Saturday, January 15, 2005
Day 13 - Apartheid Museum and Market Theatre
January 15, 2005
Hello all our faithful blog readers. Today started out pretty relaxed for us. It was our first official day in Johannesburg and we all woke up rested, appreciating the pillows and blankets we lacked in Cape Town. After breakfast courtesy of our hosts at the Emerald Guest House we had a group meeting and heard presentations on "Afrikaner Nationalism" and "The Dutch Reformed Church and Apartheid." We had lunch at the guest house (PB&J and cheese puffs) and drove into Johannesburg for our 2 p.m. appointment at the Apartheid Museum.
The Johannesburg Apartheid Museum was opened by the government in 2001 and it comprehensively chronicles life in South Africa during apartheid. Starting with South Africa's early history and ending with the first democratic elections in 1994, the museum's exhibits showcase the sights and sounds of the apartheid era including the National Party's rise to power, the pass laws, Nelson Madela's imprisonment and eventual release, the Sharpville Massacre, the Soweto school riots, and South Africa's struggle to write a Constitution and build a democratic nation.
Our group had a 2 1/2 hour guided tour of the museum, which was very interesting, but the general consensus was that we could have spent many more hours looking at all the exhibits, there was so much to see.
After the museum we headed to the Market Theatre where we had tickets for the 8 p.m. showing of "Green Man Flashing," a political thriller with a cast of five. First we had to find a place for dinner and we ended up right next to the theatre at a restaurant called Moyo.
Moyo served authentic African food and we ate on their outdoor patio. The ostrich burger was a group favourite. During dinner we were treated to authentic African music played on the mbira.
After dinner we attended the showing of "Green Man Flashing." This drama told the story of one woman who gets involved in ANC politics. She is raped by her boss, a powerful man in the party, and has to make the difficult decision whether to demand her right to prosecution or to sacrifice her rights for the good of the party. While not a happy play, this drama gave us all something to think about.
We returned from the play late and called it a night, as we all have to get up early tomorrow for church. Ok guys, that's all from Johannesburg for now. Thanks for reading!
~Christine Holst