It's interesting how nice things can be paired with such horrid things. Today we visited Vilakazi Street and then the Apartheid Museum.
First, we went to an area referred to as Soweto (the official name given to the "South West Township"). There, we visted Vilakazi Street, famous for being former homes of two Nobel Peace Prize winners: former president Nelson Mandela and Archbishop Desmond Tutu.
Next, we stopped at the Apartheid Museum. At the entrance, they gave us cards that assigned each person as either "white" or "non-white." Based on our identity as given by the arbitrarily handed out cards, we had to go through a particular door. I was given a "non-white" card and walked through the right-hand door.
The awful thing was that my Liberian-Canadian classmate had been telling us that circa 2007, she went to a nightclub in a small German town where she was required to use a seperate entrance to the club, solely based on the color of her skin.
The apartheid exhibits were fascinating and disturbing. I've been to such exhibits before ie: World War era and holocaust museums, but the strange thing about this one was that such unconscionable treatment of humans occurred so recently, even during my own lifetime.
There were, of course, pictures with antiquated clothing and hairstyles, but there were also pictures with permed hair and awkward trousers from the 80s and 90s.
In fact, during our last class, one of our South African classmates brought in his pass book to show. He had been required to carry this as proof of documentation during the apartheid era, or else risk being brought to prison or worse.
I realized how little I know about South Africa, apartheid, and Mandela - and how much I would like to know.
Therefore, next on the reading list: A Long Walk to Freedom by Nelson Mandela.
Sunday, May 30, 2010
Thursday, May 27, 2010
Law Clinic
Today, our Communication class got more than we bargained for. We were told to meet at 8:30am so that we could go together to observe graduates as they counseled clients at the school clinic. The vast majority of clients that come to the clinic, according to the Wits students, are black and indigent (which is why they come to get free legal advice).
I came prepared with paper and pen to take notes on verbal and nonverbal communication. As I was walking through the door of the clinic, we were told that we would actually be the ones interviewing the clients.
Seeing as I have the most elementary knowledge of US law, and none whatsoever of South African law, I really wasn't in a position to assist clients. Nevertheless, a classmate and I sat down with three different women individually to discuss their property issues including eviction and title deed transfer.
It was fun! I didn't realize how much I would enjoy having face-to-face contact with clients. And they each certainly had some wild situations going on. The supervising attorney was awesome; she was smart, quick on her feet, and direct when we brought her clients' muddled facts and stories. I hope to be that fantastic someday.
I came prepared with paper and pen to take notes on verbal and nonverbal communication. As I was walking through the door of the clinic, we were told that we would actually be the ones interviewing the clients.
Seeing as I have the most elementary knowledge of US law, and none whatsoever of South African law, I really wasn't in a position to assist clients. Nevertheless, a classmate and I sat down with three different women individually to discuss their property issues including eviction and title deed transfer.
It was fun! I didn't realize how much I would enjoy having face-to-face contact with clients. And they each certainly had some wild situations going on. The supervising attorney was awesome; she was smart, quick on her feet, and direct when we brought her clients' muddled facts and stories. I hope to be that fantastic someday.
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Constitutional Court
We went to visit the Constitutional Court, South Africa's highest court (equivalent to the US Supreme Court) which rules on matters of constitutionality. It was a breathtakingly beautiful, modern, and meaningful structure - and that's saying a lot because I typically prefer classical to modern architecture. I think the main point of interest, it is probably safe to say, was that it looks unlike any other courthouse/courtroom in the world. I don't think I can fully describe what it was like.
Inside the courtroom, the 11-judge seats had animal skins hanging over the front, each with a different pattern to show the diversity of the judges. There were one-way windows from which a person can look to the outside world while weighing matters of law. There were glass booths for interpreters to sit since South Africa is a nation with more than a handful of national languages, and in this country, it is a right to be heard in your native tongue. I loved it.
The carpet was uniquely patterned; it represented the shade of a tree which connected the past times when African leaders would hear complaints of their people under the shade of a tree. This was also the theme of the court lobby.
Outside the courtroom, in the court lobby, there was a wall of bricks. These old, red bricks were salvaged from the old prison which used to stand beside the existing court. We toured the now-closed prison grounds which have been made into a museum.
The exhibits showed the extremely degrading, dehumanizing conditions of the prison during the apartheid era in remnants of the edifices showing what the prisons were like on the inside. Many prisoners were put there for such crimes as not carrying a "pass book." During the apartheid regime, black and coloured individuals were not considered to be South African citizens although they were (as the British say) "born, bred, and buttered" in SA. Instead, if they lived outside of the regions to which they were arbitrarily assigned by the government (although having no connections to the area or culture), they were required to carry "pass books" to show their status.
It was a strange experience for me. In some ways, the prison cells appeared to be quite sanitized. I couldn't help but compare them to the ghastly equivalents which I visited in Phnom Penh, Cambodia and Dachau, Germany. I remember the strange parallels in human cruelty I drew when comparing the atrocities of the Khmer Rouge camps and the Nazi internment camps. What I saw in the old Johannesburg prison was similar in some ways, but also different somehow. I'm not sure if I can explain the difference I felt.
I also learned that Gandhi was held there for a time - I had no idea that he was initially a practicing lawyer in Johannesburg.
Inside the courtroom, the 11-judge seats had animal skins hanging over the front, each with a different pattern to show the diversity of the judges. There were one-way windows from which a person can look to the outside world while weighing matters of law. There were glass booths for interpreters to sit since South Africa is a nation with more than a handful of national languages, and in this country, it is a right to be heard in your native tongue. I loved it.
The carpet was uniquely patterned; it represented the shade of a tree which connected the past times when African leaders would hear complaints of their people under the shade of a tree. This was also the theme of the court lobby.
Outside the courtroom, in the court lobby, there was a wall of bricks. These old, red bricks were salvaged from the old prison which used to stand beside the existing court. We toured the now-closed prison grounds which have been made into a museum.
The exhibits showed the extremely degrading, dehumanizing conditions of the prison during the apartheid era in remnants of the edifices showing what the prisons were like on the inside. Many prisoners were put there for such crimes as not carrying a "pass book." During the apartheid regime, black and coloured individuals were not considered to be South African citizens although they were (as the British say) "born, bred, and buttered" in SA. Instead, if they lived outside of the regions to which they were arbitrarily assigned by the government (although having no connections to the area or culture), they were required to carry "pass books" to show their status.
It was a strange experience for me. In some ways, the prison cells appeared to be quite sanitized. I couldn't help but compare them to the ghastly equivalents which I visited in Phnom Penh, Cambodia and Dachau, Germany. I remember the strange parallels in human cruelty I drew when comparing the atrocities of the Khmer Rouge camps and the Nazi internment camps. What I saw in the old Johannesburg prison was similar in some ways, but also different somehow. I'm not sure if I can explain the difference I felt.
I also learned that Gandhi was held there for a time - I had no idea that he was initially a practicing lawyer in Johannesburg.
Monday, May 24, 2010
Race & Class
It was expected and inevitable.
We had a welcome Braai (a traditional celebration barbeque with lots of meat!) to start off the winter programme at Wits. Our chefs were hanging about the seating area after having cooked and set out the spread of food. I loaded up my plate and looked to find a seat.
"They come from all over the world," said one of the chefs to the other. "Australia, America..."
I walked by the group.
"...and South Korea!"
Mind you, there are no students from South Korea in our programme. I looked up in surprise at the speaker.
"Yeah! South Korea!" he repeated, nodding, smiling, and pointing at me.
"I'm not from South Korea!" I exclaimed with an incredulous smile. I don't think he was convinced.
I found out from the Wits law student who sat at our table that I'm actually black :)
It turns out that are typically 3 categorizations of people: (1) black, (2) white, and (3) coloured. The first two are probably obvious. The "coloured" category refers to people who resulted from interracial unions, typically between blacks and whites.
Evidently, Chinese people don't fall into any of the aforementioned categories and are simply refered to as Chinese. That works. However, under the new laws which were passed to redress the wrongs of apartheid and disparity in treatment, Chinese (as well as some other groups) have been classified as "black" in order to receive the governmental benefits.
This was confirmed by my South African classmate. According to him, during apartheid, Chinese people were categorized as "white." With the end of apartheid in 1994, Chinese were classified as "black." He told me that this was the result of the efforts of Chinese businessmen. Although the Chinese had not suffered oppression under apartheid since they were "white," after apartheid, a group of Chinese businessmen filed a lawsuit against the South African government to get status as blacks in order to gain the same restitution/benefits as blacks. My classmate viewed this as quite a business move. Interesting.
The effects of apartheid still seem to linger. The bunch of us students walked across the Wits campus to get our ID cards. It was a handful of us American students (all white, with the exception of yours truly) and a Liberian-Canadian student. While we were obnoxiously chatting away, a couple of black Wits students started talking to our Canadian counterpart. Later, she told us that the Witsies were asking her if she was okay and why she was with us. She assured them that she was fine and that we were her friends. We surmised that 16 years after the death of apartheid, there is still very little crossing of race lines in friendships. Granted we have had few and limited experiences here in the past couple days or so; but still, interesting.
Last note for today. One of the courses I'm taking here is called Cross-Cultural Legal Communication. Our reading broadly discussed the differences between Western (referring to Europe, UK, and the US) and East Asian (referring to China, Japan, and Korea) ways of thinking. According to our source, Western minds tend to categorise and think about things in an isolated manner while Asians tend to think holistically and consider relationships.
We each took a mini self-assessment which included a few questions including the following:
(1) Consider the following two arguments. Is one more convincing than the other?
1. All birds have ulnar arteries.
Therefore all eagles have ulnar arteries.
2. All birds have ulnar arteries.
Therefore all penguins have ulnar arteries.
(2) Which of the following two groups of proverbs most appeals to you - the first three or the second three?
Half a loaf is better than none.
One against all is certain to fail.
"For example" is no proof.
Too humble is half-proud.
Beware of your friends, not your enemies.
A man is stronger than iron and weaker than a fly.
We discussed which school of thought our personal tendencies leaned more toward. Which style of thinking is dominant for you?
We had a welcome Braai (a traditional celebration barbeque with lots of meat!) to start off the winter programme at Wits. Our chefs were hanging about the seating area after having cooked and set out the spread of food. I loaded up my plate and looked to find a seat.
"They come from all over the world," said one of the chefs to the other. "Australia, America..."
I walked by the group.
"...and South Korea!"
Mind you, there are no students from South Korea in our programme. I looked up in surprise at the speaker.
"Yeah! South Korea!" he repeated, nodding, smiling, and pointing at me.
"I'm not from South Korea!" I exclaimed with an incredulous smile. I don't think he was convinced.
I found out from the Wits law student who sat at our table that I'm actually black :)
It turns out that are typically 3 categorizations of people: (1) black, (2) white, and (3) coloured. The first two are probably obvious. The "coloured" category refers to people who resulted from interracial unions, typically between blacks and whites.
Evidently, Chinese people don't fall into any of the aforementioned categories and are simply refered to as Chinese. That works. However, under the new laws which were passed to redress the wrongs of apartheid and disparity in treatment, Chinese (as well as some other groups) have been classified as "black" in order to receive the governmental benefits.
This was confirmed by my South African classmate. According to him, during apartheid, Chinese people were categorized as "white." With the end of apartheid in 1994, Chinese were classified as "black." He told me that this was the result of the efforts of Chinese businessmen. Although the Chinese had not suffered oppression under apartheid since they were "white," after apartheid, a group of Chinese businessmen filed a lawsuit against the South African government to get status as blacks in order to gain the same restitution/benefits as blacks. My classmate viewed this as quite a business move. Interesting.
The effects of apartheid still seem to linger. The bunch of us students walked across the Wits campus to get our ID cards. It was a handful of us American students (all white, with the exception of yours truly) and a Liberian-Canadian student. While we were obnoxiously chatting away, a couple of black Wits students started talking to our Canadian counterpart. Later, she told us that the Witsies were asking her if she was okay and why she was with us. She assured them that she was fine and that we were her friends. We surmised that 16 years after the death of apartheid, there is still very little crossing of race lines in friendships. Granted we have had few and limited experiences here in the past couple days or so; but still, interesting.
Last note for today. One of the courses I'm taking here is called Cross-Cultural Legal Communication. Our reading broadly discussed the differences between Western (referring to Europe, UK, and the US) and East Asian (referring to China, Japan, and Korea) ways of thinking. According to our source, Western minds tend to categorise and think about things in an isolated manner while Asians tend to think holistically and consider relationships.
We each took a mini self-assessment which included a few questions including the following:
(1) Consider the following two arguments. Is one more convincing than the other?
1. All birds have ulnar arteries.
Therefore all eagles have ulnar arteries.
2. All birds have ulnar arteries.
Therefore all penguins have ulnar arteries.
(2) Which of the following two groups of proverbs most appeals to you - the first three or the second three?
Half a loaf is better than none.
One against all is certain to fail.
"For example" is no proof.
Too humble is half-proud.
Beware of your friends, not your enemies.
A man is stronger than iron and weaker than a fly.
We discussed which school of thought our personal tendencies leaned more toward. Which style of thinking is dominant for you?
Sunday, May 23, 2010
First Glance
I successfully made it into Johannesburg!
Once at the airport, I was instructed to find my driver who would be holding my name on a placard. There was no such person when I arrived.
So I made my usual smart move. I went with a random man who approached me, offering his taxi services (all the while praying for safety). He turned out to be legit and brought me safely to my lodgings. Hurray!
All of us students are staying in a guesthouse about 4km from the University of Witwatersrand (Wits)(pronounced "Vits" presumably because it's a Dutch name).
...
The next day, I went with a few students to the Johannesburg Zoo! We saw lions, but no tigers, and bears!
This is how jetlag feels.
I just like these two.
...
Classes begin tomorrow!
Once at the airport, I was instructed to find my driver who would be holding my name on a placard. There was no such person when I arrived.
So I made my usual smart move. I went with a random man who approached me, offering his taxi services (all the while praying for safety). He turned out to be legit and brought me safely to my lodgings. Hurray!
All of us students are staying in a guesthouse about 4km from the University of Witwatersrand (Wits)(pronounced "Vits" presumably because it's a Dutch name).
...
The next day, I went with a few students to the Johannesburg Zoo! We saw lions, but no tigers, and bears!
This is how jetlag feels.
I just like these two.
...
Classes begin tomorrow!
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