour we were given cards, each of which had either “white” or “black” on the back. We walked through to see what it was like to have real ID cards during this time. The museum had many pictures and information on events that occurred throughout apartheid. The things that I remember most are the short films we saw that showed us real footage of what it was like during this time. We saw a lot of the police violence on black people. This violence included punching, hitting, kicking, beating with guns, and throwing people to the ground, and having their dogs bite at them. I was in tears within a couple seconds of watching one of the films. They were horrible, it broke my heart to see that people were treated in this way all because they were standing up for their human rights. Another part of the museum I enjoyed was the section dedicated to Mandela. It was amazing to see all the things he accomplished in this life. There was a lot of live footage of him once he was elected president, people he met, and video of how ecstatic many South Africans were when Apartheid ended. It made me feel that there is hope for the world to end racial violence.
We then went to Kruger National Park where we did many guided tours of the park. We went on 2 game drives and one walk. They were all amazing. The guides were great people. It was amazing how much they knew about every animal. Some of the animals I saw were giraffes, elephants, buffalo, impalas, rhinos, owls, and a lion. They were all so amazing to see. My favorite was definitely the lion because it got so close to us and it was one animal I was worried we would not see. I did not see a leopard but saw enough of the other animals to make up for it. All in all the trip was an amazing learning experience!
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