For those of you who don't know what the Apartheid is, it is in fact an enormous part of the South African's history and the country itself. It began in 1948 after the National Party gained power in South Africa and this all-white government began enforcing existing policies of racial segregation. They did this because they were not happy with the way the Black's (majority of the population) had managed to gain jobs and have better lives, during and after the war - the blacks were not allowed to join the military, unless they were used as targets in battle or auxiliary workers; when all of the whites were sent off to war, people were needed for jobs and this is how the Blacks rose to power for a little while. However, during the Apartheid they were kicked out of Johannesburg and sent away to the place we now know of as Soweto (the opposite side of the gold mines so they could block the view from Johannesburg). The Apartheid ended in 1994, with the release of the famous Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela in 1990. Although, you may have heard of Mandela and the things he has done, you probably don't know much of the bravery and sacrifice of the innocent people; his supporters.
During the 28 years of Mandela's imprisonment many riots and protests occurred - most of which were boycotts and non-violent protests at first, but the government reacted in the worst way possible. With violence! They would best these innocent people torture them, imprison them in their own homes. Nevertheless, around 1970s the Apartheid system began to unravel due to the intensity of the black resistance and the international pressures.
At the very end of our tour, we watched a video basically summarising everything we had seen throughout the day and... It was graphic. Images and videos of white (and black) policemen beating and battering innocence black protesters. It made me so upset; just thinking about how anybody could treat any human being like that was sickening to me. And what made it even worse, our bus drivers - Booysie and Alfred - were both a part of this torture and terrorism; beaten and imprisoned for their own beliefs, their own freedom. I came out and I cried. It was absolutely barbaric. I felt like I had just watched a fantasy film, as if everything was make-believe. I didn't want to comprehend that something so unimaginable could actually happen. I felt guilty; Guilty to be white; Guilty that I couldn't do anything to help them. It was such an educating experience and I consider it something that everybody should learn about.
Emily D