Saturday, 14th June 2014 – Afternoon
This was an amazing day.
The Apartheid Museum
Saturday afternoon we were taken to the Apartheid Museum and this was fascinating, shocking and moving but ultimately it is the inspirational element that stays with you. On entry you are given an immediate jolt when you see you have been arbitrarily classed as either white or non-white.
We are all familiar with parts of Nelson Mandela’s story and some of the terrible acts carried out under apartheid, but coming here to see and hear so many exhibits, anecdotes and quotes makes for a deep experience and gives a real sense of the struggle. You simply have to admire the South African people for how far they have come.
No photos are permitted inside but this picture below of some of our team was taken just outside.
Soweto
We followed the Mandela trail to Soweta and visited his simple home. He has left us numerous inspirational quotes and this one features prominently in the back yard of his former home.
Also in Soweto, we stopped at the Hector Pieterson memorial, commemorating the children who died during the student uprising in 1976 when police opened fire on the demonstrators.
Nelson Mandela Square, Johannesburg
For the evening we returned to Johannesburg and enjoyed a relaxed introductory meal with our clients in a very upmarket mall off of Nelson Mandela Square. Looking down on the square is a huge portrait of Mandela with some words to inspire us all when we see a supposedly insurmountable problem ahead.